Author Topic: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil  (Read 7420 times)

bluecheeze

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Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« on: July 03, 2014, 04:46:01 AM »
WTF!

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/uk-britain-art-auction-idINKBN0F65LL20140701?

Why in the world would anyone purchase something like this? Need to find the purchaser and con them out of the rest of their millions before someone else gets it first.....

Vorpal

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2014, 06:54:50 AM »
WTF!

http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/01/uk-britain-art-auction-idINKBN0F65LL20140701?

Why in the world would anyone purchase something like this? Need to find the purchaser and con them out of the rest of their millions before someone else gets it first.....

It's art (and in this case, '90's Brit art, which is really hot right now). Stuff goes for crazy amounts. I don't think that this is Wall of Shame worthy, since the purchaser is assuredly *very* FI :)

viper155

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2014, 06:58:14 AM »
Wall of Shame worthy...How about Wall of Assholiness?

slugline

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2014, 08:14:18 AM »
It feels like a piece of celebrity memorabilia being passed on more than anything else.

Frugal Father

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2014, 08:51:02 AM »
I'll never understand some art... I mean, what's the difference between her showing what my bed looks like in the morning compared to my actual bed in the morning. Artists like Monet I can appreciate, but this? Waste of money to me.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2014, 09:47:03 AM »
If I go in and make the bed, will it go down in value?

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2014, 09:55:29 AM »
If I go in and make the bed, will it go down in value?
Yeah that's was I was thinking. $10 says if this goes into a private home as a display, the housekeeping staff will throw away the condoms and cigarettes, wash the sheets and nicely make the bed. Which will bring the total value down to whatever a used flat-pack Ikea bed goes for second hand on Craigslist these days.

Vorpal

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2014, 10:18:04 AM »
I'll never understand some art... I mean, what's the difference between her showing what my bed looks like in the morning compared to my actual bed in the morning. Artists like Monet I can appreciate, but this? Waste of money to me.

Mainstream people said the same thing about the [insert artistic movement] during their time. Art that isn't heresy isn't saying much.

gimp

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2014, 11:25:59 AM »
Wall of Shame worthy...How about Wall of Assholiness?

Who are we to tell people what they can or can't do with their money? If you're rich enough to buy it in cash, who gives a shit?

boyerbt

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2014, 02:22:37 PM »
I'll never understand some art... I mean, what's the difference between her showing what my bed looks like in the morning compared to my actual bed in the morning. Artists like Monet I can appreciate, but this? Waste of money to me.

I agree. I have always said that art can be anything, but it can't be done by anyone. If I can reproduce a piece of "art" in 15 minutes it isn't art. And this to me doesn't pass that test.

Now, obviously this piece of "art" speaks to the person who purchased it so kudos to them.

Vorpal

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2014, 02:34:04 PM »
If I can reproduce a piece of "art" in 15 minutes it isn't art. And this to me doesn't pass that test.

Fortunately, what is and isn't art isn't up to you to decide.

You can decide that you don't like it, of course. But that's just, like, your opinion, man.
« Last Edit: July 03, 2014, 02:38:58 PM by Winston »

warfreak2

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2014, 03:03:46 PM »
If I can reproduce a piece of "art" in 15 minutes it isn't art. And this to me doesn't pass that test.
There are many things that you can reproduce in 15 minutes that you couldn't possibly originate in 15 minutes. Writing and music are obvious examples; it only takes a few minutes (and a pen and paper) to reproduce a poem or a short story, or a few minutes (and a guitar) to reproduce a pop song, but no way could you actually create those works of art in 15 minutes.

Banksy paints his pieces in, say, 30 seconds, so I imagine you must have a low opinion of his work. But his art, besides being aesthetically appealing in some sense, is interesting and thought-provoking. If you get that experience from a work of art, why should it matter how long it took the artist to give you it?

johnintaiwan

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2014, 07:11:08 PM »
I go on record as not understanding or appreciating art. It doesn't make any sense to me. I may be a fool for this, but I just don't get it. Especially when we are talking more than $10 for something.

Gerard

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2014, 06:05:08 AM »
I kinda feel about art the way MMM feels about books: I love it so much that I pay a couple of dollars a year for a huge collection of it that I can access any time, and that I share with everyone else in my town.

Jennifer in Ottawa

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2014, 07:59:30 PM »
Start creating 'Art' and fleece the fools for all they're worth, I say.

What is or is not art is utterly personal.  There are any number of plays, films, paintings, music, etc, which I don't care for at all, and consider utter rubbish regardless of the opinions of other.  If I had to define art I suppose I would say that it is something created with intention that uplifts your spirit, or gives you pause to think.

surfhb

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2014, 12:29:12 AM »
^^^ This. 

The various thoughts and opinions in this thread are absolutely why the artist created this work to begin with.

I'm sure they would be thrilled to hear that I believe it to be an utter piece of garbage
« Last Edit: July 07, 2014, 12:31:49 AM by surfhb »

Jags4186

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #16 on: July 07, 2014, 06:16:57 PM »
Art:



Bullshit:



If I can do it it isn't art.  Nuff said.

Gerard

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #17 on: July 07, 2014, 06:29:02 PM »
If I can do it it isn't art.  Nuff said.

What's your criterion for literature, then? I mean, you probably know how to type all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Jags4186

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #18 on: July 07, 2014, 06:38:45 PM »
If I can do it it isn't art.  Nuff said.

What's your criterion for literature, then? I mean, you probably know how to type all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Correct but I don't call myself an author.  I can pick up a paint brush, hold it in my fingers, and put it to canvas, but that doesn't make me an artist.  Or maybe I should say a "good" artist. 

