Past few decades had an incredible surge of art trade and its worth. In particular, masterpieces that were created in 19th and 20th centuries were sold, in the past twenty years, between $100 and $400 million (with the exception of Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci dated to c. 1500). The high value has created a lucrative market for the richest few, where in most cases the artists could never had imagined the true value of their works. For example, Vincent van Gogh has sold only a few painting in his lifetime, one of which was sold for today’s equivalent of about $110. Over a hundred years after his death Portrait of Dr. Gachet was sold for $150 million.
