General Canvas painted blue with a white line sells for nearly $44 million (picture)

[tom_mai78101]

“Onement VI” from abstract expressionist painter Barnett Newman sold on Tuesday at a Sotheby’s auction for 43.8 million dollars.

Below you can see a couple of people experiencing how — as Sotheby’s describes it —

Newman overwhelms and seduces the viewer with the totality of its sensual, cascading washes of vibrant blue coexisting with Newman’s vertical “Sign” of the human presence, his iconic and revolutionary “zip.”​

​

Record Auction Price for Barnett Newman, $43.8 Million, Is Set at Sotheby’s (Published 2013)

The sale, the first of three consecutive evening auctions of contemporary art in Manhattan, totaled $293.6 million.

www.nytimes.com

 

[KMilz]

If anyone else painted the exact same thing, they'd be laughed at. Fine art is WAAAYYY over my head.

 

[Accname]

Its not he picture that is this expensive. It is the artist. Nobody would really wanna have a picture like that for this price. They want to have a work of a certain artist, especially one for which they have proof that it actually is the original.

 

[KMilz]

Its not he picture that is this expensive. It is the artist. Nobody would really wanna have a picture like that for this price. They want to have a work of a certain artist, especially one for which they have proof that it actually is the original.

That's still over my head. Why would they want the work of a famous artist if it's trash, even if he is famous? How'd he get famous in the first place if he was producing garbage like this? I get that you'd want it for the money, but why would you spend the money on it?

 

[Accname]

You have to realize that these people already have alot of money. But money is worth nothing (its material that is).
When there is another economical crisis and the value of money drops further and further it will be art, land property, and luxury goods which count.
Just imagine what would happen if another crisis comes and the USA and europe go down really badly. Suddenly, there will be numerous asian and african millionaires who want to show off their wealth to prove their superiority. And to do this, they will buy pieces of art like this one. Just as a symbol of wealth.
And then the western millionaires will still be rich, even without their money, because they can trade their art, cars, and mansions for high prices.

 

[camelCase]

My friend still stands by Barnett Newman despite all this.

 

[KMilz]

For the prestige, then. I guess I could understand that if I were stupidly rich.

 

[FireCat]

Hmm

 

[vypur85]

Why the heck did I put so much to draw something when I could just draw a bloody line and sell it for millions.

Be happy if someone buys my drawing for 100 bucks.

 

[thewrongvine]

Ah, true art. I hope someday I can produce something as beautifully painted as that. But it's gonna take a lot of time and dedication to get that zip straight.

 

[Wummi]

No comment.

 

[Zakyath]

expressionism is highly overrated - in any art form.

 

[Varine]

I should have been an artist....

 

[Accname]

I should have been an artist....

I actually agree.