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Drunken Decision Made Hugh Grant a Profit of £11 Million
Imagine buying a painting for £2 million and selling it a few years later for £13 million. Such a stunt would require a lot of sobriety. Grant pulled it off…and he was not sober.
Hugh Grant, in what one would call a sobering confession, says he was drunk when he made a decision to purchase a painting that would six years later net him a profit of £11 million. The painting in question was that of Elizabeth Taylor by Andy Warhol.
The star, best known for his appearance in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral bought the painting back in 2001 for £2 million and offered it for sale less than a decade later for £13 million.
Although the transaction earned him the reputation of a talented art collector, Grant says the purchase decision in this case was not preceded by any serious thought and/or consideration. Prior to asking his assistant to put in a bid, the 49-year-old actor had been on a drinking binge with his dad.
"I was thinking about some stuff in the Sotheby's auction when I saw the Liz Taylor," says Grant. This was the genesis of the £2 million bid that Grant soon won.
Surprisingly though, Grant is not all smiles regarding the £13 million painting sale. In his own words: "I slightly regret selling it now, even though it made me rich." This is regardless of the fact that no picture before Grant's had raked in as much.
Indeed, before Grant's drunken decision finally paid off, £7.7 million was regarded the highest price ever offered for any of the artwork.
However, according to Grant, some of his drunken gestures did not pay off. For instance, his choice of airline back to New York did not go down well with his father.
For now, the actor, who is known for his guarded private life and a penchant for honesty, does not seem concerned that this revelation could effectively dent his reputation as a shrewd art collector.
References/Article Source
Daily Mail. (2009, December 13). Hugh Grant: 'I Was Drunk When I Bought Elizabeth Taylor Painting that Made £11m Profit. Retrieved October 9, 2012, from the Daily Mail website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1235452/Hugh-Grant-I-drunk-I-bought-Elizabeth-Taylor-painting-11m-profit.html
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