Kmart shoppers accustomed to hunting for bargains on dishracks and bath mats can also take home works of art by Pablo Picasso and other renowned artists starting this week.
The retail chain will begin auctioning off a wealth of fine and rare art from its Michigan headquarters.
The discount retailer better known for selling casual clothing and household needs is offering up a rare Picasso tapestry worth an estimated $25,000, a 15th-Century Ming Dynasty lotus-flower watercolor on silk, and a work by painter and Apollo astronaut Alan Bean autographed by more than 20 United States astronauts, among other works of fine art.
“It’s not uncommon to find great art in companies that have been around for many years. They purchased most of the art back in the 1970s, when the market didn’t command such pricey price tags,” said Michael Weissman of National Retail Equipment Liquidators.
He did admit to being excited about the Picasso and the Ming-era works. “They truly look like museum pieces,” he said.
Highlights include a book autographed for a former CEO by supermodel and former Kmart pitchwoman Kathy Ireland, and items from a 1970s promotional campaign from onetime “Charlie’s Angels” star Jaclyn Smith, who once had a Kmart clothing line.
Trouble is, of course, they do know what this stuff is really worth. It’s not like rummaging through a garage sale.
Good thing I have a 25% off coupon for the auction.
Forget Picasso, I would much rather have a poster of Kathy Ireland.
These days, the word “patriotism” doesn’t always seem to mean what it used to, but seeing Kathy Ireland in a red, white, and blue bikini certainly brings a rush of feelings… that’s patriotism, right?
It’s peculiar when corporations buy expensive art like the items now being sold from K-Mart headquarters. Corporate officers and boards just don’t seem to feel a great deal of loyalty to stockholders. It turns out that the fine art did show good value appreciation, but the fact is that they were purchased for the enjoyment and glorification of K-Mart’s corporate officers.
But I digress from what’s really important. Looking at Ms. Ireland, there must be some sort of joke about a flagpole, but I won’t even go there.