Number Three: Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt

Once the world’s most expensive painting, Gustav Klimt’s portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer took three years to create in oil and gold. The painting was commissioned by a Swiss sugar magnate, a fan of Klimt and the husband of the painting’s subject.
Artist: Gustav Klimt
Year: 1907
Year of Sale: 2006
Sale Price: $135 million
Currency Adjusted: $144.4 million