I could have sworn that I posted this yesterday, but I must have just forgotten to hit send...
Some of his other works, the first is an 18k gold toilet. This is one of six hand sculpted sold gold toilets, one of which is owned by a very famous US... cough cough... You know who.
He works with some pretty expensive materials sometimes. And, he has skills in carving, as well as design, with this gold and marble work, depicting a homeless person.
And, when you have a good budget, you can get some exotic materials to work with.
All of his work has a humorous edge to it. And, his catalog of finished work is extensive, probably one of the most prolific sculptors in the world. The Banana thing was just a small gesture that gave him some fame outside of art circles, but the rest of us have known about him for decades.
The bozo that paid 6 mil, well, his name is now in art history books and will probably remain there for over a hundred years. He paid, to complete the art. Is it worth it? Well, many, many billionaires spend a lot more to get their names in history books or on buildings, so... Pends on your outlook. But, I have seen people give way more than 6 mil to artistic causes. Matter of perspective.
A million dollars seems like a lot of money... to poor people.
Some art is meant to bought, brought home, and hung on someone's wall. Other art is meant to be viewed and enjoyed by masses of people, as a catalyst for thought. I don't buy the whole laundering money bullshit. Not even sure where that comes from. Having served on a museum board for over a decade, we just have many people who like to buy art and share it with museums, to keep and inspire people to keep making art. These groups of buyers and collectors are a circle of friends that like to find and support causes that they think are important. And, honestly, knowing some of these folks locally... I don't think they give a shit what people think.
You've heard me say it many times, but lions don't care what the sheep think of them.
