Auctions 2012: Most Expensive Artworks Sell For Millions This Year (IMAGES)

The results are in: 2012 has been a banner year for art auction sales, despite the international recession. Three of the major houses -- Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips de Pury's -- all blew the tops off prior auction records, with Christie's selling nearly half a billion dollars worth of contemporary art in November alone.

As the end of the year approaches, we decided to go through the auction pillage of 2012 and put together a slideshow of the priciest works we could find. From Munch to Monet, the list of masterpieces is a survey of overwhelmingly expensive art that teaches us two things: the ongoing recession didn't seem to touch big art collectors and dead white guys still reign supreme on the bidding block.

Scroll through the slideshow of "The Biggest Art Auction Sales of 2012" and let us know what you think of the impressive collection of multi-million dollar works in the comments section. Get your "Home Alone" (or Edvard Munch's "The Scream") face ready, folks, because this one is a doozy.