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Recently we learned that Brad Pitt had flown into Switzerland to check out some art. It also became known that he made a purchase while he was there, adding to his personal art collection.
The piece that Brad purchased is called “Etappe” which is an oil painting on canvas by Neo Rauch. You can see the painting over here. It sold for a little less than $1 million US.
I find art to be fascinating because it’s so subjective. Personally, I don’t care for the painting that Brad bought. I don’t hate it to the point that I’d be upset at it hanging in my home or anything, but it’s not something I would spend money on myself because it’s not my style. I prefer either Monet or Van Gogh paintings (or on my budget, prints of the paintings!), and I also like photography as art. However, if Brad dropped that much cash on a painting it’s obviously something that he loves.
What do you think of Brad Pitt’s painting purchase?
Images: Newscom
i’m not really a big art fan and that $1 million for a painting is definitely not worth it if i were to be ask but Brad loves Art and he sees it differently – like artists do. and besides, who am i to preach about how he should spend money because it’s his hard earned money and not mine so i think he has the right to purchase whatever he wants in whatever price. i doubt Brad will spend that much money if it isn’t worth it.
sorry for my double post but Sherry, i always go under mod?!
Angela, I don’t have much control over the moderation process, it’s automated by Wordpress. Sometimes comments go in the queue, other times they don’t. In the other post when you thanked Irma, it went through right away. It’s strange what sets the queue off but having it on is the only way to avoid truckloads of spam.
I’ve read art is a great investment, it almost always appreciates in value.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…and as yoco said, art’s a great investment and appreciates in value… I wish it’ll do same with all the shoes that I’ve bought…
Like you say it’s objective. So if he likes it go for it. I don’t care for it. I love the Gold and Creme one he was looking at, I would buy that, not for 1mil, but i guess if i had i like that i probably would. You are right yoco. I likes a house. So he is making an investment, not throwing money away.
sherry, i often have problems when i come on pittwatch: i can’t open the site and all my open webpages close (i don’t know how to explain it in english, btw, maybe other people have the same problem… do you already hear it?)
do you have a link to a pic of the painting that brad bought?
i heard that brad bought a 10.000dollars necklace for shiloh’s birthday and i was really shocked (she has only 3years and can’t make a difference between gold or plastic!) but i’m not sure it’s true. but you know, it isn’t the same thing with art: art is a good investissement, because such painting never lose their value: brad could keep it during 20years and then, he could sell it for double price!
and you know, we can say “it’s scand*lous, they bought st*upid things in place to give money to charity” but it’s the same thing for us: in place of buying a t’shirt from 40dollars, we could buy a t’shirt from 20dollars and give 20dollars to charity! but i think everybody work hard to earn money and can spent it the way he wants (but i really thing that actor’s salaries are scand*lous)!
It is a big possiblity that the artist will the “it” artist one of these days and his paintings will be valuable. He maybe making big waves already in the art world, who knows. I’m not a big fan of that kind of painting but “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”
I wasn’t crazy about what he bought either. But this is a man that makes alot of money and donates alot of money so how he spends his money should be no ones business. It would be interesting to know if Angie also enjoys that type of art.
I think I am the only one here so far who like the art that Brad bought.It’s beautiful & you can tell that he loves race car too. Mad & him went to a race car in Europe last year, my best guess, he may give it to one of his sons when they grow up or just he loves it & can’t pass it up.He can spend his money the way he wanted to spend it, he worked for it.
God bless the Jolie-Pitt’s.
I’m with you Sherry, I much prefer the Old Masters!! I think contemporary art is ugly. However, based on the architecture Brad prefers and that furniture he bought previously at ArtBasel, the man’s taste obviously lends toward the contemporary. I read that he looked at the painting for a long time and then walked away to talk to an American art collector who told him that the painter was worth collecting and if he (Brad) didn’t buy it then he (the collector) would. So Brad bought it. So, it’s not like Brad purchased the thing on a whim, and he does like racing.
Melodie, I don’t think you should believe that story about Brad buying a $10,000 necklace for Shiloh. (The price in one story was $5,000 and in another $15,000.) Nobody would pay that much for a necklace for a child since jewelry rarely goes up in price. A smart Daddy would wait until each of his girls turned 18 and give them something they can charish forever and somehow, I doubt that gift from Brad would be jewelry!! That would be so superficial and so unlike Brad or Angelina.
Oh well, I’m in moderation again.
