Not the Picture Picasso Would Have Painted

[marmar]

from Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality:


Not the Picture Picasso Would Have Painted
April 14, 2013

A colossal gift from a fabulously rich patron of the arts has the museum world buzzing. But hold the hosannahs. The rich aren’t saving us.

By Sam Pizzigati


Thomas Campbell didn’t have a good week last week. He had a great week.

Campbell directs the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Last week he announced “something museum directors only dream about”: the donation to the Met of a collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture worth over $1 billion.

Pablo Picasso paintingThe donor: cosmetics magnate Leonard Lauder. His gift: 33 pieces by Pablo Picasso and dozens of other landmark works from Picasso’s fellow artists, activists all in the “cubist” movement that ushered in the modern era of abstract art.

Forbes estimates Lauder’s overall net worth at well north of $8 billion. Chunks of this fortune have been going to the art world for some time now. In 2008 alone, Lauder gave $131 million to the Whitney Museum. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://toomuchonline.org/not-the-picture-picasso-would-have-painted/

[graham4anything]

1. Museums are open to the public and everyone can see them. This is a wonderful thing.

Why would anyone not want public museums and libraries to grow?

All people love to see something in a museum, be it the dinosaurs in the natural history museum or the animals at the Bronx and Central Park Zoo.

Nature and the arts are wonderful.

Long may they flourish!

After all, Picasso wanted his art to be seen and adored by people everywhere.