Heard it through the Grapevine

Hidden Treasure? The Trail Just Got a Lot Less Rocky

Edited from articles in the Associated Press and The Guardian, with smart comments added by Ralph Finch

In mid-June, various newspapers reported: “A 13th-century bronze chest filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables worth more than $1 million and hidden a decade ago somewhere in the Rocky Mountain wilderness has been found.”

The chest had been tucked away by art and antiquities collector Forrest Fenn, an Air Force veteran turned art dealer, who hid his treasure somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in 2010. Hundreds of thousands have hunted for the chest, many quit their jobs to search for it, and at least five people died looking for it.

The clues to the treasure’s whereabouts were hidden in a 24-line poem that was published in his 2010 autobiography, The Thrill of the Chase. Fenn said: “It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than ten years ago. The poem in my book led him to the precise spot.”

Fenn said he hid the treasure as a way to tempt people to get into the wilderness and give them a chance to launch an oldfashioned adventure and expedition for riches. He said the chest weighs twenty pounds and its contents another twenty.

"I give a heartfelt thank you to Forrest for his wild and wonderful adventure that gave me new places to explore, peacefulness, joy, wonder, and a challenge like no other," one searcher commented.

TOP: The treasure map and poem with clues. BELOW: The chest of riches and Forrest Fenn.

Heard it through the Grapevine

A $10 Lunch Sold for $750,000!

By art critic Ralph Finch

Is this art? Well, it shows a bottle of orange pop (oooooh) and a bottle of ketchup (another oooooh) and a hamburger. That, no doubt, IS art.

But, it was offered at auction last June with a minimum bid of $600,000! Why? Because Heritage, the auction house, estimated its worth at $1,200,000$1,800,000. And it didn’t even include a frame!

This oil on canvas from 1961, by Wayne Thiebaud (1920-present), is called “Orange Drink.”* Lot 77021 sold on June 18 for a bargain(?) $750,000 plus a buyer’s premium. (But remember, if you turn the bottle in you get a 10-cents deposit back!)

*This may fall in the TMI category, but at about age twelve I was introduced to Orange Crush. While those amber bottles didn’t provide a lot of pop, they held an incredible taste! At that time, not knowing better, I thought this yummy experience had to be among the best in the world. Editor’s note: About the artist, Wikipedia notes that Thiebaud is “an American painter known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects — pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries and hot dogs. He is associated with the pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, although his early works, executed during the ’50s and ’60s, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists.”

“For centuries, artists painted tabletop arrangements of fruits, flowers and vegetables,” Heritage director of modern and contemporary art Holly Sherratt added. “With an overflowing basket of fries, full bottle of orange soda, Thiebaud adopted a playful visual language more fitting for American tastes in the age of mass consumption.” Heritage was the Dallas auction house that offered the Thiebaud painting.

Art is strange, I’ve known that for decades. Many years ago the Detroit News art critic retired and, as a parting gift and knowing I was a glass collector, gave me a piece of glass. And after all these years I still don’t know what it is.

TOP LEFT: This prized painting by a legendary artist known for his portrayals of everyday items ranging from lipsticks to paint cans to his most famous subject, colorful still life portraits of assorted desserts, was projected to bring well over $1 million in Modern & Contemporary Art Auction June 18 in Dallas, Texas. Wayne Thiebaud's "Orange Drink," 1961, is a classic work by the renowned American artist who will celebrate his 100th birthday in November. TOP RIGHT: Here is a bottle of the old-time, delicious Orange Crush, still enjoyed today! BOTTOM RIGHT: This photo, dated 1925, was found on the internet. When I was twelve, I think I could have finished off all this sweet juice in about an hour … maybe an hour and ten minutes if you add in all the potty breaks.