thanks Mike - on the ball as always

that is a beauty - some of the laz pieces i love - but 37.5k... thats big time! - do think they have massive lasting appeal though and represent a great snap shot of the scene now - the talent is immense

If you like it buy it , but Investment ?

quite frankly, he isnt anything remarkable & the teeth grindingly badly staged wild child "rebel" image he nurtures may get him some PR, but if you are planning to retire on your Choe, then I would forget it - unless you plan on retiring & living of the land in a Mumbai rubbish dump

you could buy some decent art for tht type of money

no one critisised anyones taste - as I said, if you like & have the money, then buy it

Investment wise- Choe is going he same was as D*face, Dolk, Eelus and Insect and the truly shocking Micallef - maybe nice to look at, but a dead end for an investment

Ugly is timeless

It sounded to me like you were, maybe inadvertently, criticising him for his choice of 'investment'. I sit on the same side of the fence as you when it comes to Choe but if we were all as strongly opinionated when it comes to what is and what isn't a good investment we'd all be millionaires in 10 years time (fingers crossed we both will be ).

I'd be interested to hear which artists you'd buy if you had a spare, let's say, £15k?

i'm looking for both... not necessarily an investment that will make a lot - just hold it's value - i'm hoping i've found that - i'll keep you posted - should go through nx week

for £20K $40 K cash you could jet off to the USA and get a good deal on an iconic , top drawer , in demand Warhol and bring it back in yer luggage - thats investment pure and simple and takes advantage of the current economic situation in the States

I think for any investment sticking all your eggs in one basket is madness, it's such a gamble as to who will go up in value you may as well stick it all on number 23 in a game of roulette. It's all about spreading your money about and diversifying your portfolio. Buy 10 artist's £2k works instead of one £20k, you only need one to make it and the gains will counteract the other 9 probable duds.

So saying there's always a little place for high risk investments in your portfolio so if you've got a couple of hundred grand invested in other things then £20k in a painting could provide that 10% of high risk speculation.

>>>- i will only buy what i like and love and have to have BUT i can not afford to blow that kind of coin and have it disappear on me...<<<

I think this is a very fair consideration especially at prices like this. Nobody wants to be out that kind of money. If you're considering buying/investing in work at that price, I take it for granted that you're in love with the work. There is plenty of other art out there at that price level one can buy that they love. That said, you need to look at this equation as to what is your downside? Suppose the credit crunch continues, do you think Choe could trade at a 50% discount which might force you to move your painting in a fire sale? I do believe the global economy is in shaky shape and we're one middle east confrontation away from maybe everything we all own (save for gold and oil exposure) being down 25% overnight. If you can handle the worst case and you love the work, than buy it. Personally, I think Choe has significant long term upside but I am of course biased as I love the work and have yet to meet any other artist in my collecting career that I believe has such an amazing command of the fundamentals mixed with that special intangible that creates wonderful compositions for a viewer like me.

>>>where is it best to buy a choe - ie gallery, commission, ebay<<<

I'm not an ebay guy and Choe is done with commissions. As others said, your best bet is Laz which has a decent supply and Levine which has 2 pieces last I checked.

>>>some of the laz pieces i love - but 37.5k... thats big time<<<

If I remember correctly, that is for Styrofoam Ark and Stereo Confessions and the reason for the premuim on that painting is that it will be a print.

>>>Investment wise- Choe is going he same was as D*face, Dolk, Eelus and Insect and the truly shocking Micallef - maybe nice to look at, but a dead end for an investment<<<

FWIW, I disagree with that sentiment.

>>>for £20K $40 K cash you could jet off to the USA and get a good deal on an iconic , top drawer , in demand Warhol and bring it back in yer luggage - thats investment pure and simple and takes advantage of the current economic situation in the States <<<

Please. What in heavens name are you going to buy that is Warhol for $40k that you consider iconic? I'll help you out here, NOTHING. There is not one thing in the Warhol portfolio that is iconic that you are going to buy for $40k today. Horrific paintings start at about $75k today and decent/average tiny ones (8x10 inches) are going to cost you $150k minimum. Yes, you can buy a print or two but certainly nothing iconic. The electirc chair prints are nice but they're not iconic imo like the canvases are. Those prints have always been VERY difficult sells and even they cost $20k. There are precious few Warhol prints that I consider iconic. Mao will run you $75k to $110k and Marilyn will run you $150k min and $250k max. Those are the only 2 prints that I truly consider iconic. The soup cans are nice especially if you have the entire portfolio but one or two of them is underwhelming and I would caution anyone buying those if investment is part of the equation.

Further, I don't know why you think you're going to get Warhol any cheaper in the US than anywhere else in the world. He is international in demand and only a fool would think that a currecny differential equates to a "deal" on a Warhol.

Lastly, a print from my vantage point has a much less chance of appreciation than an original by any artist with serious talent. We can debate all day long whether or not Choe has talent and I'll leave that for you all to decide. But, I will say that at the price of the most expensive Choe at Laz, $75k- I think you're nuts to buy a print instead if investment is part of the buying equation.

does anyone know what you'd expect to pay for a older and smaller choe pieces nowadays? (like something similar to a Skrunchface drawing or a small soy sauce piece). i haven't seen anything similar go on ebay (although there was that moped piece.. but i forgot how much that went for)