Artwork: Roy Lichtenstein, Masterpiece, 1962.
Celebrated art collector and philanthropist Agnes Gund has sold Roy Lichtenstein’s 1962 painting, Masterpiece, for $165 to raise money for criminal justice reform.
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The famous painting, which shows a blonde woman crowing to a young man, “Why, Brad darling, this painting is a masterpiece! My, soon you’ll have all of New York clamoring for your work!” is one of the greatest works of Pop Art, combining comic book style with tongue-in-cheek commentary of world of fine art.
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Billionaire hedge fund manager and art collector Steven A. Cohen reportedly purchased the work in January through Acquavella Gallery, according to The Baer Faxt, an art industry newsletter. On Monday, The New York Times confirmed the sale, noting that the $150M price tag puts it “among the 15 highest known prices ever paid for an artwork.”
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Gund is teaming up with the Ford Foundation to launch Art for Justice Fund, designed to finance criminal justice reform. She is asking other collectors to do the same, with the aim of raising another $100M over the next five years.
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