Thursday, February 26, 2009

The photographer and the pawnshop

The New York Times's Allen Salkin reported on Tuesday that photographer of the stars Annie Liebovitz has recently borrowed a lot of money, putting her house in Rhinebeck and other assets - including her famous photos - as collateral.

"In other words," The Times article reads, "according to loan documents filed with the city, one of the world’s most successful photographers essentially pawned every snap of the shutter she had made or will make until the loans are paid off."

She took $15.5 million from the pawnshop, I mean, Art Capital Group.

That amount, coincidentally, is exactly how much money I needed to coat my Chevy with gold, diamonds and $100 bills which would themselves have been coated with gold, diamonds and $50 bills, because that's how I roll.

So I feel her pain, and I'm pretty sure Freeman readers who are in serious need of $15.5 million do too.

I wonder how much money I could get for my car's AM-FM radio.

Liebovitz has recently been signing her ($40) book, "Annie Liebovitz at Work," at Merrit Bookstore in Millbrook and at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck.