“How many times can this woman write the word ‘actual’ in a headline?” you ask, annoyed. Well, you would actually have to assure yourself this is an actual situation, too, if you had to blog about someone buying a wall sign—a sign!—of letters and numbers alluding to “Lambo” for the price of an actual Lamborghini.
Art is beautiful, it is—whether we’re talking about stuff that’s drawn, done by hand, sculpted or photographed. But everyone has a different definition of art, and how much they’re willing to pay for it. Here’s a good exhibit.
Business Insider reports that former Skype COO Michael Jackson recently bought an artwork called “Yellow Lambo” for $400,000, which is a bright sign that shows letters and numbers that loosely represent “Lambo” with a blockchain address. The price is far more than most of us make in a year, spent on our home, or could ever imagine winning in the lottery. It’s also the base price of the most expensive car in Lamborghini’s regular lineup, the Aventador.
Business Insider reports that the artist who sold the artwork, Kevin Abosch, is popular for his photos of inanimate objects and real people. He does portrait sessions on black backdrops with the world’s most tolerable people, Silicon Valley’s big names, for anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000, the story said.
The sign is one of Abosch’s recent sales, and for it, Business Insider reports that he set up a cryptocurrency token called YLAMBO. It’s a representation of the “#lambo” hashtag that crypto enthusiasts use, since it became a big trend for people cashing out on crypto to buy a Lamborghini with their new wealth.
Abosch is also artist who famously sold a photo of a potato—a potato!—for $1 million in 2016. He then sold a cryptocurrency “rose token” digital artwork for $1 million on Valentine’s Day this year, which can’t be touched or displayed but can definitely be sold or given as a strange virtual gift.
Of the potato photo, Abosch’s studio told PetaPixel:
“Kevin likes potatoes because they, like people are all different yet immediately identifiable as being essentially of the same species,” his studio tells PetaPixel. “He has photographed many potatoes. This one is one of his favorites.”
Of the digital rose, Abosch told Business Insider:
“There is no physical or visual manifestation of the work,” said Abosch. “Someone asked me, ‘How is it possible that something that you can’t see or touch can have value?” Abosch’s answer: “I have to wonder whether or not people who ask this question have an unhealthy relationship with material things.”
And of the Lamborghini sign, Abosch told Business Insider:
“Depending on who you speak to, one person might ask, ‘Why would someone spend $400,000 on bitcoin?’ Another person might ask, ‘Why would someone spend $400,000 on a car or a piece of artwork?’” said Abosch. “It’s a cause for discussion on why and how we value anything at all.”
It’s a creative idea, taking a digital record—something that’s not tangible but used to do tangible things like make purchases—and bring it to life. But maybe not for $400,000.