It’s the dream of any artist in the world to inspire other people, but they also need to make a living from their passion and last Wednesday night Jeff Koons made more than what he’ll probably need for a normal living…
His 1986 sculpture “Rabbit, a stainless-steel work inspired by inflatable toys, sold at Christie’s for $91.1 million. It is now the most expensive work by a living artist ever sold at auction. David Hockney had set the record just this past November when his 1972 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold at Christie’s for $90.2 million. What a reasonable market.
And the Rabbit buyer? None other than Robert E. Mnuchin, art dealer and father to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, infamous for his and wife Louise Linton’s many ostentatious displays of wealth. According to The New York Times, Robert Mnuchin, who operates the Mnuchin Gallery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side (which shows a mix of modern and contemporary artists), refused to divulge on which client’s behalf he was bidding; according to Artsy, there was wide speculation in the room as soon as the gavel struck”.
So if you like art or you are an artist here you’ll have a barely idea of what art can sometimes cost…
The article was first seeing in https://www.wmagazine.com/story/jeff-koons-rabbit-sculpture-most-expensive-work-by-living-artist-christies-auction
