I’m still a night owl and one of my favorite late night talk shows is Craig Ferguson’s Late Late Show on CBS. He comes on after Letterman and I like his witty Scottish delivery. He’s entertaining and tonight he mentioned the story about a painting by Picasso that sold for $95 million dollars earlier this month from a “mystery bidder from Russia” at Sotheby’s.
The 1941 painting (one of Pablo Picasso‘s last paintings), titled “Dora Maar with cat” is one many paintings of his (one of many) mistress and depicts his signature abstract/cubist style.
Dora was involved with the painter in the 30s and 40s and was an artist herself – rumored to have assisted her lover with the painting of one of his most famous works – ‘Guernica.’
If you don’t know much about Picasso, he’s worth exploring, but for a primer, I always recommend the movie ‘Surviving Picasso‘ with Anthony Hopkins. It’s one of my favorite biographical movies and Hopkins as usual – delivers an intriguing performance “portraying” one of art’s most eccentric and distinct painters.
Looking at previous records, the painting holding the top spot is another Picasso sold last year for $104 million. The painting ‘Boy with Pipe’ is followed by “Dora’ as the second highest price and then Van Gogh’s – “Portrait of Dr. Gachet” at $82.5 million in 1980.
Neither of these images hang on my wall, but my blog…today features over $290 million dollars in artwork. Click more for pictures of the top three paintings of all time.
NUMBER 1 – Picasso’s Boy with Pipe – $104 Million
NUMBER 2 – PICASSO’S – “Dora Maar with cat” – $94 Million
NUMBER 3 – VAN GOGH’S – Portrait of Dr. Gachet – $82.5 Million
