$75 million painting "No. 1 (Royal Red & Blue)."

[ZenOps]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-14/pollock-painting-fetches-record-40-4-million-a-sotheby-s.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324556304578117980311354680.html

"Sotheby's sold a Mark Rothko abstract for $75 million on Tuesday in a contemporary-art auction whose total—$375 million—surpassed any in its company history. Fittingly, the Rothko painting is titled, "No. 1 (Royal Red & Blue)."

The sale of the 1954 Rothko—with its floating red, pink and blue rectangles"

I knew it, I should have invested in rectangles ten years ago. Apple sued and got a billion dollar patent on it.

[Seth1968]

I love this reader comment:


Yeah, Rothko leaves us so much to consider.

What did he mean by leaving that little gap between the mauve and blue stripes? Did his paint roller simply not funtion that morning or was it something more symboilic? I reckon it was intended to represent the narrow divide between human angst and the hostility we face all around us.

[BigMass]

Always amuses me how people insult collectors when discussing investments, saying they should be buying stocks etc, yet high end paintings, art and other collectibles are far more of a sure thing and outperform the major indexes on a regular basis.

BTW If any of you want a good laugh about the modern art movement, watch the movie "Untitled"

[Kritafo]

I just want to know who bought it...Probably the Gallery of Canada. It will fit in nicely with the other over price roller brush paintings like "the voice of fire"

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/01/21/are-we-over-this-yet/

[BigMass]

Originally posted by Kritafo
I just want to know who bought it...Probably the Gallery of Canada. It will fit in nicely with the other over price roller brush painting like "the voice of fire"

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/01/21/are-we-over-this-yet/

Don’t know about the Rothko, but in 15-20 years that Pollock will sell for over $100 million. That's why we're laughing as the rich get richer. Instead of wasting time in the stock market, i'd rather buy that Pollock, have it tour galleries for 20 years, collect thousands in fees, then sell it for double what i paid for it.

[Kritafo]

I would be interested in knowing how much money the Barnett Newman is worth now. The problem being the National Gallery will probably never sell it...

Barnett Newmans' widow said many years ago "The Voice of Fire" was sold for half of it's worth she wanted to make sure it stayed public and not held privately.


I do know a Calgary couple that has for many years collected art instead of investing in stocks or anything like that. ... they are getting close to retirement I am anxious to see how they do.