Focus on I Can See the Whole Room...and There's Nobody in It! and discuss the Ownership of the artwork, and at auction.
The painting was purchased by art and design director / collector Emily Hall Tremaine and her husband in 1961 for $550. From 1961-87, Tremaine lent the artwork to many exhibitions, and she extensively facilitated reproduction of the artwork in various media. Several photos of the artwork were taken over the years as installed in a glass barn on the Tremaine farmhouse property in Madison, CT. A photograph of an installation view, featuring I can see the whole room… and there’s nobody in it!, was taken as part of Louise Lawler's Tremaine pictures series in 1984. This second artwork has also been in many exhibitions over the years.After Tremaine's death, the painting was sold at Christie's New York for $2.1 million to Steve Ross. His wife, collector Courtney Sale Ross, then sold the artwork for $43.2 million, double its estimate, at Christie's New York.  It surpassed the $42.6 million record set for the artist the previous November by Ohhh...Alright... The following May, it was surpassed by Lichtenstein's Sleeping Girl, which sold for $44.8 million.
Emily Hall Tremaine Steve Ross Sleeping Girl Louise Lawler Christie's Ohhh...Alright...