Kanye West’s ‘Famous’ Sculpture to Potentially Be Sold for $4 Million
UPDATE: A rep for West has denied that any such sale will take place. “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 rep wrote in a statement to Rolling Stone. “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.”
Following an exhibit at Blum & Poe in Los Angeles where the sculptures from Kanye West‘s controversial “Famous” video were displayed, the gallery has estimated that the full piece can be sold for up to $4 million. The exhibit opened the day before West launched his Saint Pablo tour.
“I did the math in my head, and it took $500,000 to a million just to make it,” Los Angeles artist Aaron Axelrod told The New York Times. “This caught me off guard. It’s one of the coolest pieces I’ve ever seen, which is kind of annoying because it’s Kanye West.” Gallery co-founder Tim Blum called the estimate “a good ballpark.”
The sculpture features nude, life-like versions of 12 celebrities and public figures, including West, his wife Kim Kardashian West, his ex-girlfriend Amber Rose, Taylor Swift, Donald Trump and George W. Bush. All the figures are sharing a bed together and feature animatronic features. Since the gallery viewing of the piece was thrown together last minute, a sale of the piece is also not confirmed or certain. The New York Times also reported that there was a possibility that the sculpture would go on tour and be displayed in multiple cities. A member of West’s team confirmed that following the weekend-long Los Angeles exhibit that the piece was already on its way to its next location.
“I have friends who are directors of museums,” Blum said. “This is a thing you could see at Lacma, MOCA or the Hammer very easily.”