Is it a coincidence that Banksy chose October 13 for this installation just a stone's throw from Central Park? The 13th as the lucky day. And, admittedly, it could have been a lucky day for anyone who strolled past Central Park yesterday. And why? The reason is simple: Banksy had set up a small stall in front of the park entrance, where he sold some of his works for $60, even though they were worth over 200,000! The total value of the stock on sale must have been in the region of 3 or 4 million dollars ... accessible to all with a minimal investment. By buying these paintings, anyone could have become a millionaire! With a higher probability than playing the lottery itself. The ultimate nose-thumbing? A new provocation? It's hard to say whether passers-by thought they were dealing with copies or whether they weren't even interested. It's more likely to be the latter, as few people came up to the vendor to ask questions.
The video of Banksy's anonymous stand
An interesting social experiment
Banksy, whose works fetch hundreds of thousands of euros at auction, was freely selling canvases for $60 on the streets of New York. The most incredible thing about all this? Hardly anyone bought them. A social experiment worthy of the artist. The same canvases that sell for millions in auction rooms, don't attract much interest when they're displayed anonymously on the street. Is art dependent on its context? Does candy taste better if it's wrapped in gold? This is clearly what the subversive artist wanted to prove to the world.
Banksy's video shows a picnic table outside Central Park, on which canvases representing his most famous works are displayed.
The vendor, an old man in a baseball cap, sits peacefully while tourists stream past him.
The first buyer arrived a few hours later, at 3:30 p.m., when a lady bought two small canvases for her children, according to the video. She negotiates a 50% discount, buying the two works for the modest sum of $60 in total. At 4 p.m., a woman from New Zealand buys two. Later, a man from Chicago buys 4 to decorate a wall.
With each sale, the seller gives the buyer a hug or a kiss. At 6 p.m., he closes the stand and collects only $420 for the day.
A limited edition of Love is In the Air, the depiction of the demonstrator throwing a bouquet of flowers (Flower Bomber), sold for $249,000 to Bonham! What a profit!
