If you were a billionaire, would you spend a ludicrous amount of money on a piece of art? Let’s face it, this portrait by Picasso is not exactly an amazingly good picture, is it? You can find this sort of thing in just about any art gallery in the country; with something like this it is merely the name you are bidding on.

I wonder what Pablo himself would have to say about it. He’d probably have a damn good belly-laugh over the amount it went for. The fact that it has rarely been seen before does not automatically make it anything particularly special. It’s the same principle as someone discovering a ‘never before heard’ recording of Jimi Hendrix blowing his nose. Someone out there would be quite willing to spend a small fortune just to have it in their collection.

It’s a hard lesson for an artist to learn, isn’t it? Most painters will struggle to sell their work throughout their career (and only get a pittance if they ever do), but as soon as they are in the ground it will go for millions! Mind you, I don’t think Picasso struggled very much; he achieved quite a lot during his working life. I am thinking more about other great painters.

Look at poor Vincent van Gogh, he only managed to sell two paintings in his entire life and now they go for a crazy amount of money. What a bummer. At one time, Vince’s ‘Sunflowers’ became the most valuable painting in the world. I think they were sold for around £18m. Is that even ethical? How can anyone justify spending that amount on one picture? Think of all the good you could do in the world with that much money.

It really is a crazy world. Or rather, the world is fine and its inhabitants are nuts.

You all know, I sometimes look into online businesses as a matter of interest and I have lately found a business that does online human resource software. I am actually really considering buying some shares in it. It just seems like such a simple idea that can save a lot of people a lot of money…