Torpedo...Los!: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 21:36, 20 May 2012

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'''''Torpedo...Los!''''' is a 1963 oil on canvas painting by [[Roy Lichtenstein]]. When it last sold in 1989, ''[[The New York Times]]'' described the work as "a comic-strip image of sea warfare".<ref name=AdKWSARa$M/> Like many of Lichtenstein's works it's title comes from the [[speech balloon]] in the painting. The source of the image is "Battle of the Ghost Ships?" in [[D.C. Comics]]' ''Our Fighting Fources'', no. 72 (October 1962) although the content of speech balloon is different (this is edition number 72 according to some sources and 71 (a) according to others).<ref name=RLDW>{{cite book|title= Roy Lichtenstein|author=Waldman, Diane|date=1993|publisher=[[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum]]|pages=96&ndash;97|isbn=0-89207-108-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://image-duplicator.com/main.php?work_id=0118&year=1963&decade=60|title=Torpedo...LOS!|accessdate=2012-05-20|publisher=Lichtenstein Foundation}}</ref>

On November 7, 1989 ''Torpedo...Los!'' sold at [[Christie's]] for $5.5 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5.5|1989|r=1}}}} million in {{CURRENTYEAR}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) to Zurich dealer Thomas Ammann, which was a record for a [[work of art]] by Lichtenstein.<ref name=AdKWSARa$M>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/09/arts/a-de-kooning-work-sets-a-record-at-20.7-million.html|title=A de Kooning Work Sets A Record at $20.7 Million|accessdate=2012-05-09|date=1989-11-09|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Reif, Rita}}</ref> The sale was described as the "highpoint" of a night in which Christie's achieved more than double the total sales prices of any other [[contemporary art]] auction up to that date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/06/arts/art-prices-are-still-astonishing-but-fever-seems-to-be-cooling.html|title=Art Prices Are Still Astonishing, But Fever Seems to Be Cooling|accessdate=2012-05-09|date=1989-12-06|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Reif, Rita}}</ref> The seller of the work was Beatrice C. Mayer, the widow of [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago]] founder and board member Robert B. Mayer as well as daughter of [[Sara Lee Corporation]] founder [[Nathan Cummings]].<ref name=A>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/03/arts/auctions.html|title=Auctions|accessdate=2012-05-09|date=1989-11-03|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Reif, Rita}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB37331AD0EB121&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Donors cite need for new art museum|accessdate=2009-08-23|date=1991-01-29|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|author=Gillespie, Mary}}</ref> ''Torpedo...Los!'' was expected to sell for $3 to 4 million at the time.<ref name=A/> Prior to the sale the work was part of the Robert B. Mayer Memorial Loan Program and was exhibited at colleges and museums.<ref name=A/> In 1991, Mayer became one of the key benefactors of the new Museum of Contemporary Art Building.<ref name=Tesoanam>{{cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB37331A6F45D82&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Trustees endow success of a new art museum|accessdate=2009-08-23|date=1991-01-29|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|author=Gillespie, Mary}}</ref>