What Is the Most Expensive Painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

Art|Art Museum

The most expensive painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is The Card Players by Paul Cézanne. It was painted in 1892-93 and is currently valued at $250 million. It is an oil painting on canvas and measures 50 x 73 cm (19 3/4 x 28 3/4 inches).

The painting depicts two men playing a card game, set in a rural environment. The two players are seated at a table, with one man holding his cards and the other counting his winnings. The players are dwarfed by the large tree in the background, emphasizing the smallness of the men in comparison to nature.

The painting is part of Cézanne’s series of paintings depicting card players, which he produced between 1890 and 1895. It is considered to be one of his most important works, demonstrating his ability to capture human emotion through color and form. He used a variety of colors to create a sense of atmosphere and drama, while still maintaining a sense of realism.

The painting was purchased by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, former Emir of Qatar, in 2011 for an undisclosed sum estimated to be around $250 million. This made it the most expensive painting ever sold at auction at that time, surpassing Picasso’s Nude Green Leaves and Bust which sold for $106 million in 2010.

The Card Players has since been exhibited in several museums around the world including London’s National Gallery, New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Paris’ Orsay Museum, Tokyo’s National Museum of Western Art, Qatar’s Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and many more.

The fact that it is currently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art makes it officially the most expensive painting there as well as one of its star attractions.

Conclusion: The Card Players by Paul Cézanne is currently valued at $250 million and holds the title for being the most expensive painting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as one of its star attractions. The painting was bought by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani for an undisclosed sum estimated to be around $250 million back in 2011 which made it the most expensive painting ever sold at auction at that time.