Most Expensive Living Artist

Jeff Koons’ “Hanging Heart”

The record for most expensive living artist seems to change hands like a $20 bill. Currently, the record is held by Jeff Koons for his Hanging Heart piece, which sold for $21.6 million. Before that, the record belonged to Damien Hirst. His Lullaby Spring pill box sold for $19.1 million at Sotheby’s in 2007. He took the record from friend Lucian Freud, grandson of the famous psychoanalyst, who held the record for a mere twenty-four hours when his “Bruce Bernard” painting sold for $16.5 million.

Freud may hold the title again, however, as his Benefits Supervisor Sleeping painting is expected to sell for over $30 million at auction in May. The piece, depicting a fleshy femme reclining on a sofa, was painted in 1995 and became the first nude ever to make the front page of the UK’s Financial Times newspaper.

Lucian Freud’s “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping”

The 51-year-old model, Sue Tilley, spent months posing for the artist. During this time she wasn’t allowed to vacation, lest she return with a tan. While she was paid a mere $40 to pose for the painting, she was able to sell one of Freud’s earlier etchings of herself for a cool $50,000. Of course, she’ll also enjoy a certain level of fame from being the subject of one of the world’s most expensive paintings.