Saturday 9 December 2006

Botticelli: only £3.8m

Botticelli - Madonna and Child (detail)The art market is insane. Christie’s London evening auction of Important Old Master Pictures sold Botticelli's Madonna and Child for £3.8m ($7.5m). In a year when 20th century tripe is fetching many millions, this historically important and beautiful work by an Early Renaissance master - one of the greatest artists ever - was a bargain. Yet it was a new world record price for a Botticelli at auction! Could we afford to keep it in the UK? No. It went to a foreign buyer.

2 Comments:

At 11/12/06, Blogger weggis said...

Same as our Football clubs. The two contesting our premier league are, Manchester United, owned by Americans, and Chelsea owned by a "Russian" billionaire. And you thought the cold war was over.

Question? How can a soviet economy produce a billionaire? And why does this chap named Vladimer keep phoning me asking for your address?

Then there's Abbey National owned by the Spanish and our Utilities all owned by by foreigners. It's the economy stupid! Or is that it's the "stupid econmomy"!

 
At 11/12/06, Blogger Unknown said...

The football market is also insane, although maybe slightly less so than the art market. I certainly wouldn't lash out millions on some bloke who might bust a cartilage on the job.
And MBNA European Bank is buying up all our credit cards. My doggie card from the Royal Bank of Scotland has been taken over by MBNA.
But the worst news of the lot is that Vladimir controls the pipeline that brings gas to the UK! That's why you've got to keep him sweet. But don't give him my address. We don't need to keep him that sweet!

 

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