Andy Warhol's Triple Elvis Sells for $82 Million: Is Any Art Worth That Much?

Question

Christie’s auction house had a record night with $852 million in sales. Eleven of the painting's were by Andy Warhol. They went for a total of $200 million including one, Triple Elvis [Ferus Type], 1963, that went for $81,925,000. Another, Four Marlons, 1966, came in at $69,605,000.

Answer 1

It says $82. Sounds like a great deal.

Answer 2

It`s worth what someone will pay for it.

Answer 3

No I don't. the hungry people in the main have no idea what wealth is. the same wealthy people are also responsible for same huge amounts of money being used to help people in need. Collecting art is another way of preserving wealth. the painting in question will be worth more the next time it is sold. so we have a situation here where the artists and those on sell the artists work are getting some of the wealth. would you complain if they just put their 85 million in the bank and collected interest that way while the bank got richer instead? wealth does not exist just in a bank account it needs to be spread out on a productive way for it to be maintained. And as I said before I don't know hat sort of contribution the buyer of this art might have made to help out those in need. Bill Gates for example has a knack of collecting the rarest pieces of art. Even if he has to shell out millions of dollars for that, it ****** matters to him. at present he is worth more then 80 billion dollars. and fell into second richest position after donating 30 billion to charity. now that is the point.

Answer 4

Some people can rationalize anything.

Answer 5

There are many people that don't give a rats **** about their fellow man both rich and poor The whole US system is based on the concept of becoming wealthy without having to play a part in the common good.there are wealthy people that pay a fortune for art and they do it to protect their wealth and to protect art and because they like to because they can. among the people that collect art you find philanthropists that give away fortunes. that is not rationalising that is just a fact of life.

Answer 6

The fact is wealthy people in the first world buy overpriced painting while somebody else goes hungry. Hungry people don't understand that and either do you.

Answer 7

yes I do. I eat better then most I have things I don't need I walk past people collecting for charity when I have money in my pocket. I may not be a multimillionaire but I am wealthy compared to most of the people in the world, and I do understand. I just chose to live on the way I do.Rather then save a starving kid somewhere I buy my granddaughter an expensive video game.and so does everyone else, and when people get rich many of them don't change at all and some of them do.But it is not wealthy people that are going to make the world a better and safer place it is the ordinary poor slob that will do it. but they are not ready Yet.The fact is though that there is less poverty and hunger in the world and the better of country's do get involved in making things better.

Answer 8

You sound like you are trying to justify your hypocrisy. I mean that more as observation than personal attack. And I get the part about the granddaughter, I overspend on my grandkids. The only point I am trying to make is third world people do know when somebody buys a painting at an inflated price and they have nothing.

Answer 9

I cant see why you think i am trying to justify anything. For one thing I don't have the cash to get a new car at the moment. so I don't have to be concerned about any big art purchases. However If I was filthy stinking rich I would both buy the things I liked regardless of cost and help people in need as I do now in a small way. I Do understand hat you are saying though and no doubt there are a **** of a lot of people especially these days of incredible communication that are aware of how little they have compared to others. Never the less the fact remains that things are getting relatively better then ever because of that communication. It has to do with wealth and as there is more real wealth more if it gets spread around. in bad ways perhaps but also in good.

Answer 10

art like that should be more.

Answer 11

well yes it does. This sort of protest implies that wealth should be spent on helping the poor.and nothing else. if that is the case let us begin by distributing the wealth of of the poor to the poor. first. and then head for those that want to spend their own money on what they please. Let us start by redistributing the wealth of the churches. then move on to the big company's that have become big by praying on the poverty of their workers to maximize their profit. the value of anything is dubious if that is what you want it to be.

Answer 12

Its says 82... 82 what? just 82 dollars? thats the best deal ever considering there is a painting that cost 3 billion dollars and all it has on it is a white line on blue paint

Answer 13

To me? No... Even if I had that kind of money I wouldn't spend it on that... But it is worth whatever someone is willing to pay

Answer 14

Yes
ITT
Is..

Answer 15

To the buyer and the seller, but not to me. I would rather have one of Elvis's cars for less money.

Answer 16

Obviously someone thinks it is. what a waste of money!

Answer 17

It obviously is..........
Like anything else. It's worth is what some one is willing to pay for it............

Answer 18

Art can be worth anything.

Answer 19

You missed the point. Let me make it clear. Hungry people find out that tedious people in the first world are paying millions for crap paintings. These people resent that. This has nothing to do with churches. This has nothing to with big companies. That is the point.

Answer 20

While interesting, the plight of Catholics in the Philippines and Haiti doesn't have any thing to with hipsters paying huge amounts of money for paintings of dubious value in North America and Europe.

Answer 21

art made for money is trash deserving the flame
art made for art is priceless
how much is paid does not matter, it's not enough

Answer 22

This isn't Sparta, this is madness.

Answer 23

But not that one. This one is.

Answer 24

Art is basically useless, so its value is completely determined by how much people are willing to pay for it.

Answer 25

If someone is willing to pay that...then yes, that's what it's worth.

Answer 26

The art yes. The dollar no.

Answer 27

oh **** no.......LOL

Answer 28

I like characters who always had a role in the continued humane and worked on development

Answer 29

I suppose it is, because it sold for that much. Stuff is worth what people will pay for it, & people did pay that for it.

Answer 30

A thing is worth whatever the next person is willing to pay for it.

Answer 31

Just look at the catholic community in the Philippines and Haiti while the church and its gold sit tight they run a few appeals to make them look good then spend more money on undermining the people who are working there to help people with family planing. in any case there are a lot of people that do do something to help people aside from spending big money on what tickles their fancy.

Answer 32

There are millions of starving artists - many of whom are better than Andy Warhol. How about supporting thousands of local artists instead of ******* the whole wad on something just for the status?

Answer 33

so what do you want to do about it make people pay for the works they don't want?

Answer 34

Anything is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 35

You edited your poll after the fact. (No fair!) You said the painting was selling for $82, now you've changed it to $82 million.

Answer 36

I think it's all relative based on the quality of wine that was served that night.

Answer 37

This is the kind of thing that makes people in the 3rd world hate us.

Answer 38

Bull most of them don't have any idea what we are up to here. what people in the third world hate is the weapons we sell their promising young leaders

Answer 39

Do you want people in the third world really hate? They hate staving to death while people in the first world waste vast amounts of money buying overrated and overhyped paintings.

Answer 40

**** no..... here i just took a selfie............im starting the bid at 50 million...any takers lol