Rembrandt finds home in Las Vegas
January 1st, 2010
It is said that the mystery telephone bidder who paid a record $33m (£20m) for a Rembrandt at Christie’s in London is Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino owner.
Vermeer enthusiasts will remember that Wynn has distinguished himself through the years as a powerful art collector and acquired the tiny Young Woman Seated at a Virginal. It has been reported that Wynn later sold it (for unknown reasons) to a New York art collector for the same price he initially paid.
The Rembrandt in question is a Portrait of a Man, Half-Length, with His Arms Akimbo, painted in 1658. One New York dealer balked at the purchase due to lack of technical clarity in the face. “It was definitely a gamble,” he said. Let’s remember that gambling is Wynn’s specialty.
Although Wynn remains somewhat reticent about discussing his art dealings his high public profile is assured by his enormously successful casinos and resorts in the Las Vegas including the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio and Encore where much of which hangs. His collection includes works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Manet, Matisse, Turner and Picasso.
Normally, one should envy Wynn, especially for his splendid art collection. But when I read the following (even about his eye disease) I rather pitied him…
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article6962802.ece