Worlds Expensive Paintings

10. $55,000,000 for Femme aux Bras Croises by Pablo Picasso (2000)

Beautiful painted various tones of blue are typical. The painting depicts a woman with her arms crossed staring at the endless nothing. This work, painted in 1901, was a part of Picasso's famous Blue Period, a dark, sad time in the artist's life.

Femme aux Bras Croisés was sold for $55,000,000 November 8, 2000, at Christie's Rockefeller in New York City.

9. $60,500,000 for Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier by Paul Cézanne (1999)

This painting by Paul Cézanne, painted in ca. 1893-1894 was sold for $60,500,000 at Sotheby's New York on May 10, 1999 to "The Whitneys". Whitney, born into one of America's wealthiest families, was a venture capitalist, publisher, Broadway show and Hollywood film producer, and philanthropist.

8. $71,500,000 for Portrait de L'Artiste sans Barbe by Vincent van Gogh (1998)

Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe ("Self-portrait without beard") is one of many self-portraits by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. He painted this one in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France in September 1889. The painting is a oil painting on canvas and is 40 cm x 31 cm (16" x 13").

This is an uncommon painting since his other self-portraits show him with a beard. The self-portrait became one of the most expensive paintings of all time when it was sold for $71.5 million in 1998 in New York.

7. $76,700,000 for The Massacre of the Innocents by Paul Rubens (2002)

The Massacre of the Innocents is one of two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, depicting an episode of the biblical Massacre of the Innocents as related in the Gospel of Matthew.

This painting by Peter Paul Rubens, painted in 1611, is the only painting in this list which was not painted in the 19th or 20th century. It was sold to Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet for $ 76,700,000 at a 2002 Sotheby's auction.

6. $78,100,000 for Au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1990)

Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre was painted by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876. On May 17, 1990, it was sold for $ 78,000,000 at Sotheby's in New York City to Ryoei Saito, the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Company, Japan.

At the time of sale, it was one of the top two most expensive artworks ever sold, together with van Gogh's Portrait of Dr Gachet, which was also purchased by Saito. Saito caused international outrage when he suggested in 1991 that he intended to cremate both paintings with him when he died. Saito died in 1996 ... but the painting was saved.

5. $82,500,000 for Portrait du Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh (1990)

This painting by the Dutch Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh suddenly became world-famous when Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito paid $82.5 million for it at auction in Christie's, New York.

Vincent van Gogh actually painted two versions of Dr Gachet's portrait. You can view the other version, with a slightly different color scheme, at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

4. $95,200,000 for Dora Maar with Cat by Pablo Picasso (2006)

This painting near doubled its presale estimate and fetched a record $95,200,000 at auction at Sotheby's on May 3, 2006. It was sold to anonymous buyer and the ownership of the Dora Maar au Chat is still unknown to the general public.

Painted in 1941, Picasso's controversial portrait (one of his last) is sometimes described as an unflattering depiction of Dora Maar, who was an artist/photographer and mistress of Picasso whose relationship lasted ten years during the 1930s and 40s.

3. $104,000,000 for Boy with a Pipe by Pablo Picasso (2004)

Garçon à la Pipe was created during the artist's famous Rose Period, during which Picasso painted with a cheerful orange and pink palatte. The oil on canvas painting, measuring 100 × 81.3 cm (slightly over 39 × 32 inches), depicts a Parisian boy holding a pipe in his left hand.

The record price auction at Sotheby's New York on May 4, 2004 was a bit of a surprise to art buyers, since it was painted in the style not usually associated with the pioneering Cubist artist.

2. $135,000,000 for Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt (2006)

The record-breaking sale - which followed a court order by the Austrian government to return the painting to Bloch-Bauer's heir - was the culmination of a years-long dispute over the painting looted by Nazis during World War II.

Painted by the art nouveau master Gustav Klimt in 1907, the portrait was purchased in 2006 by cosmetics heir Ronald S. Lauder.

1. $140,000,000 for No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock (2006)

According to a report in the New York Times, on November 2, 2006, the painting was sold by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records and co-founder of Dreamworks SKG, to David Martinez, managing partner of Fintech Advisory Ltd, in a private sale for a record inflation adjusted price of $140 million.
Shearman & Sterling, LLP issued a press release on behalf of its client, David Martinez, to announce that contrary to recent articles in the press, Mr Martinez does not own the painting or any rights to acquire it. The sale was never confirmed.

Luxury Hotel’s ATM Dispenses Solid Gold

http://most-expensive.net/gold-atmLuxury+Hotel%27s+ATM+Dispenses+Solid+Gold2010-05-14+18%3A28%3A11jeremy

Here in the US, the guy on TV wants to get as much of your gold as possible. In the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, though, the patrons are the ones who get the gold—thanks to a very special gold ATM.

The Gold To Go ATM, created by German entrepreneur Thomas Giessler, is updated every 10 minutes with the most current conversion rates and dispenses gold in the form of coins or bars up to 10 grams in weight. The bars are engraved with the Emirates Palace logo, while the coins are stamped with symbols representing major gold producers South Africa, Canada and Australia.

