Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for
that you discover this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and the goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook and In contact with

European artists began using oil paint in the 15th century, and since then, it has been with its help that the most famous paintings of all time have been created. But even in our high-tech days, oil still retains its charm and mystery, and artists continue to invent new techniques, tearing patterns to shreds and pushing the boundaries of contemporary art.

site chose works that delighted us and made us remember that beauty can be born in any era.

The owner of an incredible skill, the Polish artist Justyna Kopania, in her expressive sweeping works, was able to preserve the transparency of the fog, the lightness of the sail, and the smooth rocking of the ship on the waves.
Her paintings are striking in their depth, volume, saturation, and the texture is such that it is impossible to take your eyes off them.

Primitive artist from Minsk Valentin Gubarev does not pursue fame and just does what he loves. His work is insanely popular abroad, but almost unknown to his compatriots. In the mid-90s, the French fell in love with his everyday sketches and signed a contract with the artist for 16 years. The paintings, which, it would seem, should be understandable only to us, the bearers of the "modest charm of undeveloped socialism", were liked by the European public, and exhibitions began in Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain and other countries.

Sergey Marshennikov is 41 years old. He lives in St. Petersburg and creates in the best traditions of the classical Russian school of realistic portraiture. The heroines of his canvases are gentle and defenseless women in their half-nakedness. Many of the most famous paintings depict the artist's muse and wife, Natalya.

In the modern era of high-resolution pictures and the heyday of hyperrealism, Philip Barlow's work immediately attracts attention. However, a certain effort is required from the viewer in order to force himself to look at the blurred silhouettes and bright spots on the author's canvases. Probably, this is how people with myopia see the world without glasses and contact lenses.

Laurent Parcelier's painting is a wonderful world in which there is neither sadness nor despondency. You will not find gloomy and rainy pictures with him. There is a lot of light, air and bright colors on his canvases, which the artist applies with characteristic recognizable strokes. This creates the feeling that the paintings are woven from a thousand sunbeams.

American artist Jeremy Mann paints dynamic portraits of a modern metropolis in oil on wood panels. “Abstract shapes, lines, contrast of light and dark spots - everything creates a picture that evokes the feeling that a person experiences in the crowd and bustle of the city, but can also express the calmness that one finds when contemplating quiet beauty,” says the artist.

In the paintings of the British artist Neil Simone, everything is not as it seems at first glance. “For me, the world around me is a series of fragile and constantly changing shapes, shadows and boundaries,” says Simon. And in his paintings, everything is really illusory and interconnected. Borders are washed away, and plots flow into each other.

Italian-born contemporary American artist Joseph Lorasso (

Art is constantly evolving, like the whole world around us. Modern artists of the 21st century and their paintings are not at all like those that existed in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance. New names, materials, genres, and ways of expressing talents appear. In this ranking, we will meet ten innovative artists of our time.

10. Pedro Campos. In tenth place is the Spaniard, whose brush can easily compete with the camera, he paints such realistic canvases. For the most part, he creates still lifes, but the amazing admiration is not so much the themes of his paintings as the masterful embodiment. Textures, highlights, depth, perspective, volume - all this Pedro Campos subdued with his brush, so that reality, and not fiction, looked at the viewer from the canvas. Without embellishment, without romanticism, only reality, this is the meaning of the genre of photorealism. By the way, the artist acquired his attention to detail and meticulousness at the work of a restorer.

9. Richard Estes. Another fan of the genre of photorealism - Richard Estes - started with ordinary painting, but later moved on to drawing cityscapes. Today's artists and their creations do not need to adapt to anyone, and this is great, everyone can express themselves the way they want in what they want. As in the case of Pedro Campos, the works of this master can easily be confused with photographs, the city from them is so similar to the real one. You rarely see people in Estes's paintings, but there are almost always reflections, highlights, parallel lines and a perfect, ideal composition. Thus, he does not just sketch the city landscape, but finds perfection in it and tries to show it.

8. Kevin Sloane. There are incredibly many contemporary artists of the 21st century and their paintings, but not all of them are worth attention. American Kevin Sloan stands, because his works seem to move the viewer into another dimension, a world full of allegories, hidden meanings, metaphorical mysteries. The artist loves to paint animals, because, in his opinion, this way he gets more freedom than with people to convey history. Sloane has been creating his “trick reality” in oils for almost 40 years. Very often, watches appear on the canvases: either an elephant or an octopus are looking at them, this image can be interpreted as passing time or as the limitation of life. Each Sloane's painting is amazing, I want to figure out what the author wanted to convey to her.

7. Laurent Parsellier. This painter belongs to those contemporary artists of the 21st century, whose paintings were recognized early, during their studies. Laurent's talent manifested itself in the published albums under the general title "Strange World". He paints in oils, his manner is light, tends to realism. A characteristic feature of the artist's works is the abundance of light that seems to pour from the canvases. As a rule, he depicts landscapes, some recognizable places. All works are unusually light and airy, filled with sun, freshness, breath.

6. Jeremy Mann. A native of San Francisco, he loved his city, most often he portrayed it in paintings. Contemporary artists of the 21st century can find inspiration for their paintings anywhere: in the rain, wet sidewalk, neon signs, city lights. Jeremy Mann infuses simple landscapes with mood, history, experiments with techniques and color choices. Mann's main material is oil.

5. Hans Rudolf Giger. In fifth place is the inimitable, unique Hans Giger, the creator of the Alien from the film of the same name. Today's artists and their works are diverse, but each is genius in its own way. This gloomy Swiss does not paint nature and animals, he is more interested in "biomechanical" painting, in which he excelled. Some people compare the artist with Bosch in the gloominess and fantasticness of his canvases. Although Giger's paintings emanate something otherworldly, dangerous, you will not refuse him in technique, skill: he is attentive to details, correctly selects shades, thinks over everything to the smallest detail.

4. Will Barnett. This artist has his own unique author's style, because his works are readily accepted by the great museums of the world: the Metropolitan Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the British Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the Vatican Museum. Contemporary artists of the 21st century and their works, in order to be recognized, must stand out in some way from the rest of the mass. And Will Barnett can do it. His works are graphic and contrasting, he often depicts cats, birds, women. At first glance, Barnett's paintings are simple, but upon further examination, you realize that their genius lies precisely in this simplicity.

3. Neil Simon. This is one of the contemporary artists of the 21st century, whose works are not as simple as they seem at first glance. Between the plots and the works of Neil Simon, the boundaries seem to have been washed away, they flow from one to the other, draw the viewer with them, drag them into the artist's illusory world. Simon's creations are characterized by bright, saturated colors, which gives them energy and strength, evokes an emotional response. The master loves to play with perspective, object sizes, unusual combinations and unexpected shapes. In the artist's works there is a lot of geometry, which is combined with natural landscapes, as if bursting inside, but not destroying, but harmoniously complementing.

