The world's new most expensive painting
February 3 2012
Picture: Vanity Fair
The state of Qatar has paid a reported $250m for a version of Cezanne's Card Players. Cezanne painted five similar images, and this was the only one remaining in private hands. The others are in the Met, d'Orsay, and Courtauld museums, as well as the Barnes Foundation. Alexandra Peers of Vanity Fair has the story:
How did Qatar get the Cézanne? For years, Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos had owned and treasured the painting, rarely lending it. He was “entertained” but unmoved, according to one art dealer, by occasional offers for it that climbed ever higher alongside the art market in past decades. A few years ago, the painting was listed by artnews magazine as one of the world’s top artworks still in private hands.
Shortly before his death in the winter of 2011, Embiricos began discussions about its sale, which was handled by his estate. Two art dealers—William Acquavella and another, rumored to be Larry Gagosian—offered upward of $220 million for the painting, people close to the matter said. But the royal family of Qatar, without quibbling on price, outbid them, at $250 million.
'Let's go to Qatar to see a slightly different version of an already well-known painting' doesn't do it for me. Perhaps they should have spent their $250m on something truly unique. If I had that sort of money to go out and buy a headline painting, I'd go for Salvator Mundi. A Leonardo in the desert? Now that's worth a trip...
