We already know that Madonna once possessed several works by Basquiat (which were eventually destroyed by the artist—see Madonna Says Jean-Michel Basquiat Took Back and Destroyed Paintings He Gave Her) and is the proud owner of one of only five paintings Frida Kahlo created during her time in Detroit (which she refused to loan to the Detroit Institute of Arts for their current exhibition—see Madonna Refused to Loan a Frida Kahlo Painting to Detroit Institute of Arts for Blockbuster Show). But what else does the Material Girl’s art collection, rumored to be worth over $100 million, hold? Here’s a look by ArtNetNews at some of the work she’s acquired over the years.
Fernand Legér, Les Deux Bicyclettes displayed in one of Madonna’s homes.
Photo: Architectural Digest
1. Fernand Léger
Madonna began seriously collecting in 1987, when she purchased Fernand Legér’s Les Deux Bicyclettes (1944) for just $1 million—a steal given today’s prices for a similar work.
Fernand Legér, Trois Femmes à la Table Rouge (Three Women at the Red Table) (circa 1921).
Photo: Sotheby’s.
In 2013, Madonna sold another Legér, Trois Femmes à la Table Rouge (Three Women at the Red Table), at Sotheby’s for $7.2 million. She donated the proceeds to her own Ray of Light Foundation, which supports education projects for girls in the Middle East and South Asia.
Tamara de Lempicka, Nana de Herrera (1928).
Photo: artnet
2. Tamara de Lempicka
The singer bragged about her extensive collection of Tamara de Lempicka paintings in a 1990 interview with Vanity Fair. “I have a ton of her paintings in New York,” she said. “I have a Lempicka museum.”
Lempicka, a Polish Art Deco painter widely thought of as “the first woman artist to be a glamour star,” has been a favorite of celebrity collectors since the 1930s. Her colorful, graphic style and feminine subjects make her an obvious choice for the pop star and fashion icon.
Man Ray, Kiki de Montparnasse (1932).
3. Man Ray
At the time, Madonna reportedly had a nude photograph of Kiki de Montparnasse by Man Ray in her Los Angeles living room, alongside an image of boxer Joe Louis shot by Irving Penn (see 12 Artists Who Do BDSM Better Than 50 Shades of Grey).
Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait with Monkey (1940).
Photo: artnet
4. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
She also had a painting of a female nude by Diego Rivera, and Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey (1940). Then, of course, there is Kahlo’s My Birth. “If somebody doesn’t like this painting,” Madonna told Vanity Fair in 1990, “then I know they can’t be my friend” (see Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Blockbuster at Detroit Institute of Arts Traces a Tragic Romance).
Pablo Picasso, Buste de femme à la frange (1938).
Photo: artnet
5. Pablo Picasso
It’s clear that Madonna is partial to making truly blue-chip purchases, and prefers the modernists above all else. In 2000, at Christie’s she payed almost $5 million for Picasso’s Buste de Femme à la Frange (1938) (see Picasso’s Granddaughter Is Selling $290 Million Worth of His Art).
Marilyn Minter, Green Pink Caviar (2008).
Photo: Courtesy Marilyn Minter Studio
6. Marilyn Minter
While she may gravitate toward undisputed classics like Picasso and Kahlo, her collection isn’t without some contemporary influence. She is rumored to own at least one Damien Hirst, and is also an avid fan of Marilyn Minter. She even used one of Minter’s videos, Green Pink Caviar, as part of her 2008 “Sweet and Sticky” tour. “She’s owned my work for years,” Minter told the Los Angeles Times. “She’s always been a fan” (for more on Minter see Spotlight on Art Basel Miami Beach 2013).
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