2. Igor Morski. Today's 21st century artist and his paintings are often compared to the great genius Salvador Dali. The works of the Polish master are unpredictable, mysterious, exciting, evoke a vivid emotional response, and in places are insane. Like any other surrealist, he does not seek to show reality as it is, but shows the facets that we will never see in life. Most often, the main character of Morski's works is a man with all his fears, passions, and shortcomings. Also, the metaphors of this surrealist's work often refer to power. Of course, this is not the artist whose work you hang over the bed, but the one whose exhibition you should definitely go to.

1. Yayoi Kusama... So, in the first place of our rating is a Japanese artist who has achieved incredible success all over the world, despite the fact that she has some mental illness. The main feature of the artist is polka dots. She covers everything she sees with circles of various shapes and sizes, calling all this networks of infinity. Kusama's interactive exhibitions and installations are a success, because sometimes everyone wants (even if he does not admit it) to be inside the psychedelic world of hallucinations, childish spontaneity, fantasies and colorful circles. Among contemporary artists of the 21st century and their paintings, Yayoi Kusama is the best-selling.

"Card Players"

author

Paul Cezanne

Country France
Years of life 1839–1906
Style post-impressionism

The artist was born in the south of France in the small town of Aix-en-Provence, but began to paint in Paris. Real success came to him after a personal exhibition organized by the collector Ambroise Vollard. In 1886, 20 years before his departure, he moved to the outskirts of his hometown. The young artists called their trips to him “a pilgrimage to Aix”.

130x97 cm
1895 year
price
$ 250 million
sold out in 2012
at a private auction

Cezanne's work is easy to understand. The only rule of the artist was the direct transfer of the subject or plot to the canvas, so his paintings do not cause bewilderment to the viewer. Cezanne combined two main French traditions in his art: classicism and romanticism. With the help of colorful texture, he gave the form of objects an amazing plasticity.

The series of five paintings "The Card Players" was written in the years 1890-1895. Their plot is the same - several people are passionate about playing poker. The works differ only in the number of players and the size of the canvas.

Four paintings are kept in museums in Europe and America (Museum d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Barnes Foundation and Courtauld Institute of Art), and the fifth, until recently, was an adornment of the private collection of the Greek billionaire shipowner Georg Embirikos. Shortly before his death, in the winter of 2011, he decided to put it up for sale. Art dealer William Aquavella and world-renowned gallery owner Larry Gagosian became potential buyers of Cezanne's "free" work, offering about $ 220 million for it. As a result, the painting went to the royal family of the Arab state of Qatar for 250 million. The largest art deal in the history of painting was closed in February 2012. This was reported in Vanity Fair by journalist Alexandra Pearce. She found out the cost of the painting and the name of the new owner, and then the information penetrated the media around the world.

In 2010, the Arab Museum of Contemporary Art and the Qatar National Museum opened in Qatar. Now their collections are being replenished. Perhaps the fifth version of The Card Players was acquired by the Sheikh for this purpose.

The mostexpensive paintingin the world

Owner
Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani

The al-Thani dynasty has ruled Qatar for over 130 years. About half a century ago, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered here, which instantly made Qatar one of the richest regions in the world. Thanks to the export of hydrocarbons, this small country has the largest GDP per capita. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in 1995, while his father was in Switzerland, with the support of family members seized power. The merit of the current ruler, according to experts, is in a clear strategy for the country's development, in creating a successful image of the state. Qatar now has a constitution and a prime minister, and women have won the right to vote in parliamentary elections. By the way, it was the Emir of Qatar who founded the Al-Jazeera news channel. The authorities of the Arab state pay great attention to culture.

2

"Number 5"

author

Jackson Pollock

Country USA
Years of life 1912–1956
Style abstract expressionism

Jack Sprinkler - this is the nickname given to Pollock by the American public for his special painting technique. The artist abandoned the brush and easel, and poured paint over the surface of the canvas or fiberboard while continuously moving around and inside them. From an early age he was fond of the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the main message of which is that the truth is revealed during the free "outpouring".

122x244 cm
1948 year
price
$ 140 million
sold out in 2006 year
on the auction Sotheby's

The value of Pollock's work is not in the result, but in the process. The author did not accidentally call his art "painting of action". With his light hand, it became America's main treasure. Jackson Pollock mixed paint with sand, broken glass, and wrote with a piece of cardboard, a palette knife, a knife, and a scoop. The artist was so popular that in the 1950s imitators were found even in the USSR. Painting "Number 5" is recognized as one of the strangest and most expensive in the world. One of the founders of the DreamWorks company, David Geffen, acquired it for a private collection, and in 2006 sold it at Sotheby`s auction for $ 140 million to the Mexican collector David Martinez. However, the law firm soon issued a press release on behalf of its client stating that David Martinez was not the owner of the painting. Only one thing is known for certain: the Mexican financier has indeed recently been collecting works of contemporary art. It is unlikely that he would have missed such a "big fish" as "Number 5" Pollock.

3

"Woman III"

author

Willem de Kooning

Country USA
Years of life 1904–1997
Style abstract expressionism

A native of the Netherlands, he emigrated to the United States in 1926. In 1948, a personal exhibition of the artist took place. Art critics have appreciated the complex, nervous black and white compositions, recognizing the great modernist artist in their author. Most of his life he suffered from alcoholism, but the joy of creating new art is felt in every work. De Kooning is distinguished by the impulsiveness of painting, wide strokes, which is why sometimes the image does not fit within the boundaries of the canvas.

121x171 cm
1953 year
price
$ 137 million
sold out in 2006 year
at a private auction

In the 1950s, de Kooning's paintings showed women with empty eyes, massive breasts, and ugly facial features. Woman III is the last entry in the series to be auctioned.

Since the 1970s, the painting has been kept in the Tehran Museum of Modern Art, but after the introduction of strict moral rules in the country, they tried to get rid of it. In 1994, the work was exported from Iran, and 12 years later, its owner David Geffen (the same producer who sold Jackson Pollock's painting "Number 5") gave the picture to millionaire Stephen Cohen for $ 137.5 million. Interestingly, Geffen in one year began to sell his collection of paintings. This gave rise to a lot of rumors, for example, that the producer decided to buy the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

At one of the art forums, an opinion was expressed about the similarity of "Woman III" with Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Lady with an Ermine". Behind the toothy smile and shapeless figure of the heroine, the connoisseur of painting discerned the grace of a person of royal blood. This is also evidenced by the poorly drawn crown crowning the woman's head.

