About That Million Dollar Painting in Your Attic
Martin Johnson Heade. Remember that name, please. He deserves your attention. He is America’s Van Gogh: he was almost unknown in his day (the 1900’s), his flower paintings are luminous and, like Van Gogh, his wonderful, emotional work was once seen as worthless. How worthless? His “Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth” was used to cover a hole in the wall of an Indiana residence. Yep, his art had become someone’s weatherproofing. After playing a art-related board game the owner of the painting became curious. Wouldn’t it be funny if that colorful caulking was actually worth something? It was. The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston purchased the work for $1,250,000 in 1999. [1] That worthless painting is now on posters, calendars and toilet seats. Fame is funny. I hope someday to make my essays into a line of toilet paper. “If you give a crap, use Vincent B.”
Only half of Martin Johnson Heade’s work has been discovered. The rest are scattered all over America (probably hundreds of them) stuffed in your Grandma’s attic, sitting in your basement, in second hand stores or waiting at the next garage sale you go to. Hundreds of people have no idea that they have a million dollar treasure being beaten by their angry five-year-old’s baseball bat or pissed on by their cat as the painting sits on the floor in the attic. Yes, fame is funny. Here are more examples of how funny:
1. Magnolia Blossoms on Blue Velvet and Cherokee Roses were purchased at an estate sale in Arizona for $60 in 1996. They sold at Christie's auction house later that year for $937,500 and $134,500 respectively.
2. Two Magnolias on Blue Plush were originally purchased for $29 at a rummage sale by a Wisconsin man in 1989. It sold at Christie's auction house in 1999 for $882,500
3. An un-named Heade salt marsh landscape now titled "River Scene" was discovered in the attic of a Boston-area resident in 2003. It sold at a local auction house to an art dealer for $1,006,250.
Martin Johnson Heade. Remember that name, please. He deserves your attention. He is America’s Van Gogh: he was almost unknown in his day (the 1900’s), his flower paintings are luminous and, like Van Gogh, his wonderful, emotional work was once seen as worthless. How worthless? His “Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth” was used to cover a hole in the wall of an Indiana residence. Yep, his art had become someone’s weatherproofing. After playing a art-related board game the owner of the painting became curious. Wouldn’t it be funny if that colorful caulking was actually worth something? It was. The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston purchased the work for $1,250,000 in 1999. [1] That worthless painting is now on posters, calendars and toilet seats. Fame is funny. I hope someday to make my essays into a line of toilet paper. “If you give a crap, use Vincent B.”
Only half of Martin Johnson Heade’s work has been discovered. The rest are scattered all over America (probably hundreds of them) stuffed in your Grandma’s attic, sitting in your basement, in second hand stores or waiting at the next garage sale you go to. Hundreds of people have no idea that they have a million dollar treasure being beaten by their angry five-year-old’s baseball bat or pissed on by their cat as the painting sits on the floor in the attic. Yes, fame is funny. Here are more examples of how funny:
1. Magnolia Blossoms on Blue Velvet and Cherokee Roses were purchased at an estate sale in Arizona for $60 in 1996. They sold at Christie's auction house later that year for $937,500 and $134,500 respectively.
2. Two Magnolias on Blue Plush were originally purchased for $29 at a rummage sale by a Wisconsin man in 1989. It sold at Christie's auction house in 1999 for $882,500
3. An un-named Heade salt marsh landscape now titled "River Scene" was discovered in the attic of a Boston-area resident in 2003. It sold at a local auction house to an art dealer for $1,006,250.
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Martin struggled all his life to show the world the beauty he saw everywhere. The world wasn’t interested. Now, a hundred years after his death, he is an over night success. So, please, go to the attic and at least shoo the damn cat away from all your old paintings. Even a black-velvet Elvis deserves more respect than that. Art is someone's dream committed to paper, wood or canvas. Sometimes it takes a while for the world to stop, pick it up and go, “Wow!”
Just curious if you have a pic of the artist's signature (so I'll recognize it), and where it is usually found on his paintings?
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing alot about this guy lately, so I plan to start perusing around for his stuff!! Thanks :)
Here are a couple of web pages that might help
ReplyDeletehttp://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/02/prweb5042744.htm
http://www.lawforart.com/heade.html
Vincent