Few would believe that this is the most expensive sculpture in the world: what does the famous "Pointing Man" worth $141,000,000 look like?
Art is an expensive business. Therefore, it is considered one of the most profitable investments of large funds - paintings and sculptures are valued at considerable sums and only increase in value over the years. What do you think - what is the price tag of the most expensive sculpture in the world? Tens of thousands of dollars? Hundreds of thousands? Maybe millions? No, no, and NO.
Sit down so that you can experience such knowledge without shock. The most expensive officially sold sculpture in the history of mankind cost the buyer an astronomical amount - 141 million 300 thousand US dollars. In the Russian outback, for such an amount, you can buy all the real estate in a small town - just in case you suddenly never had your own city. What is this incredible thing made of and what is its highlight?
Just the highlight no one is able to clearly explain in words. Because such an amount was paid for the sculpture “Pointing Man” made of ordinary bronze. Its author, the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, made it in one night - because he was in a hurry.
5 PHOTOS
1. The secret of haste is that in just a few months his first solo exhibition in his life was to take place, and there were empty places in the exposition. Concerned about this, Giacometti came up with the concept of the statue one night in 1947, made a mold for it, cast the finished thing, and painted it himself. By morning, the future masterpiece was ready - it only remained to dry the paint a little.
And the work at the exhibition made a real sensation - along with two of his earlier works, "Woman Standing" and "Walking Man". It was bought by a private collector and disappeared from the event horizon for several decades.
2. "Walking Man"
However, then in February 2010, it reappeared at auction and was sold for 104 million 300 thousand dollars, becoming the first auction lot to overcome the 100 million price barrier. And in May 2015, at the New York auction, Christie's was sold again - this time for 141 million 300 thousand dollars, becoming the most expensive sculpture in the history of mankind.
3.
4.
5. There is absolutely incomprehensible magic in the price that buyers give for Giacometti's work. Because there is nothing more precious than them in the world of sculpture. His bronze "Walking Man" 183 centimeters high was sold for 123.8 million dollars and one of his very first works, "Chariot" - for 101 million. When asked about the reasons for such a value, art historians begin to express themselves in completely incomprehensible words that explain nothing to anyone - perhaps even incomprehensible to them. To understand the fantastic nature of this price, here are a couple of comparisons:
- a skull made by Damien Hirst entirely of high-grade platinum measuring 17.1 cm by 12.7 cm by 19.1 cm, tightly covered with high-quality diamonds over the entire surface, was estimated at “only” $ 100 million - where it is up to Giacometti bronze;
- also made of bronze Pablo Picasso's "Head of a Woman" at the New York auction Sotheby's in 2007, "pulled" only 29 million 161 thousand dollars. After all, it's just Picasso...
What exactly motivates buyers to lay out unimaginable amounts for crafts at the level of a first-grader - no one can explain, and the buyers themselves keep a proud and mysterious silence. If you liked our today's article - like it. And subscribe to our channel - there will be many more mysteries and secrets!
Now imagine that you would have extra millions, so 150 dollars, and you already have everything else. Would you agree to buy this statue for such a sum? And if not, what would you spend them on? Tell us about it in the comments!
Keywords: Most expensive sculpture | Expensive sculpture | Sculptures | Pointing Man | Paintings | Art | Artworks