Originally posted by FabianFnas If I have these kind of money, and know that I can sell it for even more not far in the future, then it would be a good investment.
Yes, you are correct. There are a number of people willing to pay this kind of money.
But how much of this is based on true value of this work of art? If this item was just something that had been found in someone's attic (perhaps it was someone's long-forgotten college art project), how much money would anyone spend on it?
Originally posted by Melanerpes Yes, you are correct. There are a number of people willing to pay this kind of money.
But how much of this is based on true value of this work of art? If this item was just something that had been found in someone's attic (perhaps it was someone's long-forgotten college art project), how much money would anyone spend on it?
True value = What the biggest sucker will pay for it
To answer your question, if I could not re-sell it or rent it out to a museum or something, I would not take that eyesore if it were free.
It's not a bad sculpture and it is by a very important 20th century artist called Giacometti.
This is prestige thing - a display of raw buying power. I don't agree with spending that kind of money on something that does not help people or actively advance civilization. Someone had enough money to spare for this and surely considers it a good investment, but it seems impossible to me that anyone would pay nearly this much for this work again.
If I had to guess I would say that a rich Saudi or oil magnate purchased this work.
Just think what someone - or some organization - would pay if really famous artworks went on the block - the ones museums will never let go of and that are considered national treasures. One by Michaelangelo or Vermeer for example. Now you are talking more than a couple hundred million easy. The David or the Mona Lisa might get close to a billion, maybe even top that.
Is the scuplture good art? Does it enhance our civilasation in any way?
Is Monalisa (La Gioconda), by Leonardo da Vinci, good art? Does that painting enhance our civilasation in any way?
Is a drawing by anyone's 4-years old daughter good art? Does it enhance our civilasation in any way?
To answer these kind of questions, we have to define: What is good art? Does it really have to enhance our civilasation in any way?
the funny thing is when I first saw a picture of it in the paper, I thought it was supposed to be an artistic representation of Obama. I was thinking some dignitary visiting the White House had offered this as a gesture of good will, with Obama promising to put it in the Oval Office (at least until said dignitary and all the reporters left the room.)
would you spend $104 million on this?
08 Feb '10 14:57
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