Ever wanted to own an original Andy Warhol sketch for $250? We have good news and bad news for you.
MSCHF, an art collective based in Brooklyn, New York, bought “Fairies” (below), a sketch by Andy Warhol, for $20,000, in order to sell it for $250. Of course, there was a catch – first, MSCHF made 999 exact forgeries, then destroyed any record of which was the original. Each was sold as “Possibly Real Copy Of ‘Fairies’ by Andy Warhol”, with the note that they are “all definitely by MSCHF, and also all possibly by Andy Warhol”.
According to MSCHF, the work is a statement about the “capital-A Art World’s” obsession with authenticity over aesthetics.
“Artwork provenance tracks the life and times of a particular piece – a record of ownership, appearances, and sales. An entire sub-industry of forensic and investigative conservation exists for this purpose.
“By forging Fairies en masse, we obliterate the trail of provenance for the artwork. Though physically undamaged, we destroy any future confidence in the veracity of the work. By burying a needle in a needlestack, we render the original as much a forgery as any of our replications,” they said.
The good news: anyone who bought one of the sketches would have a one in 1,000 chance of owning a genuine Andy Warhol for a bargain price, and has also taken part in a unique art project.
The bad news? They’re sold out.