4

"Portrait of AdeleBloch-Bauer I "

author

Gustav Klimt

Country Austria
Years of life 1862–1918
Style modern

Gustav Klimt was born into the family of an engraving artist and was the second of seven children. Ernest Klimt's three sons became artists, and only Gustav became famous throughout the world. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. After the death of his father, he was responsible for the whole family. It was at this time that Klimt developed his style. Any viewer freezes in front of his paintings: under the thin touches of gold, frank eroticism is clearly visible.

138x136 cm
1907 year
price
$ 135 million
sold out in 2006 year
on the auction Sotheby's

The fate of the painting, which is called the "Austrian Mona Lisa", could easily become the basis for a bestseller. The artist's work became the cause of the conflict between the whole state and one elderly lady.

So, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" depicts an aristocrat, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch. Her last will was to transfer the painting to the Austrian State Gallery. However, Bloch in his will canceled the donation, and the canvas was expropriated by the Nazis. Later, the gallery hardly bought the Golden Adele, but then the heiress appeared - Maria Altman, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch.

In 2005, the high-profile trial "Maria Altman against the Austrian Republic" began, as a result of which the picture "left" with her to Los Angeles. Austria took unprecedented measures: loans were negotiated, the population donated money to redeem the portrait. Good never defeated evil: Altman raised the price to $ 300 million. At the time of the trial, she was 79 years old, and she went down in history as the person who changed the will of Bloch-Bauer in favor of personal interests. The painting was acquired by Ronald Lauder, owner of the New Gallery in New York, where it remains to this day. Not for Austria, Altman reduced the price to $ 135 million for him.

5

"Scream"

author

Edvard Munch

Country Norway
Years of life 1863–1944
Style expressionism

The first painting by Munch, which became famous all over the world - "The Sick Girl" (exists in five copies) - is dedicated to the artist's sister, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 15. Munch was always interested in the topic of death and loneliness. In Germany, his heavy, manic painting even provoked a scandal. However, despite the depressing plots, his paintings have a special magnetism. Take "Scream", for example.

73,5x91 cm
1895 year
price
$ 119.992 million
sold in 2012 year
on the auction Sotheby's

The full name of the painting is Der Schrei der Natur (translated from German - "the cry of nature"). The face of either a person or an alien expresses despair and panic - the same emotions are experienced by the viewer when looking at a picture. One of the key works of Expressionism warns of themes that have become acute in the art of the 20th century. According to one version, the artist created it under the influence of a mental disorder, which he suffered all his life.

The painting was twice stolen from different museums, but it was returned. The Scream, which suffered minor damage after the theft, was restored and was again ready for display at the Munch Museum in 2008. For representatives of pop culture, the work became a source of inspiration: Andy Warhol created a series of prints-copies of it, and the mask from the movie "Scream" is made in the image and likeness of the hero of the picture.

On one subject, Munch wrote four versions of the work: the one in a private collection, made in pastels. Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen put it up for auction on May 2, 2012. The buyer was Leon Black, who did not regret the record amount for the "Scream". Founder of Apollo Advisors, L.P. and Lion Advisors, L.P. known for his love of art. Black is the patron of Dartmouth College, Museum of Modern Art, Lincoln Art Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art. It possesses the largest collection of paintings by contemporary artists and classical masters of the past centuries.

6

"Nude against the background of a bust and green leaves"

author

Pablo Picasso

Country Spain, France
Years of life 1881–1973
Style cubism

By birth he is Spaniard, but by spirit and place of residence he is a real French. Picasso opened his own art studio in Barcelona when he was only 16 years old. Then he went to Paris and spent most of his life there. That is why there is a double stress in his surname. The style invented by Picasso is based on the denial of the opinion that an object depicted on canvas can be viewed from only one angle.

130x162 cm
1932 year
price
$ 106.482 million
sold out in 2010 year
on the auction Christie's

During his work in Rome, the artist met the dancer Olga Khokhlova, who soon became his wife. He put an end to vagrancy, moved with her to a luxurious apartment. By that time, recognition had found a hero, but the marriage was destroyed. One of the most expensive paintings in the world was created almost by accident - for great love, which, as always with Picasso, was short-lived. In 1927, he became interested in the young Marie-Thérèse Walther (she was 17 years old, he was 45). Unbeknownst to his wife, he left with his mistress in a town near Paris, where he painted a portrait depicting Marie-Therese in the image of Daphne. The canvas was acquired by New York dealer Paul Rosenberg and sold to Sidney F. Brody in 1951. The Brody spouses showed the picture to the world only once and only because the artist turned 80 years old. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Brody in March 2010 put the piece up for auction at Christie’s house. In six decades, the price has risen more than 5,000 times! An unknown collector bought it for $ 106.5 million. In 2011, a "one-painting exhibition" took place in Britain, where it was published for the second time, but the name of the owner is still unknown.

7

"Eight Elvis"

author

Andy Warhole

Country USA
Years of life 1928-1987
Style
pop Art

“Sex and parties are the only places where you have to appear in person,” said Andy Warhol, the iconic pop art artist, filmmaker, one of the founders of Interview magazine. He worked with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, designed album covers, and designed shoes for I. Miller. In the 1960s, paintings appeared depicting the symbols of America: Campbell`s soup and Coca-Cola, Presley and Monroe - which made him a legend.

358x208 cm
1963 year
price
$ 100 million
sold out in 2008
at a private auction

Warhol's 60s - this was the name of the era of pop art in America. In 1962, he worked in Manhattan at the Factory Studio, where all the bohemians of New York gathered. Its prominent representatives: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Truman Capote and other famous personalities in the world. At the same time, Warhol tried the silk-screening technique - the multiple repetition of one image. He also used this method when creating "Eight Elvis": the viewer seems to see frames from a movie where the star comes to life. There is everything that the artist loved so much: a win-win public image, silver color and a premonition of death as the main message.

There are two art dealers who are promoting Warhol's work on the world market today: Larry Gagosian and Alberto Mughrabi. The first spent $ 200 million in 2008 to acquire more than 15 of Warhol's works. The second buys and sells his paintings like Christmas cards, only more expensive. But not they, but a modest French art consultant Philippe Segalo helped the Roman art connoisseur Annibale Berlingieri to sell Eight Elvis to an unknown buyer for a record amount for Warhol - $ 100 million.

8

"Orange,Red Yellow"

author

Mark Rothko

Country USA
Years of life 1903–1970
Style abstract expressionism

One of the creators of color field painting was born in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia), into a large family of a Jewish pharmacist. In 1911 they emigrated to the United States. Rothko studied at the art department of Yale University, won a scholarship, but anti-Semitic sentiments forced him to leave his studies. Despite everything, art critics idolized the artist, and museums haunted him all his life.

