AP - Entertainment
January 21, 2005 4:15 PM

Costco sells Picasso 'doodle'

By
Leslie Katz
Topics
Picasso doodle Most folks head to Costco for a 24-pack of toilet paper, a lifetime supply of rice and some reasonably priced patio furniture.

But on Wednesday, one buyer nabbed a far swankier item from the discount warehouse's Web site: an original crayon-on-paper drawing of a face by 20th century master Pablo Picasso. The work, signed and dated Nov. 29, 1970, by the artist, comes with a handwritten and signed declaration of authenticity by Picasso's daughter Maya. The 9-inch by 13.75-inch framed image sold for $39,999.99, according to the site.

Orlando, Fla., art dealer Jim Tutwiler, who sold the artwork to the retail giant's Web site, has described the piece as a "doodle" that Picasso likely sold for goods or services.

While Costco is best-known for deals on bulk items such as paper towels and chicken wings, its Web site offers a range of goods from consumer electronics and appliances to jewelry and apparel. And art.

Tutwiler, who has been selling art through Costco for a decade, said collectors can find bargains at the retailer because its markup is one-tenth that of traditional galleries. The doodle marked the second Picasso that Tutwiler has sold through the retailer; the first went to a buyer in San Francisco for $35,000 in November. Art aficionados will find other works by famed artists among Costco's online inventory as well. These include, at the moment, a limited-edition hand-signed and pencil-numbered lithograph from an original gouache by Salvador Dali that's going for $1,419.99.

Picasso, a Spanish-born painter, printmaker and sculptor, is best known for his blue and pink periods--during which, as their names suggest, the artist primarily painted in those two colors--and his Cubist works.

And while some might scoff at the notion of purchasing fine art from a discount retailer, the savvy Picasso buyer could receive a rebate of up to 2 percent if the work was charged to a Costco-American Express card.

  • Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and myriad other digital distractions. As a co-host of the now-retired CNET News Daily Podcast, she was sometimes known to channel Terry Gross and still uses her trained "podcast voice" to bully the speech recognition software on automated customer service lines. E-mail Leslie.

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