Go ahead.... scratch your head! You read it right! The painting titled "White Center" was sold at Sotheby's auction house, New York in 2007 for $72.8 Million! Who bought it? It was the Royal family of Qatar; Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his wife.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his wife.
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What was the motivation for such a huge purchase? I wouldn't know. But in my opinion it's not because of appreciation for art. I can appreciate abstract art but I consider Mark Rothko's painting to be more of a doodle. I can probably do a better doodle than the "White Center". I can call it "Black Center". I guess when you are part of the 1%, you also buy into the madness of perception value. So if David Rockefeller says that his wooden paper clip is worth $20 Million, a one percenter who has the money to bid will agree that it is indeed worth $20 Million and then buys it to flaunt to the rest of the elite. Look Ma, I bought the most expensive wooden paper clip! I'm so cool!
Mark Rothko -Painter of the White Center
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Now please tell me if you would even buy this painting for $500. LOL!
White Center by Mark Rothko Sold for $72.8 Million
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I'm sorry. I consider this painting a mere professional doodle. There is no substance in this composition. The colors are nothing special. Talk about BS! Here's more BS:
"Mark Rothko continued to simplify the compositional elements of his paintings. In 1950, he began to divide the canvas into horizontal bands of color. Despite the frontal composition and absence of spatial illusionism in these works, the broad bands of color appear simultaneously to float in front of the picture plane and to merge with the color field upon which they are place, as in White Center (yellow pink and lavender on rose), 1950. A luminosity results from the repeated layering of thin washes of paint, which allows some underpainting to show through the upper coats. In each work of this period, Rothko sought only subtle variations in proportion and color, yet achieved within this limited format a broad range of emotions and moods. The photo at the top displays this painting’s supreme color choices, namely yellow, pink and lavender on rose."
** markrothko.org **
Emotions? Can you feel any emotions looking at the White Center? Really? You have gotta be kidding me and the rest of humanity! This style of painting is called EXPRESSIONISM but I really don't feel anything with this painting. Not buying it... sorry.
What do you think guys? What price would you value this painting at? Maybe I'm wrong to say that it is just a doodle!
