The 10 most expensive artworks of 2014
It was a year of records for the big auction houses of the world, with millions flushed into their coffers. Art clearly remains a sound investment in uncertain economic times.
"Chariot" by Alberto Giacometti: $102.9 million
This bronze sculpture by the Swiss artist (sold by Sotheby's) became the most expensive artwork of the year. "Chariot" shows the figurine of a goddess standing tall upon the axel of two wheels. Giacometti made several of these warrior chariots but according to Sotheby's, only two remain in private hands. This particular "Chariot" was in a private collection for four decades.
"Black Fire I" by Barnett Newman: $84.2 million
Barnett Newman, one of the fathers of abstract expressionism, destroyed all of his works at age 40. Then over the next two and a half decades he created a further 120 images dedicated to what he considered the five essential subjects: life, death, mankind, nature and tragedy.
Two Andy Warhols: "Triple Elvis" ($81.9 million) and "Four Marlons" ($69.9 million)
The auctioning of two Warhol images from the collection of a state-owned casino created a stir in Germany - where the sale of public art is considered taboo. The North Rhine Westphalia Casino Group plans to use the funds from the sale to clear debts, renovate and build a new casino in Cologne.
"Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards" by Francis Bacon: $80.8 million
John Edwards, a bartender from Soho, was assumed to be the last love of the great Francis Bacon. This image was created in 1984 when the painter was 75. Bacon is one of the most sought-after artists in the world. His triptych "Three Studies for a Portrait of Lucien Freud" leads the list of the most expensive paintings of all time, selling for $142.4 million in 2013.
"Tete" by Amedeo Modigliani: $70.7 million
The Italian painter and sculptor called his heads "pillars of tenderness." Modigliani created only a few of these pillars between 1909 and 1913 - under the influence of his teacher, Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi.
"Portrait of George Dyer Talking" by Francis Bacon: $70.2 million
"When an artist has become a brand, prices climb into regions they have never been before," says Hans Neuendorf, founder of Artnet, an online art service provider. Even dealers frequently find current price hikes shocking but continue to make money nonetheless.
"Untitled" by Cy Twombly: $69.6 million
Twombly's painting style is sometimes compared with doodling - or with the visual language of graffiti art, of which he is considered a predecessor. The prices for Twombly's works increased dramatically after his death in 2011.
"Untitled" by Mark Rothko: $66.2 million
Mark Rothko - originally Marcus Rothkowitz - was born in 1903, the fourth child of a Jewish family from the Russian city of Dvinsk (present-day Daugavpils, Latvia). The family emigrated to the US after escaping anti-Semitic pogroms in Europe. The artist suffered from severe depression throughout his life. His maxim for art: "images need to be mysterious."
"Le Printemps" by Edouard Manet: $65.1 million
Edouard Manet is the only 19th century artist in the "club" of the most expensive artists of 2014. Dating from 1881, this oil painting depicts a then-famous actress - a young, serious looking woman in Sunday attire amidst a sea of flowers. With this sale, the former highest price for a work of Manet almost doubled.