Betting on Pop Art
“Casino-resort developer Steve Wynn is betting big on the art market this fall. Mr. Wynn has enlisted Christie’s to auction off a Roy Lichtenstein painting for at least $40 million.”
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“The 1964 painting, ‘Ohhh…Alright…,’ depicts a pixilated redheaded woman clutching a telephone. The work comes from Lichtenstein’s signature series of comic-strip women who appear caught up melodramatic moments of distress or disappointment. In the early 1960s, collectors were largely smitten with big, messy abstract paintings until artists like Lichtenstein began making art that referenced pop-culture images from advertisements and comics. Mr. Wynn bought the work from a New York gallery, Acquavella, a few years ago. Before that, the painting belonged to actor and writer Steve Martin.”
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