Jennifer Aniston Buys $450,000 Painting at Charity Auction
Jennifer Aniston had no limit when it came to a piece of art by Glenn Ligon. Aniston, with the help of her boyfriend Justin Theroux, bought Stranger #44, an abstract 2011 work of oil, charcoal and graphite on canvas for $450,000 at the Artists for Haiti charity auction.
Theroux handled the bidding duties as the price for Stranger #44 skyrocketed, but Aniston eventually wound up with the piece. The New York Post reports that Aniston also set a record for a Ligon piece.
Ben Stiller and David Zwirner’s auction brought in big celebrities like Susan Sarandon, John McEnroe, and Bill Clinton, who helped the foundation raise $13.7 million.
An unnamed source told the NYP:
“People were clapping and cheering, which rarely happens at art auctions. The auctioneer was right out of central casting, and she was joking with Ben in the front row.”
According to E!, Stranger #44 was valued at between $150,000 and $200,000. Aniston paid more than double that for the 6-foot painting, which to me, looks like a brick wall.
Here’s a look at Ligon’s piece.
Artists like Ligon donate their artwork for the Artists for Haiti auction, and all the money raised by the auction goes to nonprofit organizations like Architecture for Humanity, J/P HRO, Partners In Health, and The Stiller Foundation, to continue their work in Haiti. Christie’s, which hosted the auction, also waived their commission fee.
Stiller said:
“We are so grateful to all of the artists who dedicated their time and talent to help raise an extraordinary amount of money that will be utilized as efficiently and quickly as possible to help the people of Haiti. Christie’s and David Zwirner Gallery worked very hard to make this a success and I am thankful to have them as partners in this effort.”
Jennifer Aniston dropped a ton of cash on the Ligon piece, but her purchase wasn’t the most expensive. A Marlen Dumas sold for $2,000,000 and a Luc Tuymans sold for $1,150,000
Would you ever spend a million dollars on a painting?
