Overvalued/Undervalued: Works That Didn’t Sell at the Armory

On the Money

Scott King, “Ludwig Wittgenstein (on Certainty)” (2008), $4,500

King’s silkscreen on paper of Wittgenstein’s obscure rumination on taste and toast is at once a hilarious send-up of the philosopher’s obsession with lightly toasted bread and a deep reflection on the human condition.

Though culled from another discipline, the quotation is a marvelous maxim for art collectors or critics who are confronting and assessing works of art. You often can’t explain the reason for liking one artwork over another, yet you have no hesitation expressing that preference.

King’s jokester approach and clever appropriation demonstrate an acute ear for popular culture, and this modestly priced multiple (from an edition of 3) is likely to grow even more interesting with time.

Courtesy Bortolami