Alo Valge’s solo exhibition “9-Figures” in PoCo art museum brings together portraits of artists whose works have sold for more than 100 million dollars. This means their creations have reached a rare and exclusive pinnacle in art history.

The exhibition title refers to the sum at which a work’s selling price reaches a nine-digit figure. This number does not signify financial success alone – it represents the power of an artwork to transcend the boundaries of time, culture, and the market.

These artists – whether modernists, impressionists, or avant-gardists – have changed the face of world art. Their works are not merely aesthetic objects but symbols that have managed to surpass the limits of their era, style, and market value. Although these portraits remind us that art and money are often contrasted in the world, money in art is not only a price – it is also a sign of value, meaning, and desire. When a piece is sold for hundreds of millions, one does not purchase only canvas and paint, but a belief in its influence, historical weight, and emotional power. For value lies not only in what is on the canvas – but also in what it awakens within us.

These artists did not create their works with the thought that they might end up at an auction house and become part of yet another mega-record. And yet, the market has been part of what helps cement their position in art history. It is not just big money, but art for which people are willing to pay a fortune.

But why?

Did they paint better than others? Or were they simply in the right place at the right time? Or is there something else – something that cannot be measured in dollars alone?