© MSCHF
The original artwork is sold alongside 999 high-quality fakes
A $20,000 original Andy Warhol drawing was purchased by a collective of artists and is now being sold for $250 to a lucky buyer. On the other hand, the original artwork is being sold alongside 999 high-quality forgeries, and even the forgers themselves are unable to differentiate between the two!
New York's MSCHF, a collective of roughly 20 artists notably sued by Nike for manufacturing customized "Satan" sneakers containing genuine human blood, has pulled another prank. It was named "Museum of Forgeries" because they bought a genuine Warhol pen drawing from 1954 called "Fairies" and then utilized computer technology to duplicate the artist's exact strokes before utilizing heat, light, and humidity to age the paper artificially. MSCHF now says it has no idea which of the 999 copies of Warhol is the genuine one. Collectors will be able to purchase one of the 1,000 pieces, each labeled "Possibly Real Copy Of 'Fairies' by Andy Warhol," starting on Monday for $250.
© MSCHF
Making fun of an industry that cares more about the authenticity of a work of art than the work of art itself
The group stands to make a profit of over 12 times what it initially paid for the drawing if all of the pieces sell. According to MSCHF's chief creative officer, Lukas Bentel, the organization also intends to make fun of an industry that cares more about the authenticity of a work of art — or who created it — than the work of art itself. To him, the aesthetic value of art isn't the most important factor when it comes to attracting high-net-worth individuals. "All that matters is the return on investment. Is there a chance that something will appreciate in value over time?"
A co-chief creative officer at the company commented that it was "always really humorous" to create pieces that "could achieve what they want to do — which is use art as an investment vehicle" while also "spitting in the face of the art world."
© MSCHF
We hope that the bond of trust has been irreparably broken
Many people think the buyer of an original Warhol will never know they've purchased one. The forgeries are good enough, Wiesner added, that even if an expert can still tell the difference, the work's provenance is now in question for good.
A gallery promoting this painting as a future (genuine) Warhol would have to be completely bonkers to do so. We hope the trust link has been irreparably broken here. MSCHF seeks to make Warhol's art available to those who might not otherwise be able to buy it while also remarking on the subjective nature of value. Rather than just diminishing the value of one work of art, Bentel claims that the effort creates a new one that is jointly held by all 1,000 purchasers.
I don't think the majority of people can even dream of owning an Andy Warhol piece, he remarked. "By allowing everybody to have what could be a Warhol, we're democratizing it in a way." As a famous artist who investigated and exploited mass production in his own work, Wiesner believes that the artist would be pleased with the initiative. "I hope he enjoys it," Wiesner remarked of the joke.
© MSCHF
Create value through destruction
It'll be interesting to see if the Andy Warhol Foundation, which oversees the pop artist's estate, approves of the ruse. MSCHF has stated that it does not expect to run into any legal issues. CRO Daniel Greenberg admits that when the company teamed up with rapper and singer Lil Nas for the infamous "Satan" sneakers earlier this year, they had a similar mindset.
Nike sued MSCHF in March for trademark infringement, stating that the "unauthorized Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous relationship between MSCHF's products and Nike. As Greenberg recalled, "there are two things that I said at the time that I'll never forget." "'I hope Nike sues us,' was one of them. In addition, 'this is 1000% lawful,' said the opposite party. And my request was granted in spades."
After a long legal battle, the two sides settled, catapulting MSCHF into the limelight. In 2019, however, the gang was making headlines after selling a laptop infected with some of the world's most serious viruses for roughly $1.3 million. Since then, it's been doing irreverent "drops," or art projects with a sly wit released every two weeks. One of Damien Hirst's iconic spotted paintings costs over $30,000 in 2020. The gang then hand-cut and sold each of the 88 colorful dots that made up the artwork for a tidy profit. The collective also created "Birkinstocks," a $34,000 to $76,000 pair of sandals made from four disassembled Hermès Birkin bags, earlier this year.
Bentel wants to keep "making value via destruction" by faking Warhol's work. And the latest enfant terribles in the art world appear determined to hold up a mirror to the industry as they go. To quote Wiesner's theory: "If you don't react to satire, then it's just describing reality."
Selena Mattei