The ATM includes a variety of security measures, most notably anti-money laundering software. The machine will also shut down if it develops a fault.

The gold coins and bars are intended to be used either as souvenirs or, in light of gold’s record high, as a safe investment.

Considering the ATM’s gold exterior, I think we can safely say this is the most expensive ATM in the world.

Most Expensive Accidents in History

Throughout history, humans have always been prone to accidents. Some, such as the exotic car crashes seen on this page, can be very expensive. But that’s trivial compared to the truly expensive accidents. My aim is to list the top 10 most expensive accidents in the history of the world as measured in dollars.

This includes property damage and expenses incurred related to the accident such as cleanup and industry losses. Many of these accidents involve casualties which obviously cannot be measured in dollar terms. Each life lost is priceless and is not factored into the equation.

Chernobyl

On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster made 50% of the area of Ukraine in some way contaminated. The total costs has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion.

Space Shuttle Columbia

The Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003. The total cost of the accident came out to $13 Billion according to NASA.

Prestige Oil Spill

On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil in Galicia, Spain. According to a report the total cleanup cost was $12 billion.

Challenger Explosion

The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle 5.5 billion in today’s dollars.

Piper Alpha Oil Rig

This is world’s worst off-shore oil disaster. On July 6, 1988 due to a mistake by a technician Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.

Exxon Valdez

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world’s biggest oil spills. On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship’s master. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

B-2 Bomber Crash

This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system.

Metro Link Crash

On September 12, 2008, 25 people were killed when a Metro link commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles. Wrongful death lawsuits expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metro link.

Tanker Truck vs. Bridge

On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.

Titanic

The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage . The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today’s dollars).

Most Expensive Movies of All Times

One of the best entertainment media is the silver screen. It has been around for over a century now and still remains to be one of the best sources of interacting with the fantasy world in the most realistic manner.

Considering the high-tech technology used in movies these days, we have compiled a list of top 10 most expensive movies ever made.

These include only those movies which have already been released, hence no movie that is still in the production process is included in the list.

1. Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, released in 2007, is the third release in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The movie stands on number one in the list as its production cost was over 300 million dollars. The movie generated approximately 961 million dollars.

2. Spider-Man 3

With a budget of 258 million dollars, Spider man 3 is on number two in our list. The movie was released in May 2007 and it generated approx 890 million dollars.

3. Quantum of Solace

The latest bond flick not only rocks the charts for being one of the most expensive movies of all times but also boasts to be the most expensive Bond movie ever with a record budget of $230 million.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, second movie of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, released in July 2006 is placed at number three in Listphobia.com Most expensive movies list with a budget of 225 million dollars.

5. X-Men: The Last Stand

With a budget of more then 210 million dollars, X-Men stands on number 4 on our list. The movie was released in the year 2006 and it generated an approximate revenue of 460 million dollars.

6. King Kong

King Kong, released in December 2005, is the remake of 1933 movie wth the same name. The 2005 version of the movie had a budget of over 207 million dollars.

7. Superman Returns

With a budget of 204 million dollars the Superman returns, released in June 2006, is placed at number 6 in our list. Based on the fiction DC character Superman, the movie generated a revenue of around 390 million dollars.

8. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Based on C. S Lewis’s novel Prince Caspian, this movie stands on number 7 with a budget of 200 million dollars. The movie was released in May 2008 and has so far generated a revenue of approx 240 million dollars.

9. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Terminator 3 also has a budget of 200 million dollars but it is placed at number 9. The movie was released in July 2003 and has generated a revenue of appox 430 million dollars.

10. Titanic

Labeled as one of the most romantic and highest rated movies of all times, Titanic falls at the end of the list with a budget of 200 million and a gross revenue of approx 2 billion.

Most Expensive Video Game Budgets Ever

Video games are quickly approaching Hollywood movies in terms of budget size, and often surpass then altogether. In the early 90s, video game budgets were around $100,000. When Doom was released in 1993 it had cost $200,000 and was touted as one of the most expensive games at the time. Today, that barely covers one month worth of production.

So here I have compiled a list of some of the most expensive video game budgets ever.

Grand Theft Auto 4: $100 million

When it comes to sheer production values, sheer amount of features, the details, and no game beats Grand Theft Auto 4. Over 1,000 people worked on the game for over 3 and half years, with a budget of $100 million.

Gran Turismo 5: $80 million

What’s set to become the biggest and greatest racing game in history, Gran Turismo has been in development for over 5 years now, and features over 1,000 cars, each recreated for with extreme realism and perfection in mind. It said that the budget will reach a staggering $80 million.

Shenmue, $70 million

A game which held the record as most expensive game for nearly 10 years, Shenmue’s budget was unheard of at the time of its development which was about a $70 million. But unfortunately the game ultimately disappointed in sales.

