Art
Hurting the Word Radio #2
The 1964 painting "Hurting the Word Radio #2" by Ed Ruscha is valued at $53 million. It's reportedly one of the most expensive works of art owned by Jeff Bezos.
image source: google arts and culture
The value surprised me when I read about it, though it probably shouldn't have because sky-high valuations for works of modern art are by now, as Chuck Shepherd would have said, "no longer weird."
Even so, as the Center for Art Law notes, Ruscha created hundreds of words on canvas over the decades. How did this one get singled out to be worth so much? Ruscha himself never promoted it as special. (Nor does he directly benefit from its current valuation.)
The Center for Art Law suggests that the work's "impeccable and unimpeachable" provenance may have a lot to do with the high price tag. In an art market awash in fraud, undeniably authentic works command a high premium.
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 18, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Art, Overpriced Merchandise
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 56
The artist's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Mon May 06, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, 1920s, Russia
Mr. Squiggle
All is explained at the Wikipedia page.Weird as the newer version is, the 1950s show was even weirder. Go to this link, for a non-embeddable sample.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 10, 2024 -
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Category: Art, Puppets and Automatons, Television, Space Travel, Australia, Twentieth Century
Resonating Life Which Continues to Stand
The artwork's homepage, which explains:The resonating ovoids continue to stand wherever they are. The ovoids continue to stand even if they are pushed over by waves, blown by the wind, or pushed by people. When an ovoid is pushed over, it rises back up on its own and shines brightly as it produces a tone. The light and tone continues to resonate out to other ovoids and trees nearby.
If a wave of light comes from afar, it signifies the presence of people, waves, or wind there. People gain a heightened sense of awareness of the existence of other people in the same space and the environment.
When it is quiet and the wind is not blowing and the people nearby are not interacting with the ovoids, their lights begin to flicker slowly.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 08, 2024 -
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Category: Art, Asia, Twenty-first Century
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 55
The artist's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 24, 2024 -
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Category: Art, Avant Garde, 1930s
RIP Pigcasso
The artist's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 08, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Art, Obituaries, Africa, Natural Wonders
Artwork Khrushchev Probably Would Not Have Liked 54
The creator's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 23, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, 1910s
Cotton Balls and Cardboard Boxes
Swiss artist Zimoun makes noisy art by causing hundreds of cotton balls to rub against cardboard boxes.At least, he consistently describes the white objects as "cotton balls." They don't look or sound like cotton to me. But then again, they're constantly in motion, so it's hard to see exactly what they are.
via Book of Joe
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 14, 2024 -
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Category: Art, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
Tumor Paintings
In 1834, Dr. Peter Parker obtained a medical degree from Yale University and then traveled to China as a medical missionary. There he commissioned Chinese painter Lam Qua to make portraits of patients at the Canton Hospital who had large tumors. Yale now has 86 of these portraits in its collection.Peter Parker seems to have been a fairly common name before it became permanently associated with Spider-Man.
More info: Yale University Library
via Design You Trust
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jan 31, 2024 -
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Category: Art, Medicine, Nineteenth Century
The Vincent Price Art Collection at Sears
Read the whole story here.
Sears had commissioned famous actor and art collector, Vincent Price, to assemble a collection of art and gallery paintings that would be merchandised through its stores, making fine art more accessible to all Sears’ customers. They gave Price carte blanche to travel the world to put the collection together. After that first opening in Denver, the program was broadened with exhibits of art in ten additional Sears stores and after the first 1,500 pieces of art has been sold, it was expanded nationwide to all Sears stores. The program ended in 1971, but more than 50,000 original artworks had been sold during its time.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 29, 2023 -
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Category: Art, Celebrities, Hollywood, Retailing, 1960s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |