Friday, May 05, 2006

Picasso's art ranks most expensive in auction history...


...as a portrait of his mistress Dora Maar is sold for $95.2 million in Sotheby's on May 3rd. The painting "Dora Maar au chat" becomes the second highest price ever paid for a work of art at auction, after "Boy With a Pipe (The Young Apprentice),"which is also a 1905 painting from Picasso, created in his Rose Period, which brought $104.1 million at Sotheby's. Apparently the bidder was not familiar to the Sotheby's executives and was sat on the far back of the auctioning room. Viewers said that he was holding his 1340 numbered plate and bidded in an unusual style. The bidder remains to be unknown, an added element to characterize Sotheby's auction trully spectacular. It appears that the art market has bounced back fiercely...

4 comments:

Chris said...

buying art as an investment is a little bit sad, don't you think? and the price of originals has become ridiculous. I think we need more good artists to raise the competition and make art affordable again. I know, I am hallucinating.. :)

In "cheap-art" charity happenings you can find some great bargains though - the only problem is you don't usually know who's the artist before you buy. Not that I could afford it anyway..

Wizard said...

it is quite an oxymoron to buy art as an investment! However, that's how it has always been... All artists become valuable apres death, because their work cannot be repeated, i.e. these are unique pieces!

I just doubt that this guy paid 100 mill dollars because he enjoys to view Madame Dora Maar in his living room!

Chris said...

Actually I've hung Dora in my bedroom :P

(still hallucinating..)

Anonymous said...

The art world prices are not based on traditional economics. More competition does not imply established artists need to lower their prices. Artwork becomes expensive simply when a certain select few (rich) decide to endorse it. General public acceptance comes later...

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