Here is an anecdote for you on the topic: “For the fifth time Malevich’s Black Square is abducted from the museum! And for the fifth time the watchman Uncle Vasya manages to restore the picture by morning."
But the ten paintings below are vivid examples of how you can help out fabulous money for any outright daub (drawn by a five-year-old child or bought at a flea market, for example), having come up with a loud name for it, composing an incredible story of creation and exhibiting it on one of the most famous world auctions:
1. "Space Concept, Waiting" by Lucio Fontana - $ 1.5 million
"Concept of space, waiting" by artist Lucio Fontana was auctioned in London for one and a half million dollars. This work is a monochrome canvas with longitudinal slits. The million dollar question: will the value of this painting increase if you make a couple more holes in it?
2. "Blood Red Mirror" by Gerhard Richter - $ 1.1 million
Promotional video:
Mirror”was sold for 1.1 million. Realizing the value of the rest of Gerhard Richter's works, it is difficult to understand the value of this one. It's just red paint applied with a slight gradient to the mirror, right? Perhaps the collector who bought this piece just wanted to see himself in the mirror in a non-standard color.
3. Ellsworth Kelly's Green Blob - $ 1.6 million
This painting sold for $ 1.6 million. As far as we know, for most of Ellsworth Kelly's works, especially large sums cannot be bailed out, but this canvas is an exception. Yes, despite the fact that this is just a canvas with a deformed circle in the middle, there was a connoisseur and paid for it as much as a small Thai island costs.
4. "Untitled" (1961) by Mark Rothko - $ 28 million
This work by Mark Rothko sold at auction for more than $ 28 million. “Awful” will probably be an exaggeration, but “boring” is probably the most accurate description of this picture. What would you say if your child, after a year at an art school, brought such a masterpiece home? Well, for example: a) they were proud and would hang on the wall or c) they would say: "Very good … but next time try to draw something more recognizable."
5. "Untitled" Blinky Palermo - $ 1.7 million
This work sold at auction for $ 1.7 million. "Untitled", like the rest of Palermo's works, is a combination of multi-colored stripes. One of the art critics described this work of art as follows: “Palermo canvases give the viewer little, if anything, only small changes in tone are visible, there are no pictorial strokes. Instead, they show the viewer a clean, undiluted color. " Bravo! It's just amazing that someone could describe such a poor job and even find positive aspects in it!
6. "Painting (Dog)" by Joan Miro - $ 2.2 million
This work by Joan Miró was auctioned for $ 2.2 million. Among Miro's other fine works, this one seems to us an anomaly. It is difficult to understand why the collector bought this painting - maybe he just wanted to own part of the great master's legacy?
7. White Fire I, Barnett Newman - $ 3.8 million
Barnett Newman's White Fire I was acquired for $ 3.8 million. “The name“White Fire”is a mystical term that originates from the Torah. As such, he is definitely filled with a deep spiritual feeling that Newman tried to convey to the audience of his painting. Really? Are the two lines on a blank canvas directly related to the Torah?
8. Untitled Cy Twombly - $ 2.3 Million
This painting by Cy Twombly sold for $ 2.3 million at Christie's. This work was done with colored pencils on paper, that is, in about the same way, and with the same materials that are used in kindergarten to print the first letters. With a sidelong glance, it looks like a five-year-old is practicing writing the letter "e", isn't it?
9. Cowboy, Ellsworth Kelly - $ 1.7 million
Ellsworth's cowboy Kelly sold at auction for $ 1.7 million. Kelly studied painting at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Boston and Paris for over four years before developing his own style. He decided to create a style that consists mainly of blocks on canvas. A beginner might think that this is a bad choice: what is so special about polyhedra on paper? However, from an economic point of view, Kelly hit the nail on the head. And with the aesthetic? Hardly.
10. "Blue Fool" Christopher Wool - $ 5 million
And finally, the painting with the symbolic title "Blue Fool" is the most worthy conclusion of this article. It was sold at auction for more than $ 5 million. It's hard to resist the thought that Christopher, who specializes in writing words on canvas, had a good laugh when this painting was sold. Convincing someone to buy a painting with an eloquent blue 'Fool' lettering is just … bravo Christopher!
