Recognize This Man? The Art World Doesn't

The New York Times ^ | May 6, 2006 | Carol Vogel

[Republicanprofessor]

...This unidentified bidder at Sotheby's auction in New York on Wednesday bid $95.2 million for a Picasso and $2.5 million for a Chagall. Yesterday that man's face was being sent by e-mail around the world, as art dealers and collectors frenziedly speculated on his identity. He ended up spending $102.7 million, for a 1941 Picasso portrait, "Dora Maar With Cat." ...an 1883 Monet seascape for $5 million...a Chagall, a 1978 biblical scene, for which the man paid $2.5 million

But who was he? Sotheby's has refused to say. It is unclear whether he was acting for a client or buying for himself.

[cvq3842]

BEST LAUGH OF THE DAY!!!

[Republicanprofessor]

We already went through the "this art is cr%p" bit on this earlier thread. I'm not going to repeat my posts again. (Essentially, this is a very nice work of synthetic cubism, but no artwork is worth $95 million).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1626453/posts

But I do want to add that I'm getting really sick of the dogs playing poker on almost every challenging art thread I post. Don't the dogs do anything else?

[Niteranger68]

Or the dogs playing poker... that's my fav!

Oh yea. One of those "ladies I'm available" pieces of art.

[new cruelty]

Hmmmmmm. A signed and numbered Tippy the Turtle sketch... I bid eleventy kajillion bazillion dollars.

[itsamelman]

But I do want to add that I'm getting really sick of the dogs playing poker on almost every challenging art thread I post. Don't the dogs do anything else?

[RightWhale]

no artwork is worth $95 million

This one is, but it doesn't do either the artist or art a bit of good. It's just another commercial item and the purchaser is an investor, not an art patron.

[derllak]

That's my dad! (I wish!) :)

[Dark Skies]

I lightened this buyers photo on photoshop...thought the guy looked Russian (but who knows).

As to overpaying for the painting, he wasn't bidding against himself so there was at least one other party who also thought this painting's value was near the final price.

It is also possible that his appearance as a novice might have discouraged some bidders (much to his advantage).

In his photo, he doesn't look drunk or insane...I would guess there was method to his appearance of madness.

[massgopguy]

You need the big rubber "SOLD" stamp in red ink on it.

[jdm]

"We are going to make a killing on this painting."

[kenth]

[blu]

LOL! When he left home, our youngest took the framed dogs/poker picture (that had hung in his room as a joke) with him and hung it on his garage wall. It is supposed to be passed on to all younger sons! We habitually make instant "family heirlooms" of the tackiest dang things. And then we "gift" each other with them at inappropriate occasions.

Now, isn't there a pic like this but with cats? Don't bother posting it, I hate cats and would probably have to photoshop it and further disrupt this serious art thread.

[kenth]

heh...

[smith288]

MISSING: Sergi Girstolov, seen above, was last seen at an auction in New York City. Girstolov often plays table tennis (and carries his paddle everywhere) and suffers from Touretts syndrome.

[jdm]

LOL! Yeah, that's the better comparison photo...BY FAR!!!

[itsamelman]

Man, your family needs to come to my house on Xmas Eve. You should see the crap we stick each other with. I start scouring the thriftshops in August or make a Tijuana run for "just the right gift." You have to hang on to it for a whole year before you can finally unload it. We have this really tacky pope head that has been passed around and that has traveled the world being photographed in various locations.

[Aquinasfan]

$95.2 million --it's still a piece of crap.

But then, modern "art" is all about speculation, isn't it?

[nuconvert]

I don't think he's from around here and I don't think English is his native language.

[pgyanke]

It's Paul Simon!

[TradicalRC]

I'm getting really sick of the dogs playing poker on almost every challenging art thread I post. Don't the dogs do anything else?

Yeah, but I think "Dogs Sniffing Each Other"s Kiesters" was banned for being "Too Controversial".