The Scream Fetches $120 Million
Edvard Munch's The Scream set a new record at auction yesterday, bringing a winning bid of $119.9 million at Sotheby's in New York. The winning bidder has not been identified and did all of his/her bidding over the phone. By my calculation (based on Sotheby's published auction rates) the sale paid a commission of nearly $14,500,000, bringing to total paid for the painting close to $135 million.
That's a ton of dough for a piece of art. The previous record holder was a Picasso which sold for $106.5 million in 2010. I'm not a big art guy, so I can't say whether it's a good investment or not. But in my experience, everyone knows what they like and owning The Scream (the only one of four copies still in private hands) would be pretty effin cool.
Plus the piece is somewhat emblematic of our times. If you look closely at it, you'll see that the subject of the painting is a recent college graduate, and the shadowy figures in the background are clearly student loan collections agents.
Never ones to let anything to do with big money slide, Occupy Wall Street stationed themselves outside the auction house to protest the sale (naturally). What a bunch of douchebags.
Outside of Sotheby’s, there was excitement of a different kind, as demonstrators protesting the company’s longtime lockout of art handlers waved placards with the image of “The Scream” along with the motto, “Sotheby’s: Bad for Art.” Many in the group — a mix of union members and Occupy Wall Street protesters — even screamed themselves when the Munch went on the block. (Munch’s work was an apt focus for the group, said one protester, Yates McKee: “It exemplifies the ways in which objects of artistic creativity become the exclusive province of the 1 percent.”)
Whatever, dude.
Any way you slice it, this is an ass-ton of money for a painting and I hope the new owner is happy with it. It makes better sense to me than some of the ridiculous figures I see thrown around for Jackson Pollocks and other really abstract pieces that just look like the product of a paint-flinging acid trip (relax, Pollock fans - I realize that's my own artistic ignorance showing but let's face it: Jackson Pollock was no Robert Wyland.)
What say you, monkeys? Is $135 million a good deal for this piece? I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more iconic piece of art outside the Mona Lisa. So maybe it is a good deal. More to the point: how nice would it be to have $135 million to drop on a piece of art?







Comments
it is demoralizing when the
it is demoralizing when the rounding error on such a purchase is multiples of your entire net worth.
Yeah, break down that
Yeah, break down that commission amount. The sale took a total of 12 minutes start to finish. That pencils out to $1.21 million a minute or $73 million an hour. Good work if you can find it.
Incredible to think about
Incredible to think about parting ways with 135 million for something that you can hang on a wall in one of your homes or private collections (wherever those are held). Whats the motivation? Just because you can? Investment? Both? Obviously, I understand there are a myriad of reasons to buy something like that but especially in an auction setting I can't imagine that it's primarily an investment (granted, Munch isn't making any more iconic pieces).
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I'm going to start painting
I'm going to start painting
Addinator37: Incredible to
Incredible to think about parting ways with 135 million for something that you can hang on a wall in one of your homes or private collections (wherever those are held). Whats the motivation? Just because you can? Investment? Both? Obviously, I understand there are a myriad of reasons to buy something like that but especially in an auction setting I can't imagine that it's primarily an investment (granted, Munch isn't making any more iconic pieces).
It's most definitely both an investment and a display of status. I recently went to see Ronald Lauder's German expressionist collection in NYC and he has in his collection a Gustav Klimt that he bought for $135 million. If I was a billionaire, I would buy a painting of that quality too. When you have more money than you know what to do with, and you happen to appreciate art, it's a no brainer.
Plus, if you're an up and coming Asian billionaire, buying a piece of this magnitude is a huge statement.
Hahah, love the Robert
Hahah, love the Robert Wyland. Right up there with Lisa Frank.
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Anacott_CEO: I'm going to
I'm going to start painting
Won't be worth jack until 100 years after you die...
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God I hope it was Cohen so
God I hope it was Cohen so that the occupiers have something else to bitch about
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uhmmm.....hate to break this
uhmmm.....hate to break this to you but it looks like the buyer was ripped off:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Scream-Posters_i...
Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
sayandarula: uhmmm.....hate
uhmmm.....hate to break this to you but it looks like the buyer was ripped off:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Scream-Posters_i2687914_.htm
Ha! +1
Contemporary art is nothing
Contemporary art is nothing more than dripping colorful shit on a canvas and randomly swirling it around with a stick. It is literally the most pretentious thing to call it beautiful or meaningful or whatever old rich fucks say these days. it's fucking ugly is what it is. Jackson Pollock is the perfect example. I can paint better with my left foot.
This painting isn't exactly contemporary (so not entirely shit), but 135MM?? GTFO.
-MBP
Mona Lisa transaction comp???
Mona Lisa transaction comp???
There is no better
There is no better product/investment where "greater fool theory" applies to than artwork...
www.vice.com/read/i-dont-get-
www.vice.com/read/i-dont-get-art
Possibly NSFW for one picture
manbearpig: Contemporary art
Contemporary art is nothing more than dripping colorful shit on a canvas and randomly swirling it around with a stick. It is literally the most pretentious thing to call it beautiful or meaningful or whatever old rich fucks say these days. it's fucking ugly is what it is. Jackson Pollock is the perfect example. I can paint better with my left foot.
This painting isn't exactly contemporary (so not entirely shit), but 135MM?? GTFO.
Look up Gerhard Richter and tell me if you still think that way. If so, you can't appreciate art
Whgm45: manbearpig: Contemp
-MBP
That's it?
"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan
onebuck: There is no better
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What is art? Who cares, do
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
Not that it's a big deal, but
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan
I'm going to start painting -
in 100 years, perhaps the
id imagine the butt munch
GBS
GoldmanBallSachs: id imagine
-MBP
what a waste of money. If you
+1 for the Wyland reference.
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Ryan M: what a waste of
Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
Gordon Gekko said it best
Whgm45: manbearpig: Contemp
If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough.
"There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
but Munch is clearly a genius
OH MY FUCK. apparently "the
Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
From my perspective, The
Howard Schwartz
See my WSO blog
http://www.vanityfair.com/cul
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan
cphbravo96: http://www.vanity
Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
hdavid57: From my
-MBP
sayandarula: cphbravo96: ht
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan
manbearpig: He probably just
YOU JUST GOT TROLLED
http://www.troll.me/images/red-foreman322/dont-you...
MBP makes an interesting
Howard Schwartz
See my WSO blog