The Most Expensive Old Masters Artworks Ever Sold at Auction

These days, Pablo Picasso, Gerhard Richter, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and a host of other familiar names dominate at auction. But it wasn’t always. Before the last couple decades, the Old Masters category—featuring artists who were active between the 14th and 18th centuries—was all anyone could talk about. Although its prominence has waned, the category has still led to a number of auction records. Both public auctions and high-profile private museum sales of works by