The 10 Most Expensive Works Sold at Auction in 2025

The auction market was anything but cautious in 2025. When major works appeared on the block, bidding escalated quickly, and prices followed suit. Across Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips, the ten highest-priced lots of the year brought in more than $750 million combined, setting new records and elevating a few unexpected contenders. These are the artworks that shaped the year’s biggest auction moments.

Gustav Klimt, Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer – $236.4 million

Painted in 1914, it features the daughter of Klimt’s longtime patrons, dressed in an East Asian robe. The Nazis seized it in 1939, and it wasn’t returned until nearly a decade later. Its sale through Sotheby’s, part of Leonard Lauder's collection, set a modern art record and became the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.

Gustav Klimt, Blumenwiese (Blooming Meadow) – $86 million

Lake Attersee served as Klimt’s personal escape and creative fuel. This painting—made during one of those quiet summer retreats—is all color blocks and no clear outlines. It sold right after the Lederer portrait. Still, bidders treated it like its own headliner, and it became one of Klimt’s highest-priced landscapes.

Mark Rothko, No. 31 (Yellow Stripe) – $62.2 million

Christie’s sold this Rothko in November as part of the Weiss Collection. The canvas features vivid red and orange blocks set against a single yellow stripe. It’s part of a brief chapter before Rothko turned to darker tones. The work also reminded viewers of the intensity and emotional weight his minimalist style can convey in person.

Frida Kahlo, El sueño (La cama) – $54.7 million

Kahlo’s self-portrait marked a major moment for women artists at auction. Sold at Sotheby’s during a surrealism-focused evening sale, the work shows her asleep as a skeleton drifts above the bed. She painted it after a period of personal turmoil shaped by ongoing health struggles and the violent end of Leon Trotsky, once her lover.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Crowns (Peso Neto) – $48.3 million

This Basquiat work carries a great deal of personal significance. The three crowned heads and graffiti-like marks nod to his early days as a street artist. The phrase “Peso Neto” adds a layer of commentary on value. It has been featured in several high-profile collections, culminating in its latest chapter at Sotheby's, where bidding surpassed expectations.

Piet Mondrian, Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black, and Blue – $47.6 million

The large red square at the center steals the show, but the surrounding lines and colors make it feel oddly alive. It came to Christie’s via a private European collection and delivered a reminder that even rigid geometry can turn heads.

Vincent van Gogh, Piles de romans parisiens et roses dans une verre – $62.7 million

This is not a self-portrait or a sweeping landscape, yet it became the most expensive Paris-period van Gogh ever sold. The composition is simple on paper, stacked novels and a glass holding roses, but the surface hums with energy and movement. The painting was made inside Theo van Gogh’s apartment and likely dates to the final days before Vincent left Paris, capturing a moment of transition in quiet, restless form.

Claude Monet, Nymphéas – $45.5 million

Monet’s water lilies returned to the spotlight once again, proving their pull has hardly faded. This painting came from a Japanese museum that was trimming its holdings ahead of a relocation. Rich purples and deep blues set it apart from other works in the series, a reminder that even within Monet’s many Nymphéas, each canvas carries its own distinct character.

Pablo Picasso, La Lecture (Marie-Thérèse) – $45.5 million

Painted in 1932 at his château outside Paris, this portrait of Marie-Thérèse Walter shows her deep in a book. The lines are soft, and the colors are gentle. It came from the Weiss collection and was sold at Christie’s in November. Even with other Picassos up for grabs that night, this one drew the most eyes and wallets.

Edvard Munch, Sankthansnatt (Midsummer Night) – $35.1 million

The scene unfolds in a Norwegian village on a summer night, with winding roads and a wash of moonlight shaping the landscape. The image draws on memory rather than direct observation, giving it a calm, inward-looking tone. Its inclusion in the Lauder collection sale gave collectors a rare chance to encounter Munch’s quieter, more reflective side at auction.