Culture
15:06, 19-May-2018
Sean Combs buys Kerry James Marshall painting for $21 million
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Hip-hop star Sean Combs, also well known as rapper P. Diddy, has been revealed as the buyer of Kerry James Marshall’s “Past Times,” the masterpiece that sold at Sotheby's New York for 21 million US dollors.
The price paid Wednesday was believed to set a record for a work by a living African-American artist.
Kerry James Marshall / VCG Photo
Kerry James Marshall / VCG Photo
Past Times, which shows African-Americans picnicking, waterskiing and listening to music in a Chicago park had been displayed in the South building of McCormick Place for years. It was bought originally in 1997 for 25,000 US dollars by Chicago's Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA).
Marshall's art dealer, Jack Shainman confirmed that Sean Combs was the buyer. He said it meant a lot that the painting has found a home in a collection with purpose and an eye toward preserving legacy.
Marshall was born in Alabama, and he grew up in Los Angeles before becoming a Chicago resident. He specializes in depicting scenes of African-American life.