Brad Pitt Hits Up Art Basel, Buys $1 Million Painting (PHOTOS)

Brad Pitt popped up in Switzerland on Tuesday at Art Basel.

An AP photographer snapped the actor checking out the work "end of knowledge" (24K gold on primed linen, 2008-2009) by US artist Jim Hodges through his aviator shades.

According to the WSJ, he then paid nearly $1M for a Neo Rauch rainbow-colored racetrack painting, "Etappe"

On Monday Pitt was in Washington DC having lunch with partner Angelina Jolie.

PHOTOS:

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Comments

[MaggieDoe]

Happy Cat is a card carrying Loonifer. It is against their life pledge charter to be rational about Brad Pitt.

[shout]

Poor MaggieDoe. She doesn't understand that Brad is out of touch with the current mood in the world. Sure he can afford the painting, but is it wise to blow that kind of money in such a public fashion? He has to know that many people will come up with alternative, less selfish ways he could have spent that money. If you add up everything Brangelina pays in monthly real estate, travel, entourage, art, there's just something grandiose about their lifestyle and they are anything but low key about the way they throw their money around. If he really wanted his art so bad he could have gotten a private tour after hours or been an anonymous buyer. Instead he flaunts it. Also, how are their kids supposed to learn the value of a dollar living like this?

[happycat]

I am speechless. You are fabulous!!!

[deluxebrand]

Here's a question. Say you earn $50,000 and spend $200 on a poster to hang in your house. How is that any different that someone who makes orders of magnitude more and spends a small fraction on a $1 million painting?

Am I to assume that if you have a lot of money that you earned you should give it away???

On that note, I think Brad & Co do give a huge amount of money to charity, so who cares if he spends money on things he likes.... why is this news at all???

[montecarlo408]

It's actually quite disturbing. I hope she doesn't live anywhere close to those people. The bad thing about the internet is that you don't really know people. She gets really personal. I mean why should she care about what these people do THIS much? I live less than 1 hour from them and I have never gone to N.O. to try to "spot" them. They seem like nice, caring people, though, and everyone in their area has nothing but good things to say about them.

[happycat]

Go sit on a pine cone.

[claptrapa]

What an unpleasant observation. Tsk, tsk.

[mew-too]

Another nasty post vilifying one who disagrees.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Happy Cats alright.

Anyone supporting Obama can't be all bad.

[frontiersperson]

My apologies-- I thought Pitt bought that 24-K gold painting--I got a little bent out of shape about it being gold and it being a million dollars--it's like that damned Damien Hirst diamond encrusted skull. Neo Rauch is a whole different kind of animal. I appreciate his work. Who am I to tell a gillionaire how to spend his money?

[frontiersperson]

If he really wanted to do some good, he would have bought several works, instead of this boring, ostentatious, purely aesthetic painting. There are so many artists that show at Basel, both in Switzerland and in Miami, that have much more provocative and interesting work, that wouldn't have the nerve to have a million dollar price tag--that could USE the patronage of a public figure such as Pitt. Yet again, we see that wealth and taste are not analogous.

[MaggieDoe]

Brad Pitt has been collecting art, artisan furniture, antigue design elements, art nouveau and craftsman silver, pewter, pottery and glass, and black&white photography for nearly 20 years. He buys all the time, not just at Basel. He was reported to have purchased several pieces last year. If you don't care for Rauch I'm sure you can acknowledge that it is just a difference in taste.

[andj]

MaggieDoe - he has been collecting.
But from what we have seen of his collection and the way that he has put it all together - well it screams money but lacks taste and style.

[useyourbrain]

But it was reduced from 1,799,999.99! A real bargain. People, it's a buyer's market in the art world.
Support your local art dealer and support the arts. More than ever we need the arts to survive and thrive to nourish our hearts, heads and souls.

[Brett1981]

Has he apologized for Benjamin Button yet?

[Agentlady007]

( He didn't write the story.)

[claptrapa]

I found Benjamin Button to be a striking film in its cinematic elegance but tediously long.

[WarriorLemming]

They do some films just for the trot to the bank they have very little shame and certainly not enough to apologise. ;)

[roannamac]

Just love him.

[LMPE]

I've been to Basel. Really cool place.

[DirtyMoon]

Lucky, I would have loved to run into Brad Pitt at my local art museum!

[Agentlady007]

I like the gold painting. It says so many things. It also looks like wallpaper to me. Could make the same thing with a similar pattern and cut outs with 14 inch square samples.

[andj]

its really neat as wall paper - but a bit on the pricey side for what it is - wallpaper

[happycat]

Funny, I too said that it looks like wallpaper. Great minds, Agentlady!

[Agentlady007]

Seriously, buy a nice natural sponge:
http://www.natural-sea-sponge.com/Clients/NaturalSeaSponge/images/NATURAL%20SPONGE%20BIG%20DECO2.jpg

and dip it in gold leaf paint and sponge it all over an off white wall. It can be three times the size and just as cool. Worth 3 million. Instant wallpaper.

( Great minds think alike. I agree.)

[deezz nuttz]

you people aren't reading....he didn't BUY the gold painting...he bought "Etappe".......so all of your...I am sure...educated critiques of "end of knowledge" are even less important now...if thats possible......ijs....

[Tyler-Durden]

who?

[wonder6789]

The more I find out about them, the more I find Pitt and Jolie to be a courageous, intellectually curious, politically aware couple that transcends by a long shot the tabloid rich & famous strereotype.

[Agentlady007]

No one is supernatural.

[wonder6789]

They have nothing to do with the supernatural.

[shout]

Good God, who's drinking the Brangelina kool aid? The only thing they 'transcend' is the old style of marketing, but it is still marketing. Just think about the public nature of everything they do and everything they get involved with. Their image is very carefully managed by a very sophisticated PR machine. Get a grip already. Please keep in mind how many hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake when it comes to the Brangelina brand.

[deluxebrand]

actually as someone that knows them, you are dead wrong about how they live their lives. It is not some orchestrated PR thing. Sure, they are careful with their public lives but wouldn't you be if you were in their shoes.

[lioness39]

Not my taste but whatever floats his boat.

[philosopherkingtomas]

He should run for Senate against Vitter the hound

[Aesthete]

Over a year ago, I attended an exhibit of "Voom Portraits" by American artist, Robert Wilson in which Brad Pitt and a number of other celebrities (for lack of a better word) were participants. In this context I hate the word "celebrity" because one got to see them in ways you'll never see on the popular movie screen. The artist's presentation of them in this work was most unique.

[zizyphus]

Please Mr. Pitt, come to the BIg Island of Hawaii and look for artwork. We have thousands of artists here, and not many art buyers.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Happycat,

You ought to stop nickel and dimming the guy. He does good work.

Do you attack Al Gore the same way? He jet sets all the time.

[happycat]

No. Al Gore is a great guy. I see Brad Pitt for what he is. We will never agree on this.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

And agree about so muc, happycat.

Why do you have to be wrong on this?

:)