The Most Expensive Artworks That Celebrities Own

TrendingJune 27, 2022

Tom Ford – “Self Portrait” by Andy Warhol ($32.6 Million)

While Tom Ford has sadly decided to cancel his much-anticipated 2022 New York Fashion Week show, he’s still one of the most influential and renowned designers in the world. As a man who defines taste, Ford is unsurprisingly a man of good taste himself, and he’s said to have an impressive art collection featuring works by Mark Bradford, Sam Taylor Wood, and others.

He also used to own a famous “Self Portrait” piece by the Pop-Art legend Andy Warhol, but he decided to sell it for a staggering $32.6 million! Years later, he made the news after spending $90K to buy a black dress designed by… Tom Ford.

Sean “Diddy” Combs – “Past Times” by Kerry James Marshall ($21.1 Million)

In 2022, the American rapper/record producer Sean “Diddy” Combs sold his Toluca Lake home for $6.5 million. While the sum is impressive, it’s pennies when compared to the astounding amount the “Bump Bump Bump” singer invested in acquiring “Past Times,” a painting by the celebrated American artist Kerry James Marshall.

Said to be quite an avid art collector, Combs came across the piece at an auction of Marshall’s catalog. After outbidding all his competitors who also wanted the painting by one of the best African-American painters of all time, Combs finally walked away with his prize. The price tag? An eye-watering $21.1 million!

Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi – “Ovine Sheep Pieces” by François-Xavier Lalanne ($1 Million)

Featured in the 2022 documentary “Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl,” the TV host Ellen DeGeneres is said to be an avid art collector. Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi invested millions in pieces made by artists as renowned as Diego Giacometti and Ruth Asawa. But in 2020, the power couple decided to auction off $10 million worth of artwork from their private collection.

The auction’s standout artwork was “Ovine Sheep Pieces,” a series of sheep sculptures produced by François-Xavier Lalanne that outlets such as Mirror described as “bizarre.” Lalanne’s high-end sheep retail from 500K to as much as $1 million apiece.

Swizz Beatz & Alicia Keys – “An Assistance of Amber” by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye ($500K)

Recently featured in a 2022 episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the American singer Alicia Keys has been married to the American record producer Swizz Beatz since 2010. More than two music giants, Keys and Swizz Beatz make for one of the most powerful African-American couples in the world. So it makes sense that their pushing for the appreciation of African-American art.

Keys and Swizz Beatz are said to have a huge art collection, and one of their standout pieces is the painting “An Assistance of Amber,” by the British painter/writer Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. They invested a reported $500K to get their hands on the piece.

Sir Elton John – “Glass Tears” by Man Ray ($166K)

He may have mispronounced the name of the city he was playing at during his 2022 Kansas City T-Mobile Center center, but all is forgiven when you’re the one-and-only Sir Elton John! In addition to being one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of the 20th century, the “Tiny Dancer” singer is also an avid collector of high-end art, with a particular taste for modernist photography.

John’s extensive collection was even featured at Tate Modern, in an exhibition titled “The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John.” His most precious piece? Man Ray’s “Glass Tears,” which he bought for roughly $166K at a 1993 Sotheby’s auction.

Cheech Marin – Chicano Art ($9.7 Million)

Best known for being half of the comedy act “Cheech & Chong,” the American comedian Cheech Marin launched a new brand of nationwide meals for marijuana lovers in 2022. A bonafide stoner icon, Cheech is also the owner of one of the world’s most impressive private collections of Chicano art (i.e., art created by Mexican-American artists).

His collection includes artworks by painters such as Carlos Almaraz, Gronk, and Gilbert Lujan. And while the value of Cheech’s acquisitions was never made public, his Chicano art museum—The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art—was once given an impressive $9.7 million by the state of California!

Madonna – “Buste de Femme á la Frange” by Pablo Picasso ($5 Million)

In 2022, the pop superstar Madonna made the news after publishing a revealing picture of herself on Instagram. It goes to show that the “Material Girl” singer is still pushing the envelope, and the same can be said of her outstanding art collection. According to The Talko, she invested about $100 million in high-end art over the years!

