7. Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat
Sold for around $80 million (original price at the time $47.5 million)
Painted in 1890
There are several versions of this painting, as Van Gogh was often inspired by peasant motives. What is interesting about this painting that ranks 7th on our list of most expensive Van Gogh paintings is the time it was created. According to some personal letters, at that time Van Gogh was feeling surprisingly well, until he heard about the illness that his sister-in-law and nephew had caught. He painted the painting around the time he heard the news, feeling devastated yet again. In my personal opinion, the painting is simply breathing with melancholy. Those who have had the luck to admire this masterpiece in person explain that he used so much paint (thick layers) that the woman’s face almost looks three-dimensional. Powerful.
