Time’s Barbara Kiviat regrets the magazine’s decision to donate their Andy Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson to the National Portrait Gallery. After all, the magazine could use some cash right about now. But then, again, she’s clever enough to see that the supposed $1m sale was highly suspicious since the gallery now claims the painting will be coming back to the gallery for re-sale soon:

Perhaps, had we known the direction news publishing would take, we would have held onto our Warhol. Because the one with the green background reportedly just sold for more than a million dollars. (Although accounts of the sale—to a “speculator” who immediately handed it back to the gallery—make me wonder if there isn’t something a little weird going on.[…])

Anyway, I am now curious to know what ever happened to that Shepard Fairey portrait of Obama we used for the 2008 Person of the Year cover. Fairey’s original Obama “Hope” collage was recently donated to the National Portrait Gallery by the lobbyists Tony and Heather Podesta. I’m hoping we held onto ours this time around. Given 25 years, it might prove to be a great investment.

Andy Warhol’s Michael Jackson portrait goes up for auction. Can print media be saved? (Curious Capitalist/Time)