206x236 cm
1961 year
price
$ 86,882 million
sold out in 2012
on the auction Christie's

Rothko's first artistic experiments were of a surrealistic orientation, but over time he simplified the plot to color spots, depriving them of any objectivity. At first they had bright shades, and in the 1960s they turned brown, purple, thickening to black by the time of the artist's death. Mark Rothko warned against looking for any meaning in his paintings. The author wanted to say exactly what he said: only a color that dissolves in the air, and nothing else. He recommended looking at the works from a distance of 45 cm, so that the viewer was "drawn" in color, like a funnel. Caution: watching according to all the rules can lead to the effect of meditation, that is, gradually come the awareness of infinity, complete immersion in oneself, relaxation, purification. The color in his paintings lives, breathes and has a strong emotional impact (they say, sometimes - healing). The artist declared: “The viewer must cry when looking at them,” and there really were such cases. According to Rothko's theory, at this moment people experience the same spiritual experience that he did in the process of working on a painting. If you managed to understand it on such a subtle level, then you should not be surprised that critics often compare these works of abstract art with icons.

The work "Orange, Red, Yellow" expresses the whole essence of Mark Rothko's painting. Its initial cost at Christie’s auction in New York is 35-45 million dollars. An unknown buyer offered a price double the estimate. The name of the lucky owner of the painting, as is often the case, was not disclosed.

9

"Triptych"

author

Francis Bacon

Country
United Kingdom
Years of life 1909–1992
Style expressionism

The adventures of Francis Bacon, a complete namesake and, moreover, a distant descendant of the great philosopher, began when his father disowned him, unable to accept his son's homosexual inclinations. Bacon went first to Berlin, then to Paris, and then his traces are confused throughout Europe. During his lifetime, his works were exhibited in leading cultural centers of the world, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.

147.5x198 cm (each)
1976 year
price
$ 86.2 million
sold out in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

Prestigious museums sought to possess Bacon's paintings, but the prim English public was in no hurry to fork out for such art. The legendary British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of him: "The person who paints these horrific pictures."

The artist himself considered the post-war period to be the starting period in his work. Returning from service, he again took up painting and created the main masterpieces. Before the participation of "Triptych, 1976" in the auction, the most expensive work of Bacon was "Study for a portrait of Pope Innocent X" (52.7 million dollars). In "Triptych, 1976" the artist depicted the mythical plot of the pursuit of Orestes by the furies. Of course, Orestes is Bacon himself, and the furies are his torments. For more than 30 years, the painting was in a private collection and did not participate in exhibitions. This fact gives it a special value and, accordingly, increases its value. But what is a few million for a connoisseur of art, and even generous in Russian? Roman Abramovich began to create his collection in the 1990s, in this he was significantly influenced by his friend Dasha Zhukova, who became a fashionable gallery owner in modern Russia. According to unofficial data, the businessman owns works by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, bought for amounts exceeding $ 100 million. In 2008 he won the Triptych. By the way, in 2011, another valuable work of Bacon was acquired - "Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud." Hidden sources say that Roman Arkadievich has become the buyer again.

10

"Pond with water lilies"

author

Claude Monet

Country France
Years of life 1840–1926
Style impressionism

The artist is recognized as the founder of impressionism, who “patented” this method in his canvases. The first significant work was the painting "Breakfast on the Grass" (the original version of the work of Edouard Manet). In his youth, he drew cartoons, and took up real painting during his travels along the coast and in the open air. In Paris, he led a bohemian lifestyle and did not leave it even after serving in the army.

210x100 cm
1919 year
price
$ 80.5 million
sold out in 2008
on the auction Christie's

Besides the fact that Monet was a great artist, he was also enthusiastically engaged in gardening, adored wildlife and flowers. In his landscapes, the state of nature is momentary, objects seem to be blurred by the movement of air. The impression is enhanced by large strokes, from a certain distance they become invisible and merge into a textured, three-dimensional image. In the painting of the late Monet, the theme of water and life in it occupies a special place. In the town of Giverny, the artist had his own pond, where he grew water lilies from seeds specially brought by him from Japan. When their flowers bloomed, he began to paint. The series "Water Lilies" consists of 60 works that the artist painted for almost 30 years, until his death. His vision deteriorated with age, but he did not stop. Depending on the wind, season and weather, the view of the pond was constantly changing, and Monet wanted to capture these changes. Through careful work, an understanding of the essence of nature came to him. Some of the paintings of the series are kept in the world's leading galleries: National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo), Orangerie (Paris). The version of the next "Pond with water lilies" went into the hands of an unknown buyer for a record amount.

11

False Star t

author

Jasper Johns

Country USA
Year of birth 1930
Style pop Art

In 1949, Jones entered a design school in New York. Along with Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and others, he is recognized as one of the main artists of the 20th century. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

137.2x170.8 cm
1959 year
price
$ 80 million
sold out in 2006 year
at a private auction

Like Marcel Duchamp, Jones worked with real objects, depicting them on canvas and in sculpture, in full accordance with the original. For his works, he used objects that were simple and understandable to everyone: a beer bottle, a flag or maps. There is no clear composition in the False Start painting. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, often “incorrectly” signing colors in the picture, inverting the very concept of color: “I wanted to find a way to depict color so that it could be determined by some other method”. His most explosive and "insecure", according to critics, the painting was acquired by an unknown buyer.

12

"Seatednudeon the couch"

author

Amedeo Modigliani

Country Italy, France
Years of life 1884–1920
Style expressionism

Since childhood, Modigliani was often ill; during a feverish delirium, he recognized his destiny as an artist. He studied drawing in Livorno, Florence, Venice, and in 1906 he left for Paris, where his art flourished.

65x100 cm
1917 year
price
$ 68.962 million
sold out in 2010 year
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1917, Modigliani met 19-year-old Jeanne Hébuterne, who became his model and later his wife. In 2004, one of her portraits sold for $ 31.3 million, the most recent record for Sitting Nude on the Sofa in 2010. The painting was acquired by an unknown buyer at the maximum price for Modigliani at the moment. Active sales of works began only after the death of the artist. He died in poverty, sick with tuberculosis, and the next day, Jeanne Hébuterne, who was nine months pregnant, also committed suicide.

13

"Eagle on a Pine"

author

Qi Baishi

Country China
Years of life 1864–1957
Style gohua

An interest in calligraphy led Qi Baishi to paint. At the age of 28, he became a student of the artist Hu Qingyuan. He was awarded the title of "Great Artist of the Chinese People" by the Ministry of Culture of China, and in 1956 he received the International Peace Prize.

