# Nude Bea Arthur painting sells for 1.9Mil... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519 "2013-05-16T16:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/1 "2013-05-16T16:19:01Z")
Well, uh… there’s that… Link in spoiler because it’s not safe for work or anybody for that matter… [Naked Bea Arthur](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/nude-bea-arthur-painting-by-john-currin-sells-christies-auction_n_3284898.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/2 "2013-05-16T16:20:26Z")
Anonymous, my butt. You’re not fooling anybody, 'Pool! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/3 "2013-05-16T16:30:12Z")
Did Bea Arthur pose for the painting? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/4 "2013-05-16T16:36:54Z")
Now _that’s_ art! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/5 "2013-05-16T16:48:48Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Did Bea Arthur pose for the painting? … in a fun house mirror? … for El Greco? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/6 "2013-05-16T16:53:06Z")
I’ve seen things far worse than that. Seems like a nice painting of a decent-looking woman, to me. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/7 "2013-05-16T17:13:01Z")
Although the words in the title of the o.p. are all from the English language and appear to have a grammatical construction, the semantic content appears to be null as they describe a condition that could not possibly exist in a rational world. Of course, the same could be said of _The Star Wars Holiday Special_, which does, despite George Lucas’ best attemp at Orwellian destruction of history, does still exist, and incidentally also features Bea Arthur doing something unspeakable. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/8 "2013-05-16T17:17:20Z")
Damn, I really hoped the thread title meant a nude _by_ Bea Arthur ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/9 "2013-05-16T17:19:47Z")
“God will get you for that, Currin!” ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/10 "2013-05-16T17:38:26Z")
Betty White could be next. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/11 "2013-05-16T17:59:58Z")
I like it and I don’t understand the posts implying it’s hideous. She was an attractive woman. It’s a nice nude. It’s not like the breasts are painted in a particularly saggy or ugly way. Its it just funny to pretend she’s ugly because she was a Golden Girl? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/12 "2013-05-16T18:12:21Z")
Huh, what I was seeing _was_ saggy, apparently artifically stretched due to it’s NSFWness. Here’s one that’s just ‘[blocked](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/bea-arthur-naked-portrait-sells-2-million-facebook-stir-article-1.1345923?localLinksEnabled=false)’. > [@gaffa](#): > > Did Bea Arthur pose for the painting? In my link Christies says the painting was “imagined” from a photo of her clothed. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/13 "2013-05-16T18:16:55Z")
Anybody else suddenly wanting silver dollar pancakes? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/14 "2013-05-16T18:28:17Z")
Well, yeah, she’s a bit saggy, but not all that much. And not at all wrinkly below her neck. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/15 "2013-05-16T18:33:00Z")
Finally, something to hang opposite of my Estelle Getty nude. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/16 "2013-05-16T18:36:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, yeah, she’s a bit saggy, but not all that much. And not at all wrinkly below her neck. It’s based on a clothed photo so that’s just how the artist imagined her nude. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/17 "2013-05-16T18:40:49Z")
You people really need to see some more _real_ bodies. Here’s the site [shapeofamother.com, breast section](http://theshapeofamother.com/category/breasts/). (NSFW, two-click rule in effect). It’s a non-pornographic site where real women post nude pictures of themselves after childbirth, to make peace with their changed bodies. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/18 "2013-05-16T18:47:16Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > You people really need to see some more _real_ bodies. Amen. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/19 "2013-05-16T18:56:32Z")
She’s got the breasts of an older woman, but they aren’t hideously saggy. Given what i would assume is the average age of Dopers, I’d imagine most of us see something similar when we look in the mirror or at our female partners. Unless your only exposure to female human breast is barely legal porn or something, I would think this painting portrays a perfectly normal set of breasts. I just found it odd that people were saying she’s doing something unspeakable, or that the picture shouldn’t be viewed by anyone (implying it’s horrific to look at). I just assumed the joke must be because she was on TV as a funny older woman or something. I don’t understand. I look at the painting, and it’s a nice nude of an attractive older woman. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519/20 "2013-05-16T20:01:17Z")
Well, it makes more sense to me than this: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16291043&postcount=1](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16291043&postcount=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nude-bea-arthur-painting-sells-for-1-9mil/658519.md?page=2)