Acquisition: Gerald Green Illustration

In 1913, banking magnate J.P. Morgan Sr. passed away at age 75.  To his son, Jack, and a multitude of other heirs and philanthropic entities, he left an estate valued at nearly $70 million.  Of this staggering sum, which equates to many billions in today's dollars, $50 million was tied up in the world's most impressive private art collection.  So valuable was J.P.'s collection, in fact, that even a family of The Morgans' magnificent wealth was strained to cover the inheritance tax on it, not to mention proper accommodations for its display.  Not long after J.P.'s death, Jack felt it necessary that he begin disbursing his father's collection through generous donations and lucrative sales.

To this day, Morgan's collection is famous for its incredible diversity.  A testament to variety in art, it encompassed predominant works in a vast array of mediums by a plethora of renowned artists.  It did not, however, include this illustration of Gerald Green, which today became the inaugural piece in my own art collection.  With all due respect to Mr. Morgan and his Renoirs and Manets, the so-called masters of art never composed anything that moved me quite like this.  As a collector of fine art, I think we can all agree I am off to a prodigious start.

Please note that this magnificent piece was created by Dustin Watson, who skillfully depicts the NBA in all its artistic glory.  My photograph does not do his work justice --- that was kind of my intent, as I encourage you to visit his own blog as well as his online store for proper scans.  I suggest you hurry up and purchase a few of his prints before they all end up in museums by way of my estate.