It has been a while since MSCHF has showcased any art-related projects. Even when they have, these projects often get overshadowed by their many fun products. But this time, their latest art/capitalist endeavor, dubbed Museum of Forgeries: Picasso Edition, has captured our full attention. Let’s be honest, with a title like Museum of Forgeries: Picasso Edition, it’s hard not to grab attention, isn’t it?
In this project, MSCHF created 249 copies of an original Picasso small sculpture, a small wooden fish entitled ‘Poisson,’ and gleefully called the work “Possibly Real Copy Of ‘Poisson’ by Pablo Picasso.” The medium is graphite on wood, and each artwork measures 3.5 cm x 10 cm x 1.9 cm.
It is unclear if the original wooden fish is among the some 50,000 documented artworks, but as far as the tiny fish sculpture goes, it was reportedly a gift from Picasso to his housekeeper, handmade by the artist himself as a holiday bonus. The authenticity of this story is unverified, by the way.
Anyhoo, MSCHF got their hands on the original wooden fish sculpture, which is said to be valued at US$50,000 (!), and proceeded to mix it at random into the pile of 249 exact MSCHF forgeries, and then put them up for sale.
Thus, it’s like a lucky dip for buyers of MSCHF’s Possibly Real Copy Of ‘Poisson’ by Pablo Picasso because they never know if they will end up with an authentic copy, potentially making them $50,000 richer.
However, it is worth noting that it is not guaranteed that one of them is the real deal. As noted by MSCHF, they (the wooden fish sculptures) are definitely by MSCHF and “also all possibly by Pablo Picasso.” To make things even more mysterious, any record of which piece within the edition is the original has been destroyed.
Seriously, I have no idea how you’re going to prove if a copy is the $50,000 piece. This situation is akin to a police force where only one higher command knows who the undercover agent is. If this one command