I’m not an art person but Brad is someone who I guess knows how to appreciate art and sees beauty in it, by all means he can buy whatever he fancies. He works hard and let him enjoy the fruit of his labour. He has Angie & his kids by his side, he has his humanitarian works & I just love & respect him all the more. He believes in himself and those that love him, I don’t think he is disturbed by all the negatives publicity that is revolved around him. Bless them!
I r m a – very good!
You managed to see the immediate image of the painting. The first of the comments 
And yes, they did attend a Formula 1-race. In Monaco, if I’m not entirely mistaken.
“Etappe” can be interpreted far more and deeper than the immediate image though. I can understand that he fell for it. What surprised me most was that he was familiar with the likes of Neo Rauch, he’s one of the better known names of contemporary art (he does well in Europe, but apparently quite the little darling with the Americans) – less hyped than Damien Hirst (the boy-wonder of the contemporaries). Not an entirely bad choice on a whole, seen from an i n v e s t m e n t point of view. But what is most important, as many have pointed out, is that Brad likes the painting and how he himself interprets it. As S h e r r y rather instightfully mentioned – art i s subjective. Some pieces tug at your emotions and likings (or even dislikes) but not someone elses. Every person has a specific reactional and contemplative relationship with a piece.
As for the price, for Rauch it was neither too cheap not too steep…
It was a bit of an American pricetag to be honest (seeing as he’s at a top over the pond). That’s a piece that might climb well ennough though. The motif is dangerously “rendesvouz:ing” with popart in an odd manner, but still stays within the suggestive realms of his rather qurious conservative realism and surrealism. The colourscheme just screams Rauch… which for various reasons may be both good and bad…
(Couldn’t tell I’m in the art-business ranting on and on and on ad infinitum, could ya’?
Haha!)
Anyway, to conclude things (f i n a l l y! – some may think), I’m just positively surprised by his choice. Still well within his own comfort zone I think though. But good enough
Ps. M é l o d i e – I understand what you mean and can agree with you. Actors’ and sportsmen’s wages (just to take the two most obvious examples) are rather disproportionate and “out there”. At least some of them have the good sense and humanity to help others…
I have a minor in Art History. I never really appreciated modern art until I took classes in it. Art says so much about the time and place it was created. It has taken historians years to analyze art, and that is something that modern art does not have yet. Another important thing to remember is that artists are almost always rejected in their time. The Parisians thought the Eiffel Tower to be an eyesoar. The impressionists (Monet) were rejected by the Académie, and they had to get a separate space to display their rejected work. Most citizens only attended to get a good laugh. As for Van Gogh, one only needs to listen to Vincent. He didn’t get the public’s appreciation for his work until 11 years after he took his own life. “They would not listen, they did not know how, perhaps they’ll listen now.”
There is a link in the article to the painting. Here is another link.
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/06/09/brad-pitt-buys-big-at-basel-with-a-little-push-from-eli-broad/
I personally like his choice.
hi.. love your site..
I think he bought it because he feels that it represents him…
I mean symbolicly a racetrack is like the world that needs maintenance… and the people in it trying to maintain it…
or making it right…yeah making the world right again…
it can be painstaking… see the blue men on the floor…
hahah soo much of me translating… it’s lovely piece of art…
I don`t really understand art. I love Chagal though because of the colors of blue and purple which are prominent on his paintings. Although I always visit museums to see the famous paintings on exhibits, I don`t own one. They are not within my reach. I admire and envy Brad to have the money to purchase the art pieces which he loved. He worked for it and even shared his money to those in dire need. He is blessed.
I love art and can therefore understand why Brad bought this painting. It´s really great painting. I agree with Irma. Maybe he bought it for one of his sons. Brad and Mad both love cars and speed so maybe he´ll give it to Mad (or one of the other boys) when they´re older. I don´t think that Angie will be angry with Brad for spending that kind of money for a painting. It´s after all Brad´s own money – not their money – that he´s spending on whatever he wants to. And I´m sure he bought something expensive for her when she had her b-day a week ago. Imagine that the twins´ first b-day is only a month away. They must be big already. Can´t wait to see new pics of them. God bless the JPs!
The painting is… weird o.O
I could think of better ways to spend million dollars if I had them:P
From Perez Hilton:P But it’s funny:) :
Russian traffic police have recruited Brad Pitt to help slow traffic in Siberia.
That sounds insane!