Too Human, $60+ million

Too Human faced many issues during its development time. In the middle developers abandoned the engine and started making their own games at a time when the game was almost complete. This added at least another $10 million to the budget.

Metal Gear Solid 4, $60 million

The biggest, pretties and most complex Metal Gear Solid game, one with hours and hours of cut scenes, amazing production values and one of the best visuals at its time, Metal Gear Solid 4 took 4 full years to make, at a price tag of $60 million.

Halo 3, $55 million

The Halo franchise has been so successful for Bungie and Microsoft that they virtually had an unlimited budget on Halo 3, as it had to be the best and most impressive game in almost all aspects when it was released. It pretty much was, at a price of $55 million.

APB, $50 million

APB has been in development close to 5 years now, and Realtime Worlds have often stated that it’s the most expensive game they’ve ever worked on. The official budget is exactly $50 million.

LA Noire: $50 million

It’s no secret now that Rockstar has given LA Noire a massive budget, upwards of $50 million, to create a truly cinematic video game, where most of 1940s Los Angeles has been recreated and is fully explorable.

Final Fantasy XII: $48 million

The Final Fantasy games have been known for their outstanding quality, length and sheer production value. They’ve also been known as some of the most expensive games to have ever come out for like $48 million for FF XII.

Killzone 2: $45 million

One of the most anticipated PS3 titles, and one which has been in development for over four years, Killzone 2′s budget was originally $20 million. It has an estimated budget of $45 million.

World’s Top Ten Most Expensive Phones

1. Goldvish: Price £540,000The a lot of big-ticket adaptable buzz in the apple is the Goldvish. It is a one off which has an absurd 120 carats account of VVS-1 brand precious stones which are actual top quality. Emmanuel Gueit had the amusement of designing this adaptable buzz who usually designs watches for a living. The blueprint of the buzz cover a radio and 2GB anamnesis for autumn media. The buzz has already been bought by a Russian agent for his wife.

2. Vertu Signature: Price £167,000
Another Vertu adaptable buzz this time advised by French jeweller Boucheron. This accurate blast has one pear cut design forth with two emerald eyes and 439 rubies. Only 8 are getting fabricated and if you can not absolutely allow the £167,000 amount tag there is a cheaper adaptation accessible after the rubies at just £62,000.

3. Sony Ericsson Black Diamond: Price £162,000
Only 5 of these adaptable phones accept been fabricated it is a Windows adaptable with WIFI, camera and a SD anamnesis agenda to abundance photos and added media. Jaren Goh which is a architecture aggregation based in Singapore created the buzz which is fabricated from assorted abstracts including diamonds, titanium and polycarbonate.

4. Vertu Diamond: Price £50,000
Vertu is a British based aggregation that specialises in affluence adaptable phones. The Vertu Diamond is one of its handsets which is fabricated of platinum and encrusted with diamonds. One of the allowances of owning a Vertu blast is the appropriate babysitter button which allows the buyer to use the babysitter account 24 hours a day to book accomplished dining and biking whenever they need. Only 200 accept been made.

5. Motorola V220 Special Edition: Price: £28,000
Motorola has aswell absitively to absolution its own ultra big-ticket adaptable buzz and commissioned able-bodied accepted jewelery artist Peter Aloisson from Austria, who has aswell advised several added phones. The buzz itself has 1,200 precious stones and its buttons are fabricated of 18 carat gold.

6. Nokia 8800 Gold Edition: Price £1,500
Nokia has launched a 24 carat gold adaptation of its 8800 adaptable phone. The gold copy buzz comes with a camera, radio and MP3 amateur as standard. As able-bodied as these appearance the blast aswell has a appropriate copy box and charging dock.

7. Mobiado Professional EM: Price £1,027
Another copse affluence adaptable buzz has entered the bazaar with titanium buttons and a host of functions including a camera, FM radio and Bluetooth capability. Apparently they are alone authoritative 200 of them which accomplish them actual rare.

8. The Gresso: Price £1,000
It seems affluence telephones are acceptable added like appearance accessories than absolute adaptable phones. The Gresso is fabricated of gold and African Blackwood and will appear in 5 models. This accurate buzz has been advised by a able-bodied accepted Italian designer. The Russian based aggregation aswell has added models fabricated of crocodile skin.

9. Bang & Olufsen Serene: Price £675
Another affiliation amid a affluence cast and adaptable buzz architect takes the anatomy of Bang & Olufsen and Samsung with the Serene which is on auction for £675. It has a glassy architecture with an built-in motor to accessible and abutting the telephone. There are some architecture issues about as you accept to use a screwdriver to get to the array and SIM agenda which is inconvenient.

10. Lamborghini 8800 Sirocco: Price £500
Lamborghini has partnered with Nokia to accommodate a adaptable blast for lovers of the Italian car maker. This buzz has the acclaimed adumbration engraved on the foreground and aback of the phone. It is a bound copy archetypal and alone 500 will be made. The buzz aswell comes with Lamborghini wallpapers, screen-savers and ring-tones.