There isn't just one "Starry Night," as Vincent van Gogh created several works with starry skies, but the iconic "The Starry Night" (MoMA, New York) is one of a series of about 21 night-themed or star-filled paintings, with two main versions often compared: the famous one at MoMA and "Starry Night Over the Rhône" (Musée d'Orsay, Paris). Van Gogh painted numerous starry scenes, including the well-known "Starry Night Over the Rhône," making it hard to pinpoint an exact "number" of copies, but the core "Starry Night" series includes many variations on the theme.
Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh created 21 different versions of the iconic 'Starry Night'? It's based on his view from his bedroom window in the asylum in Saint Rémy De Prevence. With all of its bright, bold colours and dynamic brushstrokes, it's one of our favourites for an event!
Van Gogh's rolling night sky full of bright stars is probably one of the world's most famous artworks. The Starry Night's home is at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
1. Orchard with Cypresses, $117m, 2022. In 2022 Orchard with Cypresses sold at Christie's, New York for $117m, coming from the collection of Microsoft co-founder, the late Paul Allen. It is one of the series of spring blossom paintings which Van Gogh made soon after his arrival in Arles.
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most iconic painting in the world. Known for her mysterious smile and captivating gaze, she attracts millions to the Louvre and symbolizes artistic mastery, intrigue, and timeless beauty.
Art has been defined as a vehicle for the expression or communication of emotions and ideas, a means for exploring and appreciating formal elements for their own sake, and as mimesis or representation. Art as mimesis has deep roots in the philosophy of Aristotle.
The painting was sold at auction for US$450.3 million on 15 November 2017 by Christie's in New York to Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, setting a new record for the most expensive painting ever sold at public auction.
From 1906 to 1938 it was owned by one Georgette P. van Stolk, of Rotterdam. Paul Rosenberg bought it from van Stolk in 1938 and sold it (by exchange) to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941, which rarely loans it out.
Guinness World Records lists Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa as having the highest insurance value for a painting. On permanent display at the Louvre in Paris, the Mona Lisa was assessed at US$100 million on 14 December 1962. Taking only inflation into account, the 1962 value would be around US$1 billion in 2024.
The Red Vineyards near Arles is an oil painting by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, executed on a privately primed Toile de 30 piece of burlap in early November 1888. It depicts workers in a vineyard, and it is the only painting known by name that van Gogh sold in his lifetime.
His medical biographers agree that his adulthood included periods of hypersexuality, hyposexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality.
Vincent Van Gogh – Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette. One of the rarely mentioned horror artworks of Van Gogh's oeuvre is his painting Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette, part of the studies of skeletons from his Antwerp period.
His last words: " The Sadness will last forever." We love you, Vincent Willem van Gogh.
Salvator Mundi, translated to “Savior of the World,” is not only the world's most expensive painting—it's possibly the most controversial painting, as well.
Everyone Should Know Them: Van Gogh's Five Most Famous Paintings
Van Gogh considered The Starry Night to be a failure. The stars were too big. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) painted The Starry Night from an asylum in Saint-Rémy, during the daytime, from memory, one year before he took his own life.
So, how much is the Mona Lisa worth? While the price tag associated with it is hard to calculate, considering it is deemed priceless; the estimated cost for the Mona Lisa price is approximately $860 Million.
1. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
Based on Forbes, American rapper Jay-Z is the wealthiest music artist in the world, with estimated earnings at US$2.5 billion as of 2025. Forbes lists are dominated by American artists, while musicians of other nationalities have built their wealth predominantly in the U.S., such as Celine Dion.
For example, one of the most famous Van Gogh paintings, Starry Night, or Pablo Picasso's highly sought Les Demoiselles d'Avignon could easily sell for between $500 million and $1 billion each.
1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1505) Probably the most famous painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda, better known as Mona Lisa. This painting is a portrait of Madame Gherardini, personifying the ideal woman of the Renaissance.
When Leonardo died in 1519, he had a bank fortune in Florence of 400 florins (1.5kg of gold). That is strikingly little, if this sum is held against the annual incomes of Leonardo. Because already in his Milan time he received according to traditional statement an annual wage of 2000 Florin (7kg gold).
The portion of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" that was accidentally cut out due to damage was the feet of Jesus. This damage occurred when a doorway was mistakenly cut into the wall of the convent. The painting remains a critical work of art and holds great historical significance despite this loss.