As the supreme court said about porn...I can't tell you what it is but I know it when I see it.

To me, you need to have real discernible talent in order to be an artist.  I took 12 years of piano lessons.  I'm pretty good.  But I don't call myself a "pianist".  Perhaps you have to have a certain level of proficiency in a certain "art" to know whether or not you're really good.  Maybe I'm ignorant about traditional artists.  To me you need to prove you can do the real thing before you can go off and do whatever you want.  I'm not a particular big fan of Picasso, but I am aware he has tremendous skill and chose to do whacky things.  Some of these other people...at least not to my knowledge...have any real "skill" in the traditional sense.  Bullshit to me.

EK

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #19 on: July 07, 2014, 07:58:13 PM »
If I can do it it isn't art.  Nuff said.

What's your criterion for literature, then? I mean, you probably know how to type all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Correct but I don't call myself an author.  I can pick up a paint brush, hold it in my fingers, and put it to canvas, but that doesn't make me an artist.  Or maybe I should say a "good" artist. 

As the supreme court said about porn...I can't tell you what it is but I know it when I see it.

To me, you need to have real discernible talent in order to be an artist.  I took 12 years of piano lessons.  I'm pretty good.  But I don't call myself a "pianist".  Perhaps you have to have a certain level of proficiency in a certain "art" to know whether or not you're really good.  Maybe I'm ignorant about traditional artists.  To me you need to prove you can do the real thing before you can go off and do whatever you want.  I'm not a particular big fan of Picasso, but I am aware he has tremendous skill and chose to do whacky things.  Some of these other people...at least not to my knowledge...have any real "skill" in the traditional sense.  Bullshit to me.

Hmmmm... perhaps art is about more than simply expressing technical virtuosity in a given media?

Jags4186

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #20 on: July 08, 2014, 05:08:08 AM »
That's my opinion!  You can go on looking at some lady's bed.


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greenmimama

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #21 on: July 08, 2014, 08:12:59 AM »
From the title I thought it was an ultra luxurious bed to sleep in.....

Gerard

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #22 on: July 08, 2014, 04:38:07 PM »
If I can do it it isn't art.  Nuff said.
What's your criterion for literature, then? I mean, you probably know how to type all 26 letters of the alphabet.
Correct but I don't call myself an author.

But that's not my/your point. If we apply your art criterion to literature, nobody is an author, because you can write words.

But to be non-facetious, yeah, I hear you. Technical skill should be good for something. I just don't agree with your premise, because I love so much stuff where technical skill isn't the point -- the Ramones, for example.

Jags4186

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #23 on: July 09, 2014, 12:24:17 PM »
Gerard,

I guess my thoughts really come down to the fact that technical fireworks aren't necessary for there to be an art, but the person doing the art should be capable of technical fireworks or some sort of prodigious talent.  Otherwise how do we separate the amateurs from the pros? 

Thats why when someone like Vladimir Horowitz or Arthur Rubinstein plays the Moonlight Sonata 1st movement it is a  masterwork and when a 11 year old plays it at their yearly recital it's cute. 

In the painting hemisphere you can take someone like Picasso--who was completely capable of painting incredibly intricate "classical style" artworks but really made his fame on trying something "different".  This is vs someone like Jackson Pollack who as far as I'm concerned pulled the wool over a great many eyes. 

EK

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Re: Someone buys bed for 4.3mil
« Reply #24 on: July 09, 2014, 01:16:17 PM »
Gerard,

I guess my thoughts really come down to the fact that technical fireworks aren't necessary for there to be an art, but the person doing the art should be capable of technical fireworks or some sort of prodigious talent.  Otherwise how do we separate the amateurs from the pros? 

Thats why when someone like Vladimir Horowitz or Arthur Rubinstein plays the Moonlight Sonata 1st movement it is a  masterwork and when a 11 year old plays it at their yearly recital it's cute. 

In the painting hemisphere you can take someone like Picasso--who was completely capable of painting incredibly intricate "classical style" artworks but really made his fame on trying something "different".  This is vs someone like Jackson Pollack who as far as I'm concerned pulled the wool over a great many eyes.

Okay it's obviously pointless to keep responding to you, but...

I don't like the famous pianist analogy- it would work better to compare composers (not that there isn't artistry to performing great piano works, I play piano myself and interpreting music is it's own art, but I digress...). What you're saying about art is more akin to saying that because the Moonlight Sonata is a great piece of music, John Cage's 4'33" could never be a valid or important work. Or because Crime and Punishment is a great novel, an e e cummings poem can't possibly also be a valid piece of writing.

We live in a different world than Rembrandt, Monet, da Vinci, or Picasso. Why should all artists, or composers, or writers have to create works that are mere hollow pastiche of past works just to prove they can? It's okay for scientists to build on the work of the past without independently repeating every single important experiment ever performed, so why can't artists build upon past work and create art using the materials, techniques, and thematic content of today? Why should artists have to pass some crazy sort of test to validate their work by proving first they have, say, the technical skill to do a Renaissance-style oil painting? Picasso's work post-1900 isn't considered brilliant even though it's not as technically complex as a renaissance painting (that's a debatable point anyways), it's brilliant because he combined contemporary and historical influences with contemporary themes to create a new style of art that expanded the possibility of what art could look like and express.

And all of this isn't to necessarily say that I think the $4.3 mil bed is like the worlds most super amazing and influential piece of art ever, but it just seems so willfully ignorant when people say "oh I just don't get modern art, my 5 year old could it" that I can't help myself- I just have to say something. :P

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!