Monday, April 20, 2009

Thomson Painting Brings Half Expected Offer


A small Tom Thomson painting has been auctioned in Calgary for $350,000, a lot less than what the seller had hoped it would fetch.

14 comments:

c-dog said...

It's beautiful nonetheless.

And I guess this is what you get when trying to auction something off in Alberta during a recession and now that they are in debt for the first time in 15 years

Lorne Roberts said...

word verif: dangerr

hate to do a smug "i told you so" but after years and years of reading letters and editorials in the Nat Post, the Globe, etc, from smug Albertans saying "we're sick of giving you all money just because you can't balance your budgets" and "we have a surplus just because we're not commie socialists like the rest of you" it's kind of, y'know...

i dunno.

live by the sword die by it, i guess.

p.s. last month's National Geographic has a 25-page article about the environmental disaster that is the Alberta Tar Sands.


And finally, i'm gonna guess that's one of Tom T's field studies that he did quickly, off the cuff while sitting in the woods. If you see these compared to his finished in-the-studio works, there's a big diff.

mondotrasho said...

That it was a total "low ball" bid should be noted too ($50K below asking). To, who else, an investment banker who, openly admitted, knew nothing about "art" (but obviously knew something about money). You can bet in three years when the markets stabilise this sketch will be flipped like a Linden Woods stuccomansion (w/ apologies) for double what he paid for it. Business is bidness.
~m

Anonymous said...

In three years the year will be 2012.

Lorne Roberts said...

...and the world will likely not 'end' just as it hasn't ended in all the other years all kinds of other timelines and predictions and spiritual bodies of knowledge said it should.

it's interesting to me that these paintings sell for so much. although this one is certainly quite beautiful, i feel like about $330,000 of even this lowball sale lie in the name value of the creator rather than in the work itself.

guess that's how the art market goes, though.


and if AB really is in a recession too, like the rest of us, that also sucks. sorry, AB. seriously.

micro said...

Of course the value of this painting is influenced by who made it. He's a historical figure. I use the comparison of a historical baseball. But then again I guess they don't keep every ball someone famous touches.

=P

Lorne Roberts said...

yeah, for sure.

and of course the name-brand of it affects the price, but it's always strange to me when another crappy warhol (not all of 'em are crappy, though) sells for ten million.

TheBlueMask said...

Wolfie, such animosity to the west! I think we need a national province group hug!

ver: joype

Lorne Roberts said...

ha ha! no, no, i love the west. don't get me wrong. i worked there for many summers.

that first comment of mine was too crusty, though. i guess i've just always been slightly irked about that attitude that says AB is rich because of wise fiscal policy and the rest of us aren't rich because of poor fiscal policy, and therefore AB shouldn't have to share.

Lorne Roberts said...

...and the whole country is going to be paying for AB's short term riches for the next several generations.

soon, once Hydro power becomes king, MB will rule the world!

and i for one welcome our new manitoban overlords and offer my service to them in any way i can.

TheBlueMask said...

let's call it even as Ontarians always gets to pick our leaders! (if you read an environmental report on the auto industry there, it wouldn't fare much better than the oil sands) :)

Lorne Roberts said...

it's true, they do always get to pick our leaders.

why is that?


long live free manisaskigon. (the "igon" is what is currently northwestern ontario, and is really more connected to Wpg more than Toronto if you think about it).

TheBlueMask said...

Breaking News:
"There's been a Manisaskigon sighting in the mountainous regions of Alberta. It must have lost it's way."

jc said...

So archaic. A piece of wood with some paint slopped on it sells for so much money. (why did the theme song to Fame just jump in my head? weird)

it's nice that the piece is staying in canada. art is a such a wise investment (buy mine. :)

word verif: pains

hey...I wonder why pain and paint are so close, I mean, one letter. what do they share?