Madonna’s impressive collection includes artworks by some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century, including the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat. The pièce de resistánce, however, is Pablo Picasso’s “Buste de Femme á la Frange,” which she bought for $5 million at an art auction.

Anderson Cooper – “Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento, Duquesa de Huescar” by Anton Raphael Mengs ($275K)

Featured in 2022 episodes of “Anderson Cooper 360º” and “60 Minutes,” Anderson Cooper is one of the most beloved TV personalities in the United States. The New York City native is also said to be an avid collector of art, and he’s not afraid to splash some serious cash to buy the pieces he likes the most.

In 2016, for example, Cooper visited TEFAF’s Met Breuer Show in New York and fell in love with “Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento, Duquesa de Huescar,” an unfinished work by the 18th-century artist Anton Raphael Mengs. The painting—showing a woman with no face—cost him a reported $275K.

Steve Martin – “Hotel Window” by Edward Hopper ($10 Million)

In 2022, the “Only Murders in the Building” co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short announced a series of shows on the Las Vegas Strip. A comedy icon, Martin knows exactly what it takes to be successful in show business; but did you know he has the same prowess for turning a profit at the high-end art market?

That’s right: in addition to having a massive art collection, Martin has made a few savvy moves in the art world. In 1999, for instance, he bought Edward Hopper’s “Hotel Window” oil painting for $10 million, only to sell it for $26.5 million seven years later!

John McEnroe – “Helter Skelter I” by Mark Bradford ($10.4 Million)

Featured in 2022 episodes of the TV series “Never Have I Never,” John McEnroe is a legendary former tennis player and occasional actor. This West Germany native also loves to play in the art market, and he never shies away from turning a hefty profit—even if he does so with an artwork inspired by the infamous serial killer Charles Manson.

In 2007, McEnroe bought Mark Bradford’s Manson-inspired “Helter Skelter I” for an undisclosed amount, only to sell it for an astounding $10.5 million at a 2018 Phillips auction in London. The painting is 34-foot-wide and makes for an expressionist masterpiece in the line of Jackson Pollock.

Beyoncé & Jay Z – “Mecca” by Jean-Michel Basquiat ($4.2 Million)

Beyoncé and Jay-Z: can you think of a more classy celebrity couple? In 2022, the two musicians made the shortlist for Best Original Song at the Oscars, proving once again that they’re still sitting at the top of the world! With a reported combined net worth of $1.9 billion, this American power couple gets to have a collection of everything expensive, from million-dollar vehicles to massive mansions. And high-end art, of course, is no exception.

In 2013, Jay-Z visited a Sotheby’s auction and splashed $4.2 million to buy “Mecca,” a famous painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat showcasing the New York City landscape with the word ‘Empire’ on top.

Leonardo DiCaprio – “Double Gray Scramble” by Frank Stella ($1 Million)

One of the stars of the 2022 drama “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the renowned American actor Leonardo DiCaprio seems to have a genuine love for art. He visits art auctions regularly and, unlike other celebs, he seldom goes for the most expensive piece. Instead, he’s carefully selected an eclectic collection of works by artists as distinctive as cartoonist Robert Crumb, abstract painter Oscar Murillo, or modern-day artist Jean-Pierre Roy.

DiCaprio’s art acquisitions often top the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Frank Stella’s 1973 geometric masterpiece “Double Gray Scramble” is one of the few that cost him a reported $1 million.

Ed Sheeran – “Dab 2” by Ed Sheeran ($52K)

In 2022, the chart-topping singer Ed Sheeran announced the release of “The Joker and The Queen,” a song featuring American country-music favorite Taylor Swift. Known for his modest and laidback attitude, Sheeran is arguably one of the world’s most likable millionaires. And while he’s not particularly known for spending millions on art, he’s highly involved with the high-end art world.

