ART

Believe it or not: The mystery buyer who forked over a record $49 million for Vincent van Gogh’s painting “Irises” at auction in 1987 was not Japanese. Instead, it was Australian multimillionaire Alan Bond, who waited until his luxurious penthouse office in Perth, Australia, was completed before revealing his identity. The van Gogh takes an honored place in the 51st floor office, which has panoramic views over the city from which Bond has built a business empire with assets believed to be well in excess of $10 billion. “Irises” has a Gauguin, a Renoir and a Toulouse-Lautrec for company--plus Bond’s personal favorite, Camille Pissarro’s “Paysanne Assise Soleil Couchant” (Peasant at Sunset). Earlier in 1987 Bond was outbid by a $40-million offer by Japanese investors for one of van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” series. Oh well, Bond poo-poohed, there are six more where that came from.