Apparently Jay-Z isn’t the only rapper who wants a Picasso in his casa. As the First Choice VIP private view of Art Basel in Miami Beach opened on Wednesday morning, P. Diddy (also known as Sean Combs and previously Puff Daddy) reportedly made a beeline for Galerie Gmurzynska’s booth.
There, the music producer and rapper struck up a conversation with the Zurich, St. Moritz, and Zug-based gallery’s Isabelle Bscher and Mathias Rastorfer. Director Baz Luhrmann, who designed the gallery’s booth, was also on hand (see “A Peek at Baz Luhrmann’s Collaboration for Art Basel in Miami Beach“).
The Pablo Picasso fresco P. Diddy was hoping to buy at Art Basel in Miami Beach
Photo: © artnet News
Bscher and Diddy have had an ongoing working relationship and were most recently pictured together at Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2012. Today Diddy’s attention was locked on a fresco from 1918 by Pablo Picasso, for which the gallery is asking $1.2 million. The work features a woman standing in a half shell and with a cupid to her left.
It’s unconfirmed whether or not the rapper has officially purchased the piece. But it would not be the first time he’s dropped serious dough in Miami. In 2011 Diddy reportedly bought pieces by Tracey Emin and the collective Random International in the fair’s first minutes. And in 2012 he snapped up pieces by Iván Navarro and Brett Murray, among others.
Go to artnet News’s Art Basel in Miami page for the latest coverage, including:
“Miley Cyrus Takes Art Basel, Thanks to Jeffrey Deitch”
“Art Basel in Miami Beach Launches with Public Sector Opening”
“How to Get a Coveted VIP Pass for Art Basel in Miami Beach”