President Biden’s troubled son Hunter did not mince words in responding to critics of the stunning prices that his paintings have been fetching.
On the “Nota Bene: This Week in the Art World” podcast, the issue came up when the host began “You seem to have good spirits around the crazed narrative around your paintings. How do you- what’s the response to the people who are coming after the prices of the work, the collectors, what is your response to that?”
Biden responded to the favorably phrased question angrily, “Other than f***’em?” he shot back. Biden’s paintings have been selling for as much as $500,000, the 51-year-old man professes not be playing any part in setting those prices.
“I would be amazed you know if my art had sold at, um you know, for $10,” he said.
The younger Biden’s paintings have reportedly been selling for between $75,000 and $500,000. Asked about the potential for influence-peddling, the White House has defended Hunter’s right to sell his art work and has claimed that he’s not involved in conversations about price, which are handled by his gallery.
Implicitly, Biden seemed to recognize what it was that was driving up prices “the price is completely subjective and sometimes it has nothing to do with anything other than, you know, the moment,” he explained.
The gallery selling Biden’s art will also be keeping the identities of buyers secret, so as to head off any accusations of influence peddling, although nothing is in place to stop the buyers from publicly identifying themselves.
This is not the first time that Biden has been accused of using his father’s name and position to make money. Most famously, Biden secured a lucrative position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, when Joe Biden was vice president despite having never distinguished himself in the field. Biden fils hauled in $50,000 a month for his hard work in that capacity.