Good Buy Norma Jean

Wow, you're forever hearing the art market is red hot, but this is a real s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Marilyn Monroe apparently tried her hand at painting once upon a time, and the result was sold at auction on June 4th for $78,000 (US). (Yes, that figure is in United States dollars and not, say, the obsolete Finnish Markkaa.) Amazing, the value her name added to this painting of a rose supposedly done for JFK (not going there). If "Joe Blow" had painted this horror of a still life, it would be worth $2 (US) - maybe, if the savvy shopper had cataracts in both eyes - at a garage sale. Actually, this probably has nothing at all to do with the "art" market, and everything to do with the "Marilyn Monroe" market - where a used brassiere can elicit a frenzy of bidding. (Ick. As bad as used shoes.)