This 1932 painting by Grant Wood, “Spring Plowing,” sold for
6.96 million dollars in 2005. At just 18 by 22 inches, this
oil on panel commanded $17,575 per square inch. The most famous Grant Wood painting,
of course, is “American Gothic,” (below)
the priceless cultural icon he painted in 1930.
Wood entered the painting in a competition at the
Art Institute of Chicago and the judges dismissed it as
a “comic valentine,” but a museum patron convinced them
to award the painting the bronze medal and $300 cash prize.
That patron also convinced the Art Institute to buy the painting.
It remains there to this day. God bless that nameless patron. Amen.
6.96 million dollars in 2005. At just 18 by 22 inches, this
oil on panel commanded $17,575 per square inch. The most famous Grant Wood painting,
of course, is “American Gothic,” (below)
the priceless cultural icon he painted in 1930.
Wood entered the painting in a competition at the
Art Institute of Chicago and the judges dismissed it as
a “comic valentine,” but a museum patron convinced them
to award the painting the bronze medal and $300 cash prize.
That patron also convinced the Art Institute to buy the painting.
It remains there to this day. God bless that nameless patron. Amen.
