Would you buy a painting for $165 million? Would you sell a painting worth $165 million? My brain starts complaining when numbers reach the seventh figure, so it kinda blew my mind to learn that Masterpiece, a major original work from Roy Lichtenstein, was recently sold for, you guessed it, $165 million.
What’s more, the seller of the artwork has decided not to hold on to the profits (well, most of them), opting instead to donate a hefty 100 million dollarydoos to charity.
Record breaker: an original Lichtenstein has sold for a whopping $165 million, making it one of the 15 most expensive artworks ever exchanged.
Agnes Gund sold Roy Lichtenstein’s 1962 work Masterpiece, reportedly to billionaire hedge fund manager and art collector Steve Cohen. The sale apparently took place months ago; an art industry newsletter reported on the transaction in January, but Gund would not confirm it.
On Monday, The New York Times confirmed that the sale was real, noting that the painting becomes one of the 15 most expensive pieces of art known to have been sold. And the newspaper revealed that Gund sold the piece “for a specific purpose: to create a fund that supports criminal justice reform and seeks to reduce mass incarceration in the United States.” – NPR
