See The Topless Bea Arthur Painting That Sold For Almost $2 Million

Bea Arthur might not be the first Hollywood actress people think of when the word topless comes up, but back in 1991, acclaimed artist John Currin decided to imagine the no-nonsense Golden Girls star in such a state. He procured a photograph, mentally removed the top and painted as accurate of a representation as he could. Not surprisingly, the result turned out to be some combination of jarring and beautiful. This week, it sold at auction for an incredible amount of money, and not surprisingly, a picture of the artwork is making its way around the Internet.

Technically, since it’s a piece of fine art, viewing it is probably safe for some offices, but it’s definitely not safe for all offices. So, please be advised you are about to see an artist’s depiction of boobs if you scroll down the page any further

There’s no denying how fascinating that picture is, but the amount it sold for is still turning heads. According to the New York Daily News, an unnamed bidder picked up the artwork for $1.9 million during an auction at Christie’s. That might not even compare to some of the prices other pieces of art have sold for, but for a painting of an older woman with her boobs hanging out, that’s still pretty incredible.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I really want to know where the new owner is going to hang this in his house. It strikes me as a goofy guest bathroom piece, but it’s entirely possible this will be the showstopper placed on the wall directly across from the front door.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.