10x26 cm
1946 year
price
$ 65.4 million
sold out in 2011
on the auction China guardian

Qi Baishi was interested in those manifestations of the surrounding world, which many do not attach importance to, and this is his greatness. A person without education became a professor and an outstanding creator in history. Pablo Picasso said about him: "I am afraid to go to your country, because there is Qi Baishi in China." The composition "Eagle on a Pine" is recognized as the largest work of the artist. In addition to the canvas, it includes two hieroglyphic scrolls. For China, the amount for which the piece was purchased represents a record - 425.5 million yuan. The scroll of ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian alone was sold for $ 436.8 million.

14

"1949-A-№1"

author

Clifford Still

Country USA
Years of life 1904–1980
Style abstract expressionism

At the age of 20, he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was disappointed. Later I enrolled in the student arts league course, but left 45 minutes after the start of the lesson - it turned out "not for him." The first personal exhibition caused a resonance, the artist found himself, and with it recognition

79x93 cm
1949 year
price
$ 61.7 million
sold out in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

All his works, which are more than 800 canvases and 1600 works on paper, Still bequeathed to the American city, where a museum named after him will be opened. Denver became such a city, but the construction alone cost the authorities dearly, and to complete it, four works were put up for auction. Still's works are unlikely to be auctioned ever again, which pushed up their price in advance. The painting "1949-A-No.1" was sold for a record amount for the artist, although experts predicted the sale for a maximum of $ 25-35 million.

15

"Suprematist composition"

author

Kazimir Malevich

Country Russia
Years of life 1878–1935
Style suprematism

Malevich studied painting at the Kiev Art School, then at the Moscow Academy of Arts. In 1913, he began to paint abstract geometric paintings in a style that he called Suprematism (from Latin "domination").

71x 88.5 cm
1916 year
price
$ 60 million
sold out in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

In the city museum of Amsterdam, the painting was kept for about 50 years, but after a 17-year dispute with Malevich's relatives, the museum gave it away. The artist wrote this work in one year with the "Manifesto of Suprematism", so Sotheby`s announced even before the auction that it would not go into a private collection for less than $ 60 million. And so it happened. It is better to look at it from above: the figures on the canvas resemble a view of the earth from the air. By the way, a few years earlier, the same relatives expropriated another "Suprematist Composition" from the MoMA Museum in order to sell it at the Phillips auction for $ 17 million.

16

"Bathers"

author

Paul Gauguin

Country France
Years of life 1848–1903
Style post-impressionism

Until the age of seven, the artist lived in Peru, then returned to France with his family, but childhood memories constantly pushed him to travel. In France, he began to paint with paints, was friends with Van Gogh. He even spent several months with him in Arles, until the moment when Van Gogh cut off his ear during a quarrel.

93.4x60.4 cm
1902 year
price
$ 55 million
sold out in 2005
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1891, Gauguin arranged a sale of his paintings in order to use the proceeds to go inland of the island of Tahiti. There he created works in which a subtle connection between nature and man is felt. Gauguin lived in a thatched hut, and a tropical paradise blossomed on his canvases. His wife was a 13-year-old Tahitian woman Tehura, which did not prevent the artist from entering into promiscuous relationships. Having fallen ill with syphilis, he left for France. However, Gauguin was cramped there, and he returned to Tahiti. This period is called "the second Tahitian" - it was then that the painting "Bathers" was painted, one of the most luxurious in his work.

17

"Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink"

author

Henri Matisse

Country France
Years of life 1869–1954
Style fauvism

In 1889, Henri Matisse suffered an attack of appendicitis. When he was recovering from the operation, his mother bought him paints. At first, out of boredom, Matisse copied color postcards, then - the works of great painters that he saw in the Louvre, and at the beginning of the 20th century he invented a style - Fauvism.

65.2x81 cm
1911 year
price
$ 46.4 million
sold out in 2009
on the auction Christie's

The painting "Daffodils and a Tablecloth in Blue and Pink" has long belonged to Yves Saint Laurent. After the death of the couturier, his entire collection of art passed into the hands of his friend and lover Pierre Berger, who decided to put it up at Christie’s auction. The pearl of the collection sold was the painting "Daffodils and a Tablecloth in Blue and Pink Tones", painted on an ordinary tablecloth instead of canvas. As an example of Fauvism, it is filled with the energy of color, the colors seem to explode and scream. From the famous series of paintings painted on a tablecloth, today this work is the only one that is in a private collection.

18

"Sleeping girl"

author

RoyLee

htenstein

Country USA
Years of life 1923–1997
Style pop Art

The artist was born in New York, and after graduating from school, he left for Ohio, where he took art courses. Liechtenstein received his Master of Fine Arts in 1949. His interest in comics and his ability to be ironic made him a cult artist of the last century.

91x91 cm
1964 year
price
$ 44,882 million
sold out in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

One day, chewing gum fell into the hands of Liechtenstein. He redrawn the picture from the insert to the canvas and became famous. This plot from his biography contains the whole message of pop art: consumption is a new god, and there is no less beauty in the wrapper of gum than in Mona Lisa. His paintings are reminiscent of comics and cartoons: Liechtenstein simply enlarged the finished image, painted rasters, used screen printing and silk-screen printing. Painting "The Sleeping Girl" for almost 50 years belonged to collectors Beatrice and Philippe Gersh, whose heirs sold it at auction.

19

"Victory. Boogie Woogie"

author

Pete Mondrian

Country Netherlands
Years of life 1872–1944
Style neoplasticism

The artist changed his real name - Cornelis - to Mondrian when he moved to Paris in 1912. Together with the artist Theo van Doosburg he founded the "neoplasticism" movement. The Piet programming language is named after Mondrian.

27x127 cm
1944 year
price
$ 40 million
sold out in 1998
on the auction Sotheby's

The most "musical" of the 20th century artists made his living with watercolor still lifes, although he became famous as a neoplastic artist. He moved to the United States in the 1940s and spent the rest of his life there. Jazz and New York are what inspired him the most! Painting “Victory. Boogie Woogie is the best example of this. The "signature" neat squares were obtained through the use of adhesive tape - Mondrian's favorite material. In America he was called "the most famous immigrant." In the sixties, Yves Saint Laurent released the world famous Mondrian dresses with a print in a large colored cage.

20

"Composition No. 5"

author

BasilKandinsky

Country Russia
Years of life 1866–1944
Style avant-garde

The artist was born in Moscow, and his father was from Siberia. After the revolution, he tried to cooperate with the Soviet government, but soon realized that the laws of the proletariat were not created for him, and not without difficulties emigrated to Germany.