Cardboard cutouts of the actor dressed as a traffic cop have been placed by the most dangerous intersections in the city of Omsk.
Apparently, the campaign is working because officials claim accidents are down while drivers slow down to gaze.
They are probably wondering what the hell is going on!!!!
Pitt is “kind of like a colleague for us,” said Dmitry Ziryanov, a local official who came up with the idea.
Weird!
We think they should put them up in El Lay!!!
The photogs would be so confused!
meems: i’m studying history at the university and i have a minor in art history too.
i love modern art and i ove brad’s choice!
do you already saw some jeff koons’s creations? they are awful but people can buy it for millions dollars!
i’m a fan of F1, it’s really popular in europe!
so i would like to have such a painting! lol
I’ve just read the “real story” article in People. I’m a little bit disappointed – they don’t publish anything that we didn’t already know;)
Just read the Australian version (Who) and I did at least find it reassuring in absolutely countering the stories – I was beginning to wonder just because the rumours seemed more relentless than before and there was a lot of that before Jen and Brad split. However I do have great faith in this family!
It is hilarious how Angie and Brad can not sneeze without something being written about them. This is so unusual! Guess there are no other couples out there that the mags feel that they can stalk.
I personally like it!
But I understand that there are people who doesn’t like it too.After all you are right Sherry,art is so subjective…
I love this painting, it has wonderful flow and movement.
The Arts is one of the corner stones to civilisation it is what we live for and what we try to protect. I sometime think everyone is so caught up in buying throw away piece be it furniture or art (ie IKEA) because it is affordable, that they forget if you spend a little more and get a really good piece it will last your forever and can be passed down to generations to come. I can’t stand prints, I am a strong believer that if you are buying art by originals and buy what you like it has to hang in your house.
As for the necklace for Shiloh, I don’t see any problem with buying kids good jewelry. I had a little gold ring with my initial on it when I was a baby. I now have it on a charm bracelet.
Kim, I wish I had a bank account that would support originals, but there’s no way in hell I could ever afford to buy the original of my favorite Van Gogh painting (“Starry Night”). Or any of the prints we have for that matter. If I had to wait until I could afford the originals, my walls would still be bare the day I die.
For those of you who mentioned what I said, yep, art definitely IS subjective. My husband and I occasionally have arguments (the joking kind of arguments, we’re not so passionate about visual arts that we would actually scream over it!) over our favorite master painters. While I like Monet well enough, he LOVES Monet. Meanwhile, Van Gogh is my favorite and he hates his work. When we first moved in together I had to get some Van Gogh to hang on the walls to balance out the Monet.
Honestly though, my favorite thing to hang on walls is photography, whether it’s my own or someone else’s. I love photography.
K i m – IKEA has actually turned cult in design circles. They don’t just copy, but also improve and invent new design. They’ve gotten recognition for the designs they put out during the 60’s, 70’s and part of the 80’s. Sure enough, quality in some sense of the word isn’t always synonymous with IKEA, but they’ve got standards.
Naturally, mass production pieces are always held in lower esteem than the exclusive ones. It’s a cultural standard. But then again, the concept of exclusivity and also high quality (chiefly, but not exhaustively) lies in the very fact that they are not available for the general public. They are not meant to. Only a handful, at the most, are priviliged enough to take part of the “art” and the “quality”.
And herein lies the core dilemma of the art discussion today – what is good/bad art, or good/bad taste? We have inherently a distaste for things massproduced or reproduced (not original), though ironically during the 20th century we’ve had a few artistic movements or styles trying to challenge such a viewpoint … but turing into part of the same establishment in the end. Even pop art goes for exclusive.
Don’t quite think this is an area in which one can think in black & white…
S h e r r y – original photography is lovely. And if you want to invest in something that’s still in it’s cradle – it’s definitely photography! Still immensly underrated.
M é l o d i e – didn’t you live in Belgium? In that case, you’ve got one of the most beautiful Formula 1 tracks on earth (SPA Francorchamps)! I love that track… Immensely technical and the devil to drive. But a true thrill. Speed and brains in one track – that’s a rarity now a days.
I’m so off topic now, I’d just better call it a day.
Have a great one PW:ers!
You don’t need to have millions to get original work. (You do if it is a famous person.) Think about all the artists who are not known yet. Buying originals from your local artists is a great way to help the economy by supporting people who are just getting their start and have an original piece in your home.