Recent Conversations with Nick C, #5.

Nick C, quite accidentally it seems, has stumbled upon an auction house in Berkeley that holds auctions for the public every couple of months or so.

At the most recent one they sold some Artist Series First Growth Bordeaux from the Seventies, some Ming vases, random paintings, a Picasso lithograph (Is that right, Nick?), and all kinds of furniture and stuff.  All of these things (except the 800 year old vases) went for very "reasonable" prices, which is pretty damn cool.

It reminds me of the great auction scene in An Education.  You know, there used to be a time when moderately well-off, or even smart frugal middle-class folks could buy art at auctions, build stunning collections.  Now, all we can afford are nicely mounted prints of great works of art.  We can not be like Dominic Cooper in An Education and just buy a Burne-Jones because we think "the Pre-Raphaelites are coming back."

Next auction; Nick C, Oscar, Shawn, and I should go wearing matching suits, ear pieces, and sunglasses; pool our money together, and take over the auction.

I will keep you posted.

Burne-Jones, Love Among the Ruins

xxxoooxxx