275x190 cm
1911 year
price
$ 40 million
sold out in 2007
on the auction Sotheby's

Kandinsky was one of the first to completely abandon object painting, for which he received the title of genius. During Nazism in Germany, his paintings were classified as "degenerate art" and were not exhibited anywhere. In 1939, Kandinsky accepted French citizenship, in Paris he freely participated in the artistic process. His paintings "sound" like fugues, so many were called "compositions" (the first was written in 1910, the last - in 1939). “Composition No. 5” is one of the key works in this genre: “The word“ composition ”sounded like a prayer to me,” said the artist. Unlike many followers, he planned what he would depict on a huge canvas, as if he were writing sheet music.

21

"Study of a woman in blue"

author

Fernand Leger

Country France
Years of life 1881–1955
Style cubism-post-impressionism

Leger received an architectural education and then attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The artist considered himself a follower of Cezanne, was an apologist for Cubism, and in the 20th century he was also successful as a sculptor.

96.5x129.5 cm
1912-1913 year
price
$ 39.2 million
sold out in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

David Normann, President of the International Department of Impressionism and Modernism at Sotheby's, believes the huge amount paid for "The Lady in Blue" is fully justified. The painting belongs to the famous Leger collection (the artist painted three paintings on one subject, the last of them is in private hands today. - Ed.), And the surface of the canvas has been preserved in its original form. The author himself gave this work to the gallery Der Sturm, then it ended up in the collection of Hermann Lang, a German collector of modernism, and now belongs to an unknown buyer.

22

“Street scene. Berlin"

author

Ernst LudwigKirchner

Country Germany
Years of life 1880–1938
Style expressionism

For German Expressionism, Kirchner became an iconic person. However, local authorities accused him of adherence to "degenerate art", which tragically affected the fate of his paintings and the life of the artist, who committed suicide in 1938.

95x121 cm
1913 year
price
$ 38,096 million
sold out in 2006 year
on the auction Christie's

After moving to Berlin, Kirchner created 11 sketches of street scenes. He was inspired by the bustle and nervousness of the big city. Sold in New York in 2006, the artist's anxiety is especially acute: people on a Berlin street resemble birds - graceful and dangerous. It was the last work from the famous series sold at auction, the rest are kept in museums. In 1937, Kirchner was brutally treated by the Nazis: 639 of his works were removed from German galleries, destroyed or sold abroad. The artist could not survive this.

23

"Restingdancer"

author

Edgar Degas

Country France
Years of life 1834–1917
Style impressionism

Degas's history as an artist began when he worked as a copyist at the Louvre. He dreamed of becoming "famous and unknown", and in the end he succeeded. At the end of his life, deaf and blind, 80-year-old Degas continued to attend exhibitions and auctions.

64x59 cm
1879 year
price
$ 37,043 million
sold out in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

“Ballerinas have always been just an excuse for me to depict fabrics and capture movement,” Degas said. The scenes from the life of the dancers seem to have been spied on: the girls do not pose for the artist, but simply become part of the atmosphere caught by Degas's gaze. The Resting Dancer was sold for $ 28 million in 1999, and less than 10 years later it was bought for $ 37 million - today it is the most expensive work of an artist ever put up for auction. Degas paid a lot of attention to frames, designed them himself and forbade changing them. I wonder what frame is installed on the sold painting?

24

"Painting"

author

Juan Miro

Country Spain
Years of life 1893–1983
Style abstract art

During the Spanish Civil War, the artist was on the side of the Republicans. In 1937, he fled from the fascist regime to Paris, where he lived in poverty with his family. During this period, Miro paints the picture "Help Spain!", Drawing the attention of the whole world to the dominance of fascism.

89x115 cm
1927 year
price
$ 36,824 million
sold out in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The second name of the picture is "Blue Star". The artist wrote it in the same year, when he announced: "I want to kill painting" and mercilessly mocked the canvases, scratching the paint with nails, gluing feathers to the canvas, covering the work with rubbish. His goal was to debunk the myths about the mystery of painting, but, having coped with this, Miro created his own myth - a surreal abstraction. His "Painting" belongs to the cycle of "dream pictures". Four buyers fought for it at the auction, but one incognito phone call resolved the dispute, and "Painting" became the most expensive painting of the artist.

25

"Blue Rose"

author

Yves Klein

Country France
Years of life 1928–1962
Style monochrome painting

The artist was born into a family of painters, but studied oriental languages, sailing, the craft of the gilder of frames, Zen Buddhism and much more. His personality and cheeky antics were many times more interesting than monochrome paintings.

153x199x16 cm
1960 year
price
$ 36,779 million
sold in 2012
at Christie’s auction

The first exhibition of solid yellow, orange, pink works did not arouse public interest. Klein took offense and next time presented 11 identical canvases, dyed with ultramarine mixed with a special synthetic resin. He even patented this method. The color went down in history as "Klein's international blue". The artist also sold emptiness, created paintings, substituting paper in the rain, setting fire to cardboard, making prints of a human body on canvas. In a word, he experimented as best he could. To create the "Blue Rose" I used dry pigments, resins, pebbles and natural sponge.

26

"In Search of Moses"

author

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Country United Kingdom
Years of life 1836–1912
Style neoclassicism

Sir Lawrence added the prefix "alma" to his surname himself, in order to appear first in art catalogs. In Victorian England, his paintings were so in demand that the artist was awarded the knighthood.

213.4x136.7 cm
1902 year
price
$ 35,922 million
sold out in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

The main theme of Alma-Tadema's work was antiquity. In the paintings, he tried to depict the era of the Roman Empire in the smallest detail, for this he even engaged in archaeological excavations on the Apennine Peninsula, and in his London house he reproduced the historical interior of those years. Mythological stories became another source of inspiration for him. The artist was in great demand during his lifetime, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Now interest is reviving, as evidenced by the cost of the painting "In Search of Moses", seven times higher than the pre-sale estimate.

27

"Portrait of a sleeping nude official"

author

Lucian Freud

Country Germany,
United Kingdom
Years of life 1922–2011
Style figurative painting

The artist is the grandson of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. After the establishment of fascism in Germany, his family emigrated to the UK. Freud's works are in the Wallace Collection in London, where no contemporary artist has previously exhibited.

219.1x151.4 cm
1995 year
price
$ 33.6 million
sold out in 2008
on the auction Christie's

While fashionable artists of the 20th century created positive "color spots on the wall" and sold them for millions, Freud painted extremely naturalistic paintings and sold them even more expensive. “I capture the screams of the soul and the suffering of fading flesh,” he said. Critics believe that this is all the "legacy" of Sigmund Freud. The paintings were so actively exhibited and successfully sold that the experts had doubts: do they have hypnotic properties? Sold at auction "Portrait of a sleeping nude official", according to the publication Sun, was acquired by the connoisseur of beauty and billionaire Roman Abramovich.

