6. Jackson Pollock – Painting No.5
Pollock’s famous drip-and-pour painting was sold for a then record £73 million, in 2006, according to The New York Times. Reports said US media magnate David Geffen sold the 4ft by 8ft work to Mexican financier David Martinez. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety, a major artist of his generation. He was regarded as reclusive, and had a volatile personality. The artist struggled with alcoholism for most of his life. In 1945, he married fellow artist Lee Krasner, who became an important influence on his career and on his legacy. Pollock died at the age of 44 in an alcohol-related single-car accident when he was at the wheel.