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The most expensive Michelangelo ever sold

The most expensive Michelangelo ever sold is Study for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl: $27.2 million at Christie's New York in 2026. Famous works such as The Creation of Adam, The Last Judgment and Sistine Chapel ceiling are in public collections, so they are not for sale and have no price.

Lived
1475–1564
From
Italian
Movement
High Renaissance
Worked in
Florence · Rome
Portrait of Michelangelo
Michelangelo's record$27.2MStudy for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl · 2026

Michelangelo's famous works and their prices

  • The Creation of Adam by MichelangeloThe Creation of Adam1512 · Sistine Chapel, Vatican MuseumsNot for sale
  • The Last Judgment by MichelangeloThe Last Judgment1541 · Sistine Chapel, Vatican MuseumsNot for sale
  • Sistine Chapel ceiling by MichelangeloSistine Chapel ceiling1512 · Sistine Chapel, Vatican MuseumsNot for sale
  • Doni Tondo by MichelangeloDoni Tondo1507 · Uffizi Gallery, FlorenceNot for sale

“Not for sale” means a public collection holds the work. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

Michelangelo next to other artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research.

  1. Degas$41.6MPetite danseuse de quatorze ans · 2022
  2. Constable$35.2MThe Lock · 2012
  3. Pissarro$32.1MLe Boulevard Montmartre, matinée de printemps · 2014
  4. Vermeer$30.1MA Young Woman Seated at the Virginals · 2004
  5. Michelangelo$27.2MStudy for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl · 2026
  6. Sargent$23.5MGroup with Parasols · 2004
  7. Toulouse-Lautrec$22.4MLa Blanchisseuse · 2005
  8. Velázquez$17MSaint Rufina · 2007
  9. Goya$16.4MPortraits of Doña María Vicenta Barruso Valdés and Doña Leonora Antonia Valdés de Barruso · 2023

Bars are to scale within this list. Source for Michelangelo's record: cp24.com.

About Michelangelo

Italian sculptor, painter and architect of the High Renaissance, and one of the most influential artists in Western history. He carved the "David" and the "Pietà" and painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, including "The Creation of Adam", over four gruelling years. Regarded as a genius in his own lifetime, he worked across disciplines into his late eighties and died in 1564, having also designed the dome of St Peter's Basilica.

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Questions

What is the most expensive Michelangelo ever sold?

Study for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl, which sold for $27.2 million at Christie's New York in 2026. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

How much is a Michelangelo painting worth?

It depends on the work. The highest documented sale is $27.2 million for Study for the right foot of the Libyan Sibyl. Works in public collections are not for sale.

Where can I see Michelangelo's paintings?

Among the works here: the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums and the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

Who was Michelangelo?

Michelangelo (1475–1564). Italian sculptor, painter and architect of the High Renaissance, and one of the most influential artists in Western history. He carved the "David" and the "Pietà" and painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, including "The Creation of Adam", over four gruelling years. Regarded as a genius in his own lifetime, he worked across disciplines into his late eighties and died in 1564, having also designed the dome of St Peter's Basilica.

Other artists