For one, he was once painted by the legendary English artist David Hockney! In addition, he became an artist himself in 2020, when he sold his Jackson Pollock-inspired painting “Dab 2” for an impressive $52K at a charity auction.

Pharrell Williams – “The Simple Things” by Pharrell Williams & Takashi Murakami ($2.6 Million)

There’s no stopping Pharrell Williams: the renowned music producer joined forces with Justin Timberlake in 2022 to invest in a $620-million online security company, all while designing a line of diamond sunglasses for Tiffany! Needless to say, Williams can do it all, including collaborating with his favorite artist in the world…

That’s right: an avid collector of the artworks of the vibrant Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, Williams was given the chance to work with the man himself to create the 2019 sculpture “The Simple Things.” According to The Value, the wonky sculpture was estimated to be worth a minimum of $2.6 million.

Tom Ford – “Self Portrait” by Andy Warhol ($32.6 Million)

David Beckham & Victoria Beckham – “Daddy’s Girl” by Damien Hirst ($813K)

In 2022, David Beckham surprised the world when he revealed that his wife Victoria has eaten the same meal for 25 years! Luckily, the portfolio of assets of the Beckhams (worth a combined $1 billion) is more diversified than Victoria’s eating habits, and it even includes an $813K artwork by Damien Hirst.

In 2014, the Beckhams attended an art auction and fell in love with Hirst’s “Daddy’s Girl” piece, comprised of a single pink heart covered with a few colorful butterflies. An avid art collector himself, Hirst is reported to be the richest living artist in the United Kingdom.

Neil Patrick Harris – Gideon Rubin Painting ($28K)

Starring in the 2022 comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” actor Neil Patrick Harris is said to be an avid art collector. Harris and his partner David Burtka own artworks by people as renowned as Ahmed Alsoudani, Ed Ruscha, or Kehinde Wiley. But their favorite artist has got to be the contemporary Israeli painter Gideon Rubin.

How much do they like Rubin, you wonder? Well, for one, they named their son after him! Needless to say, they have at least one Rubin painting back home. While the name and price of the artwork were never disclosed, Rubin’s best pieces sell for approximately $28K each.

Sofia Coppola – “Cold Beer Beautiful Girls” by Ed Ruscha ($60K)

Renowned filmmaker and director of the 2021 short “New York City Ballet,” Sofia Coppola considers herself an artist first and foremost. She also loves collecting art, though she has a different reason for it than some of her peers. Coppola doesn’t buy art as an investment but because she loves incorporating her finds into her movie sets.

She talked about her relationship with art with Artspace in 2016 and mentioned Tina Barney, Richard Prince, and Ed Ruscha as go-to sources of inspiration. For instance, in her office, Copolla proudly displays a print of Ruscha’s “Cold Beer Beautiful Girls.” The original is estimated to be worth approximately $60K.

Lady Gaga – Michael Jackson’s “Bad” Jacket ($240K)

In 2022, the American singer/actress Lady Gaga announced the return of her ‘Jazz & Piano’ Las Vegas residence. Reported to be a fan of artists such as Francesco Vezzoli and Leigh Bowery, the “Bad Romance” singer likes to spend her money on more than just high-end artworks. After all, she once bought a diamond-encrusted iPad and a $50K ghost detector machine!

But guess what? As a bonafide fan of the late Michael Jackson, Gaga invested several hundred thousand dollars in a $5-million collector’s auction dedicated to the King of Pop. She reportedly bought Jackson’s iconic jacket from the “Bad” album tour for a whopping $240K.

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie – “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” by Winston Churchill ($11.5 Million)

Featured in a 2022 episode of the TV series “Dish Nation,” Angelina Jolie was once the owner of a painting that’s as rare as it is historical. “The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” was painted by none other than the iconic British politician Winston Churchill and gifted to the former American President Franklin Roosevelt on the occasion of an official 1943 visit to Morocco.

The precious painting was later bought by Brad Pitt and given to Jolie as a present. Considering that Pitt and Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, it’s no surprise that the “Maleficent” star decided to sell the artwork for a reported $11.5 million in 2021.