The artworld, it seems, has totally lost its sense of irony:
More than 100 Brillo boxes, said to be works by Andy Warhol, have been declared “copies” by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board after a three-year investigation.
If you're anything like me, you need to shake your head a bit, then return to it:
More than 100 Brillo boxes, said to be works by Andy Warhol, have been declared “copies” by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board after a three-year investigation.
Go ahead: do it one more time. It somehow gets sillier each time:
More than 100 Brillo boxes, said to be works by Andy Warhol, have been declared “copies” by the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board after a three-year investigation.
Yes, they're serious. The article in The Art Newspaper explicates the investigation by The WAAB in total seriousness, and the treatment of these Brillo boxes is with complete reverence. The art economy's concern with authenticity is enough to make Walter Benjamin's head spin. What's at stake in this argument is that Warhol did not, at least on paper, authorize the production of these particular copies of his pop art icon. Would our attitudes change if there were proof somehow of an oral contract? Would they still be a copy of a copy of a copy if Warhol had half-heartedly approved?
What's clearly at stake here is not the aura of Andy Warhol's work, but rather the egoism, cultural capital, and most importantly bank accounts of those who have purchased these Brillo box knock-offs. And three years? What a waste of time and money to prove further wastes of time and money. At least Andy would have been tickled, I would imagine.
The fact that a Warhol Art Authentication Board exists at all is laughable at best. At worst, it is a sad commentary on the cultural (mis-)reception of one of the 20th century's most brilliant artists.
