Why would anyone pay $500,000 for a painting by Hunter Biden? | Arwa Mahdawi

He's not an established artist - or critically acclaimed. Yet his works are apparently being sold for surprising amounts

It looks like the prodigal son is a painter now. Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's child, has apparently been dabbling with paints for years. Now his hobby has turned serious: starting soon, you can pick up one of his colourful creations from a gallery in New York's SoHo. It will cost you, though: the pieces are reportedly priced between $75,000 and $500,000.

Who parts with that much cash for the work of a new, not exactly critically acclaimed, painter? We may never know. Hunter's new career raises obvious ethical issues for his father and, in an attempt to avoid accusations of influence peddling, the Biden administration has asked the gallerist to keep all information about the buyers and prices of Hunter's work confidential. The gallery has also agreed to reject offers that seem suspiciously generous.