The 13 most expensive artworks sold at auction, as Gustav Klimt fetches over $200 million

By Benjamin Jackson

Reporter

Published 19th Nov 2025, 12:13 BST

The fiercely fought auction was completed after a 20-minute bidding war amongst six different bidders

A work by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt has become the second most expensive artwork sold at auction after Tuesday evening (November 18).

The work, ‘Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer,’ was sold during a 20-minute bidding war among six different bidders for the total of $236.4 million (£179 million), surpassing the pre-auction estimate of $150 million.

The artwork was looted by the Nazis and narrowly escaped destruction in a fire during WWII, and was returned to the Lederer family (specifically Erich Lederer) in 1948 before being sold in 1983. The painting was part of the private collection of Estée Lauder heir Leonard A. Lauder since 1985.

Several other Klimt works from Lauder's collection, including landscapes, sold for between $60 million and $80 million each at the same event.

Here are the 13 most expensive works of art ever sold at auction—a stunning look into the world's billion-dollar art market, and who Klimt surpassed to achieve the feat.

This vibrant, sensual canvas depicts Picasso's muse and lover Marie-Thérèse Walter reclining beneath the shadow of a plaster bust, characterised by the lush, rhythmic lines and intense colours that mark the most successful period of his liaison with Walter in 1932. The painting’s sale was a major signal of the robustness of the art market at the time, demonstrating the sustained, sky-high value of Picasso’s intimate portraits from his "Golden Muse" period.

1. Pablo Picasso - Nude, Green Leaves and Bust ($107.3 Million)

This vibrant, sensual canvas depicts Picasso's muse and lover Marie-Thérèse Walter reclining beneath the shadow of a plaster bust, characterised by the lush, rhythmic lines and intense colours that mark the most successful period of his liaison with Walter in 1932. The painting’s sale was a major signal of the robustness of the art market at the time, demonstrating the sustained, sky-high value of Picasso’s intimate portraits from his "Golden Muse" period. | Leon Neal/Getty Images

A fierce, confrontational work painted on a wooden panel, Warrior is a potent self-portrait that distils Basquiat’s concerns with race, identity, and power into a single, aggressively painted figure, widely considered one of the finest paintings to ever come to auction from the artist’s seminal 1982 period. The record-breaking sale in Hong Kong underscored the massive, growing international interest in Basquiat, particularly among collectors in Asia.

2. Jean-Michel Basquiat - Warrior ($108.4 Million)

A fierce, confrontational work painted on a wooden panel, Warrior is a potent self-portrait that distils Basquiat’s concerns with race, identity, and power into a single, aggressively painted figure, widely considered one of the finest paintings to ever come to auction from the artist’s seminal 1982 period. The record-breaking sale in Hong Kong underscored the massive, growing international interest in Basquiat, particularly among collectors in Asia. | LEON NEAL/AFP/GettyImages

This colossal, vibrant work from 1982, depicting a massive, ferocious skull, captures the raw, powerful energy that propelled Basquiat from graffiti artist to art world phenomenon, showcasing his characteristic fusion of street art, abstract expressionism, and historical references. The nine-figure result cemented Basquiat’s position as one of the most important post-war artists and demonstrated the immense global demand for works of this scale and power from his most desirable year.

3. Jean-Michel Basquiat - Untitled ($110.5 Million)

This colossal, vibrant work from 1982, depicting a massive, ferocious skull, captures the raw, powerful energy that propelled Basquiat from graffiti artist to art world phenomenon, showcasing his characteristic fusion of street art, abstract expressionism, and historical references. The nine-figure result cemented Basquiat’s position as one of the most important post-war artists and demonstrated the immense global demand for works of this scale and power from his most desirable year. | TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

This pastel version of The Scream, one of only four in existence, is the image that codified the modern emotional and existential crisis, capturing a figure gripped by anxiety against a swirling, blood-red sky. The sale not only set a record for a work of art sold at auction at the time but underscored the primal, universal power of the image, which remains a cornerstone of Expressionism and a symbol of modern angst.

4. Edvard Munch - The Scream ($119.9 Million)

This pastel version of The Scream, one of only four in existence, is the image that codified the modern emotional and existential crisis, capturing a figure gripped by anxiety against a swirling, blood-red sky. The sale not only set a record for a work of art sold at auction at the time but underscored the primal, universal power of the image, which remains a cornerstone of Expressionism and a symbol of modern angst. | DIRK WAEM/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images

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