The article, called "At Zurich Museum, a Theft of 4 Masterworks," describes how thieves with guns came into a German museum near closing time on Sunday, February 9and stole 4 Impressionist paintings: a Degas, a VanGogh, a Cezanne, and a Monet. All together the paintings are worth $163 million dollars (Holy Cow)! The Wednesday before that, two Picassos were stolen (in a nearby town also in Germany) worth a combined $4.4 million.
Shortly after that, a missing Basquiat (an American graffiti/post-modern/neo-expressionist painter and late contemporary of Warhol) was found in a Manhattan warehouse. That painting, last seen in Brazil is estimated at $8 million dollars.
The biggest heist in America, though, happened in Boston in 1990 at the Isabella Sarah Gardner Museum in Boston. Included in the stolen paintings were a Vermeer and a Rembrandt. The total cost was estimated at $300 million dollars (that's a lot of iPods)!
Finally, at the beginning of the year, two stolen Mickey Mouse paintings (from the movie Fantasia) were recovered in Florida. These two watercolors are worth $140,000 dollars.
So, what makes art valuable? What makes some art expensive (and the target of thieves), while other art is ignored? What do you consider to be art? Who are some of your favorite artists? How much would you be willing to pay for a painting? Share your thoughts on art and value.
Degas
VanGogh
Cezanne
Monet
4 comments:
Oops I just found out I put my comment in wrong week, I put it on last week topic that is Chinese new year’s celebration. So, I had to do it again. I do remember that day we went to art building, over there I saw the artwork, which made by eggshells, In fact the eggshells is not usual eggshells, they are organic eggshells.
What makes art valuable? I think, the people who want to collect artworks are the reason for valuable arts. Because if there is no one buys no artworks from who wants to sell or steal for money. If no one using money to collect artworks, the arts wouldn’t be too valuable. The people collecting arts are rich people. Only rich people are affordable to valuable art. Common people are usually worried about livelihood and have no money for arts. My favorite kind of art is graffiti.
Actually Kuan, you can respond to any post you want. I do appreciate your comments on art, however. I also like graffiti. I have seen works by a graffiti artist named Banksy; I think he is very brave to do what he does. He pokes fun at political figures and does so in dangerous places. I wish I was a graffiti artist, but spray paint fumes make me dizzy.
I still remember the picture. The womb have many totems inside. And the picture is called remind. On the same wall, another picture is seven daughter of eve. There are seven pairs of breasts which connect together. Eve is the original woman who created by god. the other one on the same wall is the bird's heart. Also, the three pictures all have totem. I am not sure what the totem from. But the pictures have bright color and strong stripe.
I also remember the special cards from A to Z. The maker used many sentences and those sentences on each cards all have the price. I can't understand what the maker want to show the price, but I guest the price has a important key for those cards. Those cards made me dream something very interesting.
I enjoyed my own imaginational time.
The totem images appeared to be inspired by Alaskan and Pacific Northwest Indian art. On the west coast of what is today Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and on up into Alaska, examples of Native American art are similar to the art pieces you mentioned, Chris. They have many faces and forms placed within other shapes (like the heart). Even the mascot on the side of the Seattle Seahawks' football helmet is inspired by Native American style.
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