List of most expensive sculptures


This is a list of the highest known prices paid for sculptures.

Most valuable sculpture

's L'Homme au doigt was auctioned for $141.3m at Christie's in May 2015, the highest price for any sculpture at auction.
Giacometti's L'Homme qui marche I had previously achieved the highest price of any sculpture when it was auctioned by Sotheby's in February 2010. Selling for US$104.3 million, it ranks amongst the most valuable works of art.
In 2005, Constantin Brâncuși's Bird in Space broke records when it sold for $27.5 million. The previous world record was another work by Brâncuși called Danaide, which was sold for $18.1 million in May 2002. The 2005 record stood for two years until a highly regarded work of antiquity surpassed the price. Artemis and the Stag, found in the 1920s at a Roman construction site, fetched $28.6 million in June 2007. The record would only stand for a few months, with a work by Pablo Picasso, Tete de femme , surpassing it by half a million US dollars in November 2007.
In December 2007, the sale of the Guennol Lioness, a statue from around 3000 BC, nearly doubled the previous record price when it sold for $57.2 million. It is the fifth-most valuable sculpture to date and the most valuable piece from antiquity.
Damien Hirst has claimed that his sculpture For the Love of God, which consists of a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, was sold for £50 million in August 2007. The truth of this private sale, which was to an unknown consortium, has been called into question. David Lee, editor of The Jackdaw, commented: "Everyone in the art world knows Hirst hasn't sold the skull. It is clearly just an elaborate ruse to drum up publicity and rewrite the book value of all his other work." If the sale did take place, For the Love of God would become the second-most expensive sculpture ever sold and would have fetched the highest price for a sculpture by a living artist.
2010 was a good year for record-breaking sculpture prices but it did not continue into 2011. Jeff Koons' porcelain Pink Panther was estimated to fetch a value of up to $30 million, but only achieved just over half that.
Louise Bourgeois holds the record for Spider, the highest price paid for an attributable sculpture by a woman.

Auction details

All the most expensive sculptures have been sold by one of two auction houses: Sotheby's and Christie's. Sotheby's has hosted the auctions of the two works that reached the highest price, one in London and the other in New York. Only three of the top ten have auctioned outside of New York; one in London and two in Paris.
The top ten highest value sculptures were made by seven different people, two of whom are unknown and will never be identified. An Alberto Giacometti sculpture is the most valuable modern work, and he has three more entries in the top ten. Four Constantin Brâncuși sculptures are featured on the list, and Jeff Koons' work appears three times. Although Pablo Picasso only appears once he appears numerous times in the list of most expensive paintings.
Several buyers have chosen to remain anonymous, while others publicly celebrate their purchases.

Most expensive sculpture by a female artist

’ 1996 Spider is the most expensive sculpture by a woman artist, and last sold for $32.1 million in 2019.

List of highest prices paid

The highest prices paid for sculptures as of 2019:
Adjusted price Original price SculptureImageArtistYearDate of saleSellerBuyerAuction houseRefs
$$141.3L'Homme au doigt1947Sheldon SolowPrivate collectionChristie's, New York
$$104.3L'Homme qui marche I1961CommerzbankSotheby's, London
$$101.0Chariot1950Sotheby's, New York
$$91.1Rabbit198615 May 2019Estate of S. I. NewhouseSteven A. Cohen Christie's, New York
$71$71La jeune fille sophistiquée 1928-
1932		15 May 2018Elizabeth StaffordPrivate
collection		Christie's, New York
$$59.5Tête1910–1912Private collectionChristie's, Paris
$$58.4Balloon Dog 1994–2000Private collectionPrivate collectionChristie's, New York
$58$57.3La muse endormie191315 may 2017Jacques UlmannPrivate
collection		Christie's, New York
$$57.2Guennol LionessUnknown c.3000 BCPrivate collectionSotheby's, New York
$$53.3Grande tête mince1955Private collectionChristie's, New York
$$50.0Grand tête mince 1955Private collectionBill AcquavellaSotheby's, New York
$$48.8Nu de dos, 4 état 1958Private collectionPrivate collectionChristie's, New York
$$37.6Madame LR 1914–17Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre BergéPrivate collectionChristie's, Paris
$$33.7Tulips1995-2004Christie's, New York
$$32.1SpiderLouise Bourgeois199615 May 2019
Christie's, New York
$$31Winged GeniusUnknownc. 883 - 859 B.C.Virginia Theological SeminaryPrivate collectionChristie's, New York
$$30.11951Private collectionPrivate collectionChristie's, London
$$29.1Tete de femme 1941Private collectionSotheby's, New York
$$28.6Artemis and the StagUnknown c.100 BC – 100 ADAlbright-Knox Art GalleryPrivate collectionSotheby's, New York
$$27.5Bird in Space1922–1923Private collectionPrivate collectionChristie's, New York