Tbetween 15,000 euros and 69 million dollars, there is certainly a big difference. But, on a media level, the distances between two such different figures can almost cancel each other out. The auction on May 18, of “I am”, of Salvatore Garau. the first immaterial sculpture sold (as far as we know) at an official auction house, the Milanese Art-Rite, for just 15 thousand euros, had a resonance in the international media comparable to the sale, last March, to Christie’s New York, of “Everydays The First 5.000 days“. Yet Mike Winkelmann’s NFT (Token Non Fungible) digital work, aka Beeple, set the third world record for a work by a living artist with $ 69 million.
Although it is difficult to think that the auction of the Sardinian artist will give life to an ultra-million dollar business like that of digital art, however, the market has immediately responded, so much so that Business Italians can confirm that Art-Rite has received requests for other intangible works by Garau.
As often happens, when a potentially relevant business starts, a tussle arises. Artists from various parts of the world are attributing a kind of authorship to invisible works of art. Claims that could also affect economic aspects in terms of requesting rights.
On the topic, Business Italians heard Salvatore Garau.
Maestro, articles are appearing in the international press referring to artists claiming a birthright on invisible sculptures. What does it tell us about it? And was he contacted directly by any of these “colleagues” of yours?
“Yes, messages and emails declaring a phantom ownership over the invisible came from America and Spain, (someone has already retired, offering me an apology!) It’s all almost grotesque, I would recommend those who make these claims to put themselves on the spot. agreement and file a single complaint Even from America I received a letter from a lawyer asking me to find a peaceful agreement with his client. I wonder how one can think of appropriating a concept about the invisible, it would be like appropriating the exclusivity of using red, for example. Some forget that freedom of expression is the basis of art. It also seems to me that he is not aware of the history of art, conceptual in this case. They should inquire about the American and European conceptual artists of the 50s and 60s who coped with the theme of the invisible in different ways each time according to their own style (editor’s note: such as Marcel Duchamp in the 20s, Yves Klein in the 1950s, Joseph Kosuth in the 60s, as well as the Italians Piero Manzoni and Gino De Dominicis, all often cited by Garau in his interviews on intangible sculptures) “
From the media point of view, the news that sparked a global outcry was not that of the creation of invisible works. When she created the intangible works, now more than a year ago, the interest was much lower. What caused a sensation was the fact that an intangible sculpture had been sold at an auction, Art-Rite in Milan, for 15 thousand euros. So the sensation was linked to the economic aspect of the affair. Now, it is true that some artists already in past years claimed to have collectors who paid high amounts for invisible works (on the web, Lara Newstrom is mentioned). But, as far as is known, the Art-Rite auction represents the first case of auction sales carried out in a public auction. We remind you that an auction house is a professional entity which, in order to operate, requires special authorizations left by the public authorities. Its sales, therefore, have the stamp of officialdom.
“In fact, no one has sustained allegations of plagiarism until the Milanese auction took place, with an award that doubled the maximum estimate price. It would seem that this occasion has attracted economic appetites, but above all, for some artists , the desire to place their name alongside mine at a time when people talk about me all over the world. Everything is written on the net, what matters are the facts and the result of an auction, obviously at an accredited auction house, is irrefutable testimony ».
Affaritaliani reports that after the Art-Rite auction, other offers have arrived. confirms this, and with what price order? Do you think a market of intangible works could be born, just as that of digital art was born?
«Yes, requests for immaterial sculptures have already arrived. My requests will obviously correspond to a figure higher than the auction result. However, I am not in a hurry to make decisions. But I would like to clarify one important thing. Overall, I will create seven intangible sculptures in spaces open to the public. After my native Oristano, Milan and New York, I will carefully choose the remaining four cities on different continents, taking into account the socio-political relevance of the moment. I am of the opinion that art should talk about the world we live in; it always has and will continue to do so. As for the intangible works for private individuals, such as the one awarded in the Milanese auction, these will be a very limited number. These days I’m painting, everything revolves around my painting, even the immaterial. Digital art has never interested me. NFTs are not a topic I will address. the main reason is that I don’t want to participate by producing NFT and the whole crypto-currency world that revolves around it, in the pollution of the planet. My intangible works are a precise answer also in terms of environmental sustainability ».