28

"Violin and Guitar"

author

NSone gries

Country Spain
Years of life 1887–1927
Style cubism

Born in Madrid, where he graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1906 he moved to Paris and entered the circle of the most influential artists of the era: Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Matisse, Leger, also worked with Sergei Diaghilev and his troupe.

5x100 cm
1913 year
price
$ 28.642 million
sold out in 2010 year
on the auction Christie's

Gris, in his own words, was engaged in "flat, colored architecture." His paintings are precisely thought out: he did not leave a single accidental stroke, which makes creativity akin to geometry. The artist created his own version of Cubism, although he greatly respected Pablo Picasso, the founding father of the direction. The successor even dedicated his first work in the style of cubism "Tribute to Picasso" to him. The painting "Violin and Guitar" is recognized as outstanding in the work of the artist. During his lifetime, Gris was known and treated kindly by critics and art critics. His works are exhibited in the world's largest museums and are kept in private collections.

29

"PortraitFields Eluard "

author

Salvador Dali

Country Spain
Years of life 1904–1989
Style surrealism

“Surrealism is me,” Dali said when he was expelled from the surrealist group. Over time, he became the most famous surrealist painter. Dali's work is everywhere, not just in galleries. For example, it was he who invented the packaging for Chupa-Chups.

25x33 cm
1929 year
price
$ 20.6 million
sold out in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1929, the poet Paul Eluard and his Russian wife Gala came to visit the great provocateur and brawler Dali. The meeting was the beginning of a love story that lasted more than half a century. The painting "Portrait of Paul Eluard" was painted just during this historic visit. “I felt that it was my duty to capture the face of the poet, from whose Olympus I had kidnapped one of the muses,” the artist said. Before he met Gala, he was a virgin and was disgusted at the thought of having sex with a woman. The love triangle existed until the death of Eluard, after which it became a Dali-Gala duet.

30

"Anniversary"

author

Mark Shagal

Country Russia, France
Years of life 1887–1985
Style avant-garde

Moishe Segal was born in Vitebsk, but in 1910 he emigrated to Paris, changed his name, became close to the leading avant-garde artists of the era. In the 1930s, when the Nazis seized power, he left for the United States with the help of the American Consul. He returned to France only in 1948.

80x103 cm
1923 year
price
$ 14.85 million
sold in 1990
at Sotheby's auction

The painting "Jubilee" is recognized as one of the best works of the artist. It contains all the features of his work: the physical laws of the world are erased, the feeling of a fairy tale is preserved in the scenery of a philistine life, and in the center of the plot is love. Chagall did not draw people from nature, but only from memory or fantasizing. The painting "Jubilee" depicts the artist himself with his wife Bela. The painting was sold in 1990 and has not been auctioned since then. Interestingly, the MoMA Museum of Modern Art in New York stores exactly the same, only under the name "Birthday". By the way, it was written earlier - in 1915.

draft prepared
Tatiana Palasova
rating compiled
according to the list www.art-spb.ru
tmn magazine No. 13 (May-June 2013)

Many believe that there are no artists left in the 21st century. However, in reality, this is not the case. And nowadays there are many talented and famous artists, whose works are shown in exhibitions, who earn big money. Below is a list of 20 of the most famous and well-earned artists who are active in their creative work not only in Russia.

Russian artist Alexander Ivanov, born in 1962, is best known for his work called "Love", which was written back in 1996 and sold for almost 100,000 rubles. His style is abstract art. He is also a businessman, collects, opened a Faberge Museum in Germany, in Baden-Baden.

Olga Bulgakova is one of the few talented and famous Russian artists, born in 1951, and she is a member of the Russian Academy of Arts as a corresponding member. The representative of such a movement of painting of the Brezhnev era, which is called "carnival". Her most famous work is A Dream of a Red Bird, written in 1988.

Russian artist Mikhail Brusilovsky, working under the pseudonym Misha Shaevich, is included in this rating and takes 18th place. This world famous artist

The talented Russian artist Lev Tabenkin was born in 1952 in the Russian capital - Moscow. This painter sees the painting like a sculptor. The feeling that his characters are sculpted from clay. One of Lev's most famous paintings is The Jazz Orchestra, written in 2004. It was sold for 117,650 rubles.

The AES + F project consists of four people, in fact, the name consists of the initial letters of the names of the participants: Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridnes. The creativity of this company is characterized by a very good presentation back in the nineties and was appreciated only in the two thousandth. For the most part now, they create large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens. One of the most famous works of this company: "Warrior 4".

Russian artist Sergei Volkov was born in Petrozavodsk in 1956. His works are characterized by the fact that he worked during the period of perestroika art. The pictures are written very expressively, where very profound statements and ideology are noticed. His most famous painting is Double Vision. Triptych".

Artists Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky were both born in Moscow in 1963 and 1964. They began to work together in 1994, having met at the festival, creating an unusual and grandiose project. The original design has earned the respect of many collectors. Their paintings hang in such famous places as the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and even the Pompidou Center. They themselves are the creators of the Art-Strelka gallery and the organizers of the Art-Klyazma festival.

Russian artist Vladimir Yankilevsky was also included in the list of the highest paid and famous artists. He was born in Moscow in 1938. Vladimir's father was also an artist, and his son inherited his profession. Vladimir works in the style of surrealism - creativity with paradoxical combinations. Back in 1970, he painted one of the most famous paintings called "Triptych 10. Anatomy of the Soul II".

Artist Vladimir Nemukhin was born in 1925 in the small village of Priluki, located in the Moscow region. He has participated in many foreign exhibitions in Europe. In the nineties he lived and was active in Germany, but in 2005 he moved to Russia. His work is characterized by a three-dimensional composition, the presence of a counter-relief and various cross-cutting motifs, for example, a deck of cards.

An artist with an unusual name, the son of a Spanish political emigrant, was born in the small village of Vasilyevka in the Samara region in 1943. He was the organizer of the group of artists "Argo", is a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Francisco was also awarded the State Prize for Achievements in the Field of Fine Arts. The artist is actively involved in creative work both in Russia and abroad.

The artist Alexander Melamed used to be one of the members of the very famous creative duet Komarov-Melamed, but he broke up back in 2003, then they began to work separately. Residence since 1978 is New York. He wrote most of the famous works together with Vitaly Komar, they also created the Sots Art movement together and were the organizers of the Bulldozer Exhibition.

