Los Angeles, CA – [UPDATE] The “Famous” sculpture is not for sale, even for $4 million. A representative for Kanye West’s team told Pitchfork that the figures of celebrities including Yeezy, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift, Ray J and Donald Trump are strictly art, but are scheduled to make another public appearance.
“We are incredibly flattered that a number is being reported but at no point have we ever disclosed a sale price for the piece,” the source said. “Once again we are flattered by such interest, but as far as Mr. West is concerned – it’s all about the art. We are looking forward to announcing when Famous will be available again for viewing.”
(This article was first published today [September 1, 2016] at 4:59 p.m. PST and is as follows.)
A Los Angeles-based gallery is hoping to fetch a figure in the region of $4 million for the sale of Kanye West’s “Famous” sculpture, according to The New York Times.
The sculpture is a life-size, silicone reproduction of Kanye West’s “Famous” video, which features a string of naked celebrities lying asleep and side-by-side in bed. They are even animated to breathe. Among those included are George W. Bush, Anna Wintour, Donald Trump, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby.
The gallery’s co-founder, Tim Blum, called the aforementioned figure “a good ballpark” while discussing the multimillion-price tag.
“[It is on sale] — for the right buyer,” he said. “I would project a figure about that.
“To be honest, we did it for the sake of doing it,” Mr. Blum continued. “The show and project were not done with price or sale in mind. But I would act upon it as every other piece of art I handle.”
The exhibition lasted just one weekend, with Kanye West making a guest appearance for a brief few minutes, albeit via satellite on a screen and not in person. Nevertheless, Yeezy’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, did attend on the exhibition’s opening day, sharing the following image via Instagram.
Expanding on how the exhibition came to be, Mr. Blum of Blum & Poe said: “I think Monday of last week, I got a call from Scooter Braun. Kanye suddenly felt the urge to show the work. Long story short, we made it happen. We pushed some things around and five days later, we had a show. Monday hey, Friday open.”
Citing a source close to Mr. West, The New York Times reports that the “Famous” sculpture will be going out on tour. A member of Kanye’s team is reported to have said that the piece is “on its way to its next location” – although she didn’t disclose where. Nevertheless, Mr. Blum — who mentioned that he and Scooter Braun were actively shopping the piece’s next home — said he could picture “Famous” in a large museum.
“I have friends who are directors of museums,” he said. “This is a thing you could see at Lacma [Los Angeles County Museum of Art], MOCA or the Hammer very easily.”
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