This year, Pablo Picasso's "Les femmes d’Alger" sold for a whopping $179.4 million, setting a new world record for a single artwork purchased at auction. A nude painting by Amedeo Modigliani wasn't far behind: "Nu couché" sold for $170.4 million at auction.
These price tags are roughly equal to the cost of a luxury yacht equipped with a helicopter garage, salon and cinema.
Reflecting on the year's high auction prices, experts hypothesize that the skyrocketing bids were fueled by artworks' increasing investment value and wealthy collectors' appetite for "the very best works."
"I don't really see an end to it, unless interest rates drop sharply, which I don't see happening in the near future," dealer Richard Feigen said.
As the end of the year approaches, here's a look back on the paintings and sculptures that sold big this year -- and the luxury goods buyers could have owned for the same price. Prepare for a lot of yachts.
David Hockney's "Arranged Felled Trees": $5.3 million
What could you buy for this price? A dozen Lamborghinis.
Georgia O'Keeffe's "White Calla Lily": $9 million
What could you buy for this price? Nearly three 17-carat diamonds.
Peter Doig's "Swamped": $26 million
What could you buy for this price? Around 3,700 65-inch plasma televisions.
Andy Warhol's "One Dollar Bill": $20.9 million
What could you buy for this price? This six-bedroom condo on Central Park South.
Claude Monet's "Le Grand Canal": $35.6 million
What could you buy for this price? Around 3,000 of these collector Robin action figures.
Roy Lichtenstein's "The Ring (Engagement)": $41.7 million
What could you buy for this price? Around 200 Bentleys.
Gerhard Richter's "Abstraktes Bild": $46.3 million
What could you buy for this price? This 58,000-square-foot Miami Beach mansion.
Vincent van Gogh’s "Paysage sous un ciel mouvementé": $54 million
What could you buy for this price? Over a million of these luxury instant noodle meals, which come with gold leaf pots and table linen. (Too bad only 100 exist.)
Claude Monet’s "Nymphéas": $54 million
What could you buy for this price? Around 80 of this 1907 gold coin.
Vincent van Gogh’s "L’Allée des Alyscamps": $66.3 million
What could you buy for this price? At least 250 Ferraris.
Pablo Picasso’s "La Gommeuse": $67.5 million
What could you buy for this price? This Los Angeles mansion with 11 bathrooms.
Cy Twombly’s "Untitled": $70.5 million
What could you buy for this price? Around 5,400 in-ground pools.
Mark Rothko’s "No. 10": $81.9 million
What could you buy for this price? Over 2,340 sable stolls.
Roy Lichtenstein’s "Nurse": $95.4 million
What could you buy for this price? Around 360 Porsches.
Alberto Giacometti’s "L'homme au doigt": $141.3 million
What could you buy for this price? This modest yacht with a spa, gym and dining for 16.
Amedeo Modigliani’s "Nu couché": $170.4 million
What could you buy for this price? This Fifth Avenue townhouse and this 1,400-person cruise ship.
Pablo Picasso's "Les femmes d’Alger": $179.4 million
What could you buy for this price? We give up. Money has no meaning anymore.
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