This Russian artist, known as one of the founders of Moscow Conceptualism, was born in Moscow in 1937, where he graduated from the Polygraphic Institute. According to Viktor Pivovarov himself, his first work was written at the age of five. He is also a representative of "unofficial" art. His paintings are located in some of the most famous and largest exhibition centers: the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin.

This artist was born in 1934 in Tbilisi. He is one of the brightest representatives of monumental painting. Zurab is known for his work in the form of a monument to Peter I, which is located in Moscow, as well as a monument, which is located in front of the UN building in New York. Zurab is the president of the Russian Academy of Arts, where his own museum-gallery operates. The creations of this artist are known not only to Russia, but to the whole world.

Russian artist Oscar Rabin is famous for being the organizer of the Bulldor Exhibition in 1974 and four years later he was stripped of his Soviet citizenship. He also became popular as one of the first artists to privately sell paintings in the Soviet Union. At the moment, his permanent place of residence and work is Paris. His paintings are in major museums and exhibition centers: the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and others.

Russian artist Oleg Tselkov is known as an artist who began the main creative movement in the sixties of the 20th century, showing very rough and sharp features in his paintings, including in the depiction of people who look like clay figures. Since 1977, Oleg has continued his creative career in Paris. His paintings are located in such exhibition centers: the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Hermitage. One of the most famous paintings is "Boy with Balloons", written in 1954.

Born in Moscow in 1934, Russian artist Grigory Bruskin, or Grisha, has been one of the members of the Union of Artists since 1969. He became most famous thanks to a large Sotheby's auction, at which he sold his work called Fundamental Lexicon for the highest price, which was a record. At the moment, he lives and works in New York and Moscow, therefore he is also called an American artist.

This Russian artist is distinguished by the fact that he depicts realistic things with the utmost precision. His real creative activity began from the moment when in 1985, having exhibited at Malaya Gruzinskaya, he won the attention and recognition of collectors from New York. Since then, his works have been exhibited in many European countries, are in exhibition centers in America, Germany and Poland. Now he lives and conducts creative activity in Moscow.

This duet, alas, existed until 2003, but was a huge success. Two Russian artists became famous for the creation of a movement such as Sots Art, which is an offshoot of unofficial art. This was a kind of response to the creation of pop art in the west. Canvases with the works of these artists are in major museums, including the Louvre.

The Russian artist is known for being able to combine both painting and text in his work, later they began to call it Sots Art. During the Soviet period he was popular as an illustrator in children's books. For a while he lived in New York, then in Paris. He was the first artist to stage an exhibition at the Center Pompidou. His creative works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pompidou Center.

This talented Russian artist, who works in tandem with his wife Emilia, can be considered the country's chief artist, the founder of Moscow conceptualism. He was born in Dnepropetrovsk in 1933, but New York has become his place of residence since 1988. His works can be seen in the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. Ilya received the Japanese Emperor's Prize, and his two works entitled "Beetle" and "Suite" are the most expensive paintings.

If you can't wait to fulfill your dream - to learn how to draw - then this series of video tutorials is what you need for the first step.

One of the most popular contemporary artists is the American Jeff Koons. The creator's favorite style is kitsch. Bright colors, randomness, unusual materials and ideas - this is what allowed Koons wide popularity back in the 80s of the 20th century. Today the artist is the president of his own corporation Jeff Koons, which creates unusual sculptures. The most popular works: full-length "figurines" of Michael Jackson with his monkey, covered in gold (sold for $ 5.6 million); Heart (bought in 2007 for $ 23.6 million) and Tulips (also sold for $ 23.6 million).

One of the author's most fantastic series - giant sculptures created from elongated balloons. Bright dogs, Balloon Flower 3, Tulips look easy. However, the weight of such a sculpture can reach several tons.

One of the most expensive painters is Jasper Johns, who lives in Connecticut, USA. In his works, the creator uses mainly bright, rich colors and simple images: targets, flags, numbers, cards. There is still no consensus among researchers regarding the stylistic direction chosen by Jasper Johns. Some of it to pop art, others to neo-Dadaism.

The East is awake

It should be noted that creators from Asian countries predominate in world art today. China is in the lead in this aspect. Several artists from the Middle Kingdom are in the top ten.

Zeng Fanzhi became the leader among his compatriots. Today the artist has moved away from his earlier expression and focused on symbolism. The soft colors, general calmness and relaxation of the paintings have made Fanzhi one of the most sought-after Asian artists in the world.

The first exhibitions of Zeng Fanzhi's paintings outside of China took place in 1993. But the artist began to receive record sums for his works relatively recently: in 2008, the painting "Mask Series No. 6" brought the creator $ 9.7 million.

The second most popular Chinese artist in the world is Zhou Chunya. The works "Green Dog" brought real world popularity to the master. Animals of different, poorly identifiable breeds are captured in a variety of emotional poses. As conceived by the author, this "dog" is a symbol of loneliness and the uncertain position of a person in modern society. The total profit of the works sold was € 23.9 million.

Speaking from the East, one cannot fail to mention the Japanese creator Takashi Murakami. The painter, designer and sculptor creates very expressive, positive works, combining in them real opposites: West and East, past and present, chaste and vulgar. In the West, Murakami's fame was brought about by his collaboration with Marc Jacobs - the Japanese worked on the design of Louis Vuitton products.

Tip 2: Modern Artists: Geniuses or Crazy?

Who are they, contemporary artists? Someone will say that they are crazy, and someone will see the genius in their work. Just peer and reflect on "their" world.

Instructions

The works of the artist Vasily Shulzhenko have become all over the world, they are especially fond of the Americans, who want to see Russia just like that. It shows the life of a Russian without "masks". Drinking, debauchery, bottom and human vices. Someone respects his work, and someone despises. Each picture carries a deep meaning. If you look closely, you can see the history of each character. Many people think that Vasily hates, but maybe he wants the one who saw himself on the canvas to change ?! His work can be described as "Gloomy, but true."

Polish surrealist painter Jacek Yerka has his own personality, painting every detail. Warm pleasant colors prevail in his paintings. Looking at them envelops the feeling of magic, the mighty power of nature and the world about which we may not know anything. Pictures give free rein to our imagination and change the perception of reality. Definitely, Jacek Jerka is an extraordinary creative artist and his paintings are worthy of our attention.

The works of the German artist and illustrator Quint Buchholz give our brains "food" for thought. I want to return to his paintings and look at them again and again. Each has its own story. The palette is pleasant, delicate and weightless. Looking at his paintings, you involuntarily calm down and acquire a feeling of lightness. The artist has held more than 70 exhibitions and his paintings have been awarded numerous and international ones. Among his works, everyone will find something to their liking.