Rumor Has It

Rumor has it (no, its not the Adele song), that the most expensive painting ever sold was a Jackson Pollock. Said to have gone at auction in November 2006 for the paltry sum of 143.5 million (dollars). There is actually a film called "Who the #^&* is Jackson Pollock?" Not a big hit at the box office. Me and and 2 other people watched it, I think. LOL. Anyways, for those of you who are Pollock fans, this pricy painting was his 1948 one titled No.5. I guess you could call Pollock's work abstract. Though I usually think of cubism and surrealism as more of the abstract arts. Pollock's paint splashes are in a category of their own. Maybe some day I'll be daring, put on a big art shirt, and give his technique a whirl. Looks like fun.

The real (verfied) # 1 most expensive painting on the list is no surprise to me. And this time it is Adele. Sorta. The 1907 iconic work of Gustav Klimt, the Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer sold for 135 million (dollars... tee hee). I'd be happy if I could sell a painting for 135 million pennies. I must admit that Klimt is only a recently discovered favorite of mine. This particular painting of Auntie Adele has an intriguing provenance. And, by the way, Paul Cezanne's The Card Players was sold in February 2012 for 250 million in the private market. Buyer unknown. Imagine having that hanging over the lavabo in your foyer.

More recently, about a week or so ago, the very famous 1895 pastel by Edvard Munch, The Scream, went for 119.9 million. We also had a recent loss in the Art World. Robert Kinkade passed away at the age of 54. I wasn't aware that I really knew who he was. I have seen his paintings around and as I usually do, I study them and go to the left or right hand corners to see who signed them. You have to understand that I would have loved to have his talent but he just wasn't a fav painter of mine. I later learned that he made millions with his commercial art business while simultaneously being criticized by the conservative art world. Just reinforces how diversity keeps so many things vibrant and alive.