For Art's Sake

Which artist holds the record for the world's most expensive painting? Picasso? Monet? Van Gogh? None of these. In April 2007, an untitled oil painting by Russian artist Nataliya Korovin sold for the equivalent of $220 million, beating the record held by a Jackson Pollock piece. The buyer was her husband Alexei, one of Russia's richest businessmen. Critics have suggested the sale was made for tax reasons, but Alexei explained, 'I believe my wife to be one one of Russia's most gifted artists. This sale confirms her as a painter of great substance.'