While the most expensive paintings sell for millions of dollars at exclusive auctions, you can go online to buy or sell high-quality paintings around the world.
A quick search on alibaba.com, the leading global trade site, calls up over 60,000 selling leads for stretched canvas oil paintings, pop paintings, canvas paintings and landscape paintings.
A mouse click on the Products tab immediately lists over 35,000 art painting products.
The third tab entitled Suppliers presents company profiles plus contact links to some 4,500 art suppliers. Many are located in China.
Clicking on the Buyers tab gives a wish list of art products that businesses want to buy. Desired products range from child paintings to decoration paintings to artifact paintings. The United States, Canada, China and Pakistan show up on the first page of buyers.
Another tab finds art-related tradeshows around the globe.
Registrants can list their art products to trade on alibaba.com for free. Another benefit is an automated email feature that notifies registrants whenever a new art product or supplier is listed on the site.
Of course, buying artwork masters is a completely different international trade game.
Infoplease has published a list of the 10 most expensive paintings ever auctioned.
- US$140 million for No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock (in 2006)
- $135 million for Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt (in 2006)
- $104 million for Boy with a Pipe by Pablo Picasso (in 2004)
- $95.2 million for Dora Maar with Cat by Pablo Picasso (in 2006)
- $82.5 million for Portrait du Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh (in 1990)
- $78.1 million for Au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (in 1990)
- $76.7 million for The Massacre of the Innocents by Paul Rubens (in 2002)
- $71.5 million for Portrait de L'Artiste sans Barbe by Vincent van Gogh (in 1998)
- $60.5 million for Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier by Paul Cézanne (in 1999)
- $55 million for Femme aux Bras Croises by Pablo Picasso (in 2000).
