"Do not buy art on cruise ships."

"Do not buy art on cruise ships." So says Mr. Modern Art Notes in response to this article in the New York Times last week about irate art buyers who were disappointed about art they bought at auction on cruise ships. It's hard not to giggle when I think about buying art this way. To say the least, I'm suspicious of buying art aboard any kind of sea craft and from what I can tell from this article, probably would not find the kind of contemporary art I am interested in anyway. But for crying out loud, if you're going to do it, at least do a tiny bit of research ... BEFORE you buy the art. Unlike this guy:

It was only after Mr. Maldonado landed back in California that he did some research on his purchases. Including the buyer’s premium, he had paid $24,265 for a 1964 “Clown” print by Picasso. He found that Sotheby’s had sold the exact same print (also numbered 132 of 200) in London for about $6,150 in 2004.

Jeez. Hard to have sympathy for this Mr. Maldonado. I bet he would buy this picture of George Hamilton made with SPF 30 sunscreen. See here for more giggle-inducing art made from "suspect (questionable) and fugitive (non archival) materials."