By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com
Artist Brendan O'ConnellWalmart and high-priced art aren't often mentioned in the same sentence. But artist Brendan O'Connell turns the Walmart shopping experience into upmarket culture. His paintings, the largest of which fetch about $40,000, often feature the colorful displays, iconic blue-vested employees, and bargain-hunting shoppers at the ubiquitous warehouse store. Interested in how people interact with their environment, O'Connell zoomed in on the grocery store and made Walmart his setting of choice.
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No, O'Connell didn't sit with an easel in the middle of Aisle 5. Rather, beginning in 2003 he traveled the country taking pictures inside Walmart stores and recreating the images on canvas later in his studio. "I was struck by the notion of capturing everyday American life," he told The Boston Globe. "Walmart has replaced the church as the place where people congregate." He counts actor Alec Baldwin among the fans of
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