This Decade’s Most Expensive Living Artists
The Huffington Post has taken a look at living artists over the past ten years who have sold work at auction and formulated a list of the top 10 most expensive ones.
The most expensive artist on the list who sold a piece of his work for $58 million is Jeff Koons. The piece to go for that insane sum of money was a giant replica of a Balloon Dog to be featured in a museum for contemporary art. Apparently it sold for so much money because of its “flawless reflective surface” and “glorious color.” It has traveled the world and be adored, says the buyer Christie’s, for its “unabashed celebration of childhood, hope and innocence.”
Third on the list is Ed Ruscha, who sold a picture with the text art “Smash” on it for $30 million as some representation of “pop art.”
In addition to purchasing Balloon Dog for almost $60 million, Christie’s also purchased Robert Ryman’s Bridge painting for just over $20 million. To the naked eye and an individual untrained in assessing art, the painting appears to be literally a blank canvas.
But, according to Christie’s, the 1930s painting represents an optical charge that conveys Ryman’s mastery of his materials.
Number nine on the list, David Hammons, sold his sculpture of a basketball hoop/chandelier/candle holder called “Untitled” for $8 million.
Read the full list here.
