… is I guess what you’d call it if a public university were under pressure from a state legislature to sell a very valuable Ezra Pound manuscript in its possession… But what do you call it when it’s a Pollock?
Proceeds from the sale [of Jackson Pollock’s Mural, valued at $140 million,] would go into a trust fund that would provide scholarships to University of Iowa undergraduate art majors from Iowa.
Can this painting really be worth $140 million???
An art professor comments:
“It will never happen because it would be a terrible disgrace to the state and people of Iowa,” he said. “What I think is that we should sell Kinnick [football stadium] to Illinois or sell the State Capitol. That would be much more reasonable.”
February 10th, 2011 at 4:09PM
It’s certainly worth $140M until someone tries to sell it. Capax imperii nisi imperasset.
February 11th, 2011 at 8:21AM
The estimate is undoubtedly based on the sale of Pollack’s “Number 5, 1948,” which supposedly sold for $140 million in a private sale a few years ago. This work has attracted much interest, so it might go for even more, in fact.
The concern I would have as a university president is whether I could afford the insurance and security for it.
February 11th, 2011 at 10:10PM
Granted, high-end art markets are a little depressed, but as Pollocks go, this is a really remarkable piece.
It’s really a shame that the free-market ideology of Iowa Republicans is overwhelming the cultural conservativism which would normally dictate that they prize and preserve a great work of art. Of course, it’s modern art, so it’s heathen work. That may be the problem.
February 12th, 2011 at 3:08PM
what do you call it?
Never Mind the Pollocks?
February 12th, 2011 at 3:34PM
Alan: Wonderful! But I had to look it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Pollack
February 16th, 2011 at 2:43AM
They could raise even more money by selling off the entire collection. The library might have some valuable books and manuscripts in its collection, too. Does the music department have a grand piano? Yet another asset; easily liquidated.