The Scream Auction: Munch's Painting Is Not The Most Expensive Work Of Art Ever Auctioned

The world was abuzz Wednesday night with news that Edvard Munch's famous work of art, "The Scream," sold for $119.9 million at Sotheby's, setting the the world record for any work of art sold at an auction.

But was Munch's 1895 pastel really the priciest work of art? Not when prices of other auctioned works are adjusted for inflation (h/t The Economist).

Here's a look at the costliest works of art, with the prices adjusted for inflation.

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• Portrait Du Docteur Gachet, $142.3 Million

  Vincent Van Gogh's "Portrait Du Docteur Gachet" sold at Christie's for<a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/portrait.htm" target="_hplink"> $82.5 million in 1990</a>, according to U.S. News and World Report, which translates to $142.3 million today.

• Au Moulin De La Galette, $134.6 Million

  Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Au Moulin de la Galette" sold for<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/keyword/moulin-de-la-galette" target="_hplink"> $78.1 million at Sotheby's in 1990</a>, according to the New York Times, which translates to $134.6 million today.

• Garçon A La Pipe, $124.3 Million

  Pablo Picasso's "Garçon A La Pipe" <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3682127.stm" target="_hplink">was sold by Sotheby's in 2004 for $104 million</a>, according to BBC, which translates to $124.3 million today

• The Scream, $119 Million

  Edvard Munch's "The Scream" sold for $119 million at Sotheby's on May 2, 2012.

• Nude, Green Leaves, And Bust, $111.7 Million

  Pablo Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves, And Bust" was sold by Christie's in <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/scream-fetches-record-119-9m-nyc-auction-000711889.html" target="_hplink">2010 for $106.5 million</a>, according to the Associated Press, which translates to $111.7 million today.

• L'Homme Qui Marche, $109.5 Million

  Alberto Giacometti's sculpture was sold by Sotheby's in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/03/giacometti-sculpture-lhom_n_448243.html" target="_hplink">2010 for $104 million</a>, which translates to $109.5 million today.

• Dora Maar Au Chat, $106.4 Million

  Pablo Picasso's "Dora Maar Au Chat" sold at Sotheby's for $95.2 million in 2006, according to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/04/arts/design/04auction.html?_r=1&ex=1304395200&en=b522716ad30d0aec&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss" target="_hplink">New York Times</a>, which translates to $106.4 million today.

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Comments

[concerned tax payer]

06:32 PM on 05/06/2012

I wnder if the person who bought this pays $100 for toilet paper too! Ha Ha Ha!

[Bid4MeAuctionSe]

05:44 PM on 05/04/2012

okay, so its not the most expensive todate... would still have loved to have provided auction services to these clients via my site. www.Bid4Me.co.za

[LONDON3]

07:52 AM on 05/04/2012

Never liked that painting of the SCREAM....soooo eeeriieee

[Robert Frank]

07:37 AM on 05/04/2012

NOTHING I repeat NOTHING is worth that much money..ridiculous reflection on today's society when some crappy painting is sold for millions of dollars while people still starve, are homeless, are beaten/killed, etc..

[Fredo Sanchez]

06:54 AM on 05/04/2012

What about Cezanne's "The Card Players"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Card_Players

[cabinetmaniac]

08:02 AM on 05/04/2012

HuffPo even had an article about it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/qatar-purchases-the-card-_n_1253516.html

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