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Casino mogul Steve Wynn just ponied up a groovy $28 million to bring a 2,000 pound statue of Popeye to Las Vegas.
Wynn was the high bigger at a up to date auction that included one among Jeff Koons' Popeye sculptures, that is one among only three that Koons created.
Both Koons and Wynn are larger than life figures of their respective fields. Koons is without doubt one of the most successful (and richest) living artists ever, with a few of his works selling for thousands and thousands of dollars.
His blatant self-promotion and the truth that assistants do nearly all of the work at the art he creates rubs many of us the other way within the art world, however, with some going as far as to name him a fraud and a talent-less hack.
No you'll deny the success that Wynn has had in building several casino empires but he's also a polarizing sort. He's been accused of stealing from his own employees in the past and his love/hate relationship with Donald Trump continues to make headlines.
Wynn claimed he was going to bring Popeye to his namesake casino in Las Vegas, where the larger-than-life comic book character should fit right in.
His purchase of the Popeye statue may appear like a high roller gamble but $28 million is a drop within the bucket to Wynn and it isn't even the priciest piece of art he's owned in his life.
That honor goes to Picasso's original "Le Reve" painting, which Wynn owned and agreed to sell to hudge fund big-wig Steve Cohen for $139 million back in 2006.
Before the deal could close, however, Wynn somehow managed to place his elbow throughout the painting, which necessitated an entire restoration.
That makeoever will need to have been a success, as Wynn did eventually sell the painting to Cohen for $155 million in 2013.
Newer Vegas casinos comparable to the Wynn have made a reputation for themselves catering to well-heeled clientele, so Wynn splashing cash around to make a touch within the art world may well be seen as just another cost of doing business.
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