This map shows the most expensive artists in Europe
There is, undoubtedly, a growing trend in the art market, especially with the collectors interest in the great masters of Impressionism and Modern Art increasing. Proof of that is the fact that Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger (version 0), have reached the status of most expensive work sold at auction in may 2015. The impressive € 157.7M by which the work was acquired reflect a market where the supply of the “great masters” works don’t suppress the huge demand from the new emerging markets investors and from museums around the world, trying to get its own Mona Lisa and hoping to see its ticket revenues soar.
The famous Three Studies of Lucian Freud triptych by Francis Bacon sold in 2008 for € 125.5M at Christie’s New York, No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) acquired in 2014 for € 140m on a private sale by Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev, led by the art dealer Yves Bouvier, or The Scream by Edvard Munch, acquired in 2012 for € 110M by Leon Black (founder of Apollo Management and with an estimated fortune of more than 4.5 billion US dollars) at an auction held by Sotheby’s New York are good examples of the market appetite for the so-called masterpieces.
The Most Expensive Artists in Europe: The Map
As is known, was in Europe that lived most of the great masters in art history and, therefore, where many of the artworks that beat sales records around the world were produced. This map shows the most valuable artists, by nationality. As the graphic was created based on sales records, countries like France and the Netherlands, two major “strengths” in Art History leave out artists such as Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Piet Mondrian, although listed in the top 100 of the most expensive artworks ever sold.
You can download the map here.
The data was collected after an intense search in June 2016. The map is not dynamic so it tends to become obsolete over the years. If you detect any changes in the presented information, please leave a comment.
