culture, politics, commentary, criticism

Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Beauty is in the eye of the holder. Lauren A.E. Schuker reports for the Wall Street Journal from
Art Basel, probably the world's greatest nexus of contemporary art dealers eager to meet hedge fund managers who are spending the fortunes they made off shorting subprime mortgage investments. But they're not alone — there are overpaid dermatologists too!
At the Josée Bienvenu Gallery, a $20,000 Yuken Teruya sculpture of carved toilet paper rolls commanded much attention. “I love that the artist turns the ordinary into something heartfelt and beautiful,” said Diane Walder, a dermatologist in Miami who was considering the work with her art adviser, Lisa Austin.
What a coincidence! My personal art adviser recently recommended paper towel rolls for my contemporary art collection. But at $40,000 they seemed a bit indulgent because I had stocked up last week at Costco with a case for about $12.

Meanwhile, I am hoping to place my collection of peeled-label beer bottles in the secondary art market for a few hundred thousand.

Euros, of course!
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