Posted on 05/03/2006 11:52:04 AM PDT by Republicanprofessor
A painting by Vincent Van Gogh has sold at auction in New York for more than $40m (£22m). L'Arlesienne, Madame Ginoux commanded the fourth highest price on record for a work by the renowned Dutch artist.
The 1890 painting was one in a series of five created in homage to Van Gogh's friend, the artist Paul Gaugin.
Madame Marie Ginoux owned a cafe in Arles, France where both artists lived briefly. It was during this period that Van Gogh cut off his own ear.
The painting was created while the artist recovered at an asylum in Provence, France.
Artistic homage
Writing to Gauguin in 1890, Van Gogh said of his work: "It gives me enormous pleasure when you say the Arlesienne's portrait, which was based strictly on your drawing, is to your liking.
"I tried to be respectfully faithful to your drawing, while nevertheless taking the liberty of interpreting, through the medium of colour, the sober character and the style of the drawing in question.
"It is a synthesis of the Arlesiennes, if you like; as syntheses of the Arlesiennes are rare, take this as a work belonging to you and me as a summary of our months of work together."
Dora Maar With Cat is one of the last portraits painted by Picasso Other works which went under the hammer at the Christie's sale in New York included Picasso's portrait of his ballerina wife Olga Khokhlova, entitled Le Repos.
The painting fetched $34.7m (£19.3m), well in excess of its reserve price of up to $20m (£11.1m).
Created in 1932, it sheds light on Picasso's tempestuous relationship with Khokhlova.
Another Picasso portrait, this time depicting his lover Dora Maar, is to be auctioned in New York on Wednesday.
The 1941 artwork Dora Maar With Cat is expected to fetch $50m (£27.1m) when it is sold at Sotheby's auction house.
If it reaches its expected sale price, it will become one of the 10 most expensive paintings ever sold.
Sotheby's representative David Norman said it was Dora's "sculptural presence" and the "gorgeous palate of colours" that made it worth so much.
"Besides just being Dora - who was one of his most famed lovers and subjects of his work - it's really just the presence and the execution of the picture that makes it so valuable."
I agree.
You can see a connection to the portraits.
It is also her, I believe, as the toreador in the center of Minotaurmachy.
If somebody wants to spend $40 million on a painting, what's the big deal? Better than giving it to the government or the UN.
Thank you for the Gauguin drawing.
I'd give my right ear to be able to paint like that.
don't forget the quotes in the right place and then put the whole thing in < >
I see he took her out before the sitting and got her shift-faced.
Dear Lord, Please use your influence on posters of paintings on these art threads that they henceforth label them with titles and artists for the benefit of the unannointed stray sheep. Amen.
Leni
I'd give my left ear for $40 million ;)
I saw a movie years ago called Vincent and Theo that started off with a modern auction of Vincent's work selling for millions and then faded into him laying on his bed in some dilapidated hovel.
Poor Van Gogh never sold a painting in his lifetime.
I'm gonna publish my obit and then have my brother start hawking my paintings
Heck, I'll pay anyone $67.35 and a keg of beer to haul the orange piece of crap they call "art" out of downtown Milwaukee.
The atrocious hunk of iron is blocking a great view of the Calatrava (the addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum) and the Lakefront.
I'd rip it down myself if I could.
Lookee here woman, at least your monstrosity has some color and a fair amount of symmetry to it.
Our piece of crap is rusted(!) and Lurch-butt ugly, the kind of detritus that smarter generations used to haul off to the junkyard.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/serra.html
A local artiste type told me the rust was an intentional, textural feature, as if that somehow renders this hideous, talentless crap valid. Yeah, and Piss-Christ used the "artist's" own real urine. How hip, how edgy, how cool!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
