No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)

No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) is a 1951 painting by the Latvian-American expressionist artist Mark Rothko. It was painted in 1951. In common with Rothko's other works from this period, No. 6 consists of large expanses of colour delineated by uneven, hazy shades. In 2014, it became one of the most expensive paintings sold at auction.

2014 sale

No.6 (Violet, Green and Red) is one of the works implicated in the infamous Bouvier Affair. It was privately bought for €140 million by Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2014. Rybolovlev is thought to have bought the painting via the Swiss dealer, Bouvier. Rybolovlev learnt that Bouvier had actually bought the painting (rather than simply acting as a dealer) from Paiker H.B. for ~€80,000,000 before selling it on to Rybolovlev for €140,000,000.

2024 sale

Ken Griffin was reported to have purchased the painting in 2024.

See also

• List of most expensive paintings

Notes

Sources

• Baal-Teshuva, Jacob. Rothko. Berlin: Taschen, 2003. ISBN 3-8228-1820-8
• Mark Rothko; David Anfam (1998). Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas : Catalogue Raisonné. Yale University Press. pp. 452–. ISBN 978-0-300-07489-5.