This is The Scream, one of the most famous paintings ever painted. It's going up for auction this week in New York City, starting around $150 million.
I apologize for the poor quality, but I had to take this picture very much on the DL. Photography was a no-no at this preview.
There are a few things I found noteworthy at this event, which took place at Sotheby's auction house. One is the sheer power you sense from standing next to something worth so much money - simply because other humans have deemed it so valuable. I'm not complaining about that; I'm a huge fan of this work. But it is kind of weird that this one painting - one of four, I learned, that are all very similar but not identical - is worth ten times more than the nicest house I have ever even laid eyes on, let alone stepped inside. White people problems.
But I digress. No, what really struck me was that the officials at this venue had no idea what their photography policy was. You see, there were hundreds of other works of art on display that were going up for auction. Picassos, Kandinskys, Magrittes, Warhols - the finest, most expensive works of art in the world. And I noticed a three-year-old girl taking pictures of them with a digital camera.
Naturally, I pulled out my iPhone and started taking pictures as well. Here's what I captured before I started getting yelled at:
Upon being informed by a lunk-headed security guard that I wasn't allowed to take pictures, I protested, telling of the little girl. I was informed that I needed to get "clearance" to take pictures, and was guided towards the desk in the lobby, and the brainy looking girl who sat behind it. "I'd like to get cleared to take pictures," I told her. A flustered look came over her face. "Which painting?" she asked me nervously. "Well, obviously not The Scream," I said. "But everything else."
Thus began a mad scramble to find out what Sotheby's official policy was on letting people take pictures of the art. She had to call another guy over, then they called somebody on the phone, who transferred them to someone else, who ultimately deemed that I was not allowed to take pictures unless I had a press credential.
"What about the little girl?" I asked.
"We're sorry about the little girl," the little girl said. "That was a mistake. If you see her taking more pictures, please tell us."
So at the most high-profile art auction in the world, they don't even know what their photography policy is. I should have Thomas Crowned their asses.
I apologize for the poor quality, but I had to take this picture very much on the DL. Photography was a no-no at this preview.
There are a few things I found noteworthy at this event, which took place at Sotheby's auction house. One is the sheer power you sense from standing next to something worth so much money - simply because other humans have deemed it so valuable. I'm not complaining about that; I'm a huge fan of this work. But it is kind of weird that this one painting - one of four, I learned, that are all very similar but not identical - is worth ten times more than the nicest house I have ever even laid eyes on, let alone stepped inside. White people problems.
But I digress. No, what really struck me was that the officials at this venue had no idea what their photography policy was. You see, there were hundreds of other works of art on display that were going up for auction. Picassos, Kandinskys, Magrittes, Warhols - the finest, most expensive works of art in the world. And I noticed a three-year-old girl taking pictures of them with a digital camera.
Naturally, I pulled out my iPhone and started taking pictures as well. Here's what I captured before I started getting yelled at:
Upon being informed by a lunk-headed security guard that I wasn't allowed to take pictures, I protested, telling of the little girl. I was informed that I needed to get "clearance" to take pictures, and was guided towards the desk in the lobby, and the brainy looking girl who sat behind it. "I'd like to get cleared to take pictures," I told her. A flustered look came over her face. "Which painting?" she asked me nervously. "Well, obviously not The Scream," I said. "But everything else."
Thus began a mad scramble to find out what Sotheby's official policy was on letting people take pictures of the art. She had to call another guy over, then they called somebody on the phone, who transferred them to someone else, who ultimately deemed that I was not allowed to take pictures unless I had a press credential.
"What about the little girl?" I asked.
"We're sorry about the little girl," the little girl said. "That was a mistake. If you see her taking more pictures, please tell us."
So at the most high-profile art auction in the world, they don't even know what their photography policy is. I should have Thomas Crowned their asses.
Wow...you threw a little girl under the bus. Nice work.
ReplyDelete