Updated: Friday, May 18, 2018, 11:14 a.m. EDT: Plot twist—turns out, none other than Sean “Diddy” Combs was the mystery buyer of the Kerry James Marshall painting. The mogul made his bid through another buyer via phone. Marshall’s dealer told the New York Times that Combs was introduced to the artist’s work by fellow producer and art lover Swizz Beats. Buying black and supporting black artists. Take that, take that.
Earlier:
Veteran artist Kerry James Marshall’s Past Times painting sold for more than $21 million at an auction Wednesday night, making it the most expensive art piece ever sold by a living African-American artist. It surpassed a record set by Mark Bradford just two months ago.
Jean-Michel Basquiat still holds the record for the most expensive painting sold by any American artist, including Andy Warhol.
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