The commodification of crap..FORBES July 27,1998. Page 244.
On July 2 intrepid collectors had a chance to bid on a container of the little known Italian artist Pierro Manzoni,s excrement at Sotheby,s London. The auction house sold "Merda d,artista no. 35" dating from 1961 for $28,000.
The 30 grams of vintage human feces are, assures Sotheby,s "naturally preserved" in a signed, numbered--weel-sealed---tin.
Manzoni produced 90 tins in all, each is labeled in Italian,English, French and German etc.etc. etc. etc.
As it turns out, you would have done better in investing in art world crap than ib gold. At the height of the booming Eighties art market, Christies sold a Manzoni tin for $67.000. 0r $2,257. per gram.
Today,s Gold sells for a mere $9.45per gram. |
