--- description: On Nov. 15, an anonymous buyer paid over $90 million for "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)," a record price for a living artist title: David Hockney and 4 Other Paintings to Break Auction Records image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68ce34ab38970af8/69893f5622fb85fa87e27318/gettyimages-1032819628.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Fine Art](/tag/fine-art/) ## Fine Art Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Five Paintings Shattered Auction Records in the Last 12 Months  by [Belinda Luscombe](/author/belinda-luscombe/)  ## Belinda Luscombe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Updated: Dec 12, 2023 4:24 PM CUTPublished: Nov 16, 2018 11:22 PM CUT  A woman looks at David Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" during a press preview on Sept. 13, 2018 at Christie's New York. A woman looks at David Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" during a press preview on Sept. 13, 2018 at Christie's New York.Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images  by [Belinda Luscombe](/author/belinda-luscombe/)  ## Belinda Luscombe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Updated: Dec 12, 2023 4:24 PM CUTPublished: Nov 16, 2018 11:22 PM CUT On Nov. 15, an anonymous buyer paid a hair over $90 million for [David Hockney](http://www.davidhockney.co/ "undefined")‘s “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” — a [record](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46232870 "undefined") auction price for a work by a living artist. But Hockney’s not the only artist whose oeuvre is getting expensive. The last 12 months have seen unprecedented sums being paid for a range of works, especially contemporary ones. That’s not to say genuine old masters aren’t doing well, just that they’re in short supply; [a Leonardo DaVinci](http://time.com/4976048/da-vinci-jesus/ "undefined") work with a provenance that had been thought to be shaky set a record for any painting [_ever_](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/15/arts/design/leonardo-da-vinci-salvator-mundi-christies-auction.html "undefined") sold at auction around this time in 2017 when it sold for $450 million. Here are five paintings that set records this year.  A woman looks at David Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" during a press preview on Sept. 13, 2018 at Christie's New York. Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images  "Salvator Mundi" (Savior of the World), the last of Leonardo Da Vinci's works in private hands, sold for $450 million on Nov. 15, 2017\. In 1958, before it was proved to be a DaVinci, the same painting changed hands for 45 British pounds. Ivan Romano—Getty Images  On Oct. 5, Jenny Saville's 1992 painting 'Propped,' the work that propelled her to international acclaim, sold for $12.4 million, a record for a living female artist. Tristan Fewings—Getty Images for Sotheby's  "Los Rivales" (The Rivals) by Diego Rivera fetched $9.76 million on May 5, the highest price paid at auction for a Latin American artwork. The previous record-holder was Rivera's wife, Frida Kahlo. Hector Retamal—AFP/Getty Images  The rapper and impresario P. Diddy paid $21.1 million for "Past Times" by Kerry James Marshall on May 16\. That's the highest price ever for a work by a living African American artist. Hector Retamal—AFP/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5457674/painting-auction-records/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5457674/painting-auction-records/"},"headline":"These Five Paintings Shattered Auction Records in the Last 12 Months","datePublished":"2018-11-16T23:22:28.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T16:24:42.000Z","description":"On Nov. 15, 2018, an anonymous buyer paid a hair over $90 million for a David Hockney, a record auction price for a living artist","url":"https://time.com/5457674/painting-auction-records/","keywords":["Fine Art","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68ce34ab38970af8/69893f5622fb85fa87e27318/gettyimages-1032819628.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Belinda Luscombe","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/belinda-luscombe/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68ce34ab38970af8/69893f5622fb85fa87e27318/gettyimages-1032819628.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2018 Record Breaking Art Sales","caption":"A woman looks at David Hockneys \"Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)\" during a press preview on September 13, 2018 at Christie's New York. - The painting is to be auctioned during Christie's November 2018 Evening Sale of Post-War and Contempora","creditText":"Timothy A. 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