BoingBoing reader Tim Farley says:
Don't know if the explanation for this is similar to those Target items from a few weeks back, but check out this entry at the CostCo website. "Original Crayon Drawing by Pablo Picasso — $39,999.99 — Item # 872759 Shipping & Handling included" And strangely enough, it still has the box to set quantity. I'll take three!
Reader Daniel Geduld adds,
I just thought you might like to know that despite their reputation as a place to find deals, the Costco's Picasso drawing is ludicrously overpriced. In his later life, Picasso became the most obnoxious sort of celebrity- one who uses his fame to never have to pay for anything. He used to make these little sketches, 10 to 12 a day, and tried to pass them off to pay for his luxurious lifestyle.
More than one very expensive restaurant was conned into receiving one of these in exchange for a banquet for Picasso and his friends.Currently, you can get a much larger and, in my opinion, more interesting Picasso on eBay for 250 British pounds. Link. There are also endlessly available hand-signed picasso lithographs which can be bought on eBay for a few hundred dollars. Now if Costco had something from the blue period, I'd be impressed.
And reader Matt Richardson says:
In regard to the comment made by the reader about Picasso making sketches to use as currency: John Lovitz played the part of Picasso in a Saturday Night Live sketch where he tries to pay for everything by sketching on napkins. I saw the sketch a while back and thought it was funny, but didn't realize how true it was.
