The five most expensive works by living artists


PARIS — As a digital collage by US artist Beeple sells for $69.3 million, we look at the five works by living artists that have fetched the most at auction.

'Rabbit', Jeff Koons 

The stainless steel casting of an inflatable rabbit fetched a record price for a living artist of $91.1 million at Christie's in May 2019.

Just over a metre tall, the 1986 work is one of 66-year-old Koons' most famous works.

The piece was auctioned from the collection of the late publishing mogul S.I. Newhouse, whose empire included Conde Nast, which published magazines like Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

While pricey, it pales in comparison to the $450 million paid in 2017 for Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator Mundi", the world's most expensive artwork.

'Portrait of an Artist', David Hockney 

The previous living artist record was held by British-born painter David Hockney for "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)", which fetched $90.3 million in November 2018.

Completed in 1972, the colourful oil painting shows a smartly dressed man standing on the edge of the pool and looking pensively at another figure swimming under water towards him.

'Everyday: the First 5,000 Days', Beeple 

A digital collage by the American artist Beeple sold for a record $69.3 million at Christie's in New York on Thursday, making it the most expensive digital piece ever.

The artist -- whose real name is Mike Winkelmann -- was still a bored web designer who had sold nothing when he began creating a work a day in May 2007.

The project took 13 years to complete, and was sold as a "non-fungible token" piece (NFT), using blockchain technology to guarantee its uniqueness and authenticity.

'Balloon Dog (Orange)', Jeff Koons 

One of Koons' now classic balloon dog sculptures made history by fetching $58.4 million in 2013, then the record for a living artist.

It is one of five Koons sculptures of dogs in different colours that appear to be made from balloons that have become icons of contemporary art.

'Hurting the Word Radio #2', Ed Ruscha 

The oil painting by American pop artist Ed Ruscha was sold by Christie's in November 2019 for $52.4 million.

The 1964 painting, measuring 1.5 by 1.4 metres, depicts the word "radio" in big yellow capital letters, mimmicking the lettering found in advertisements. Some of the letters are deformed by vices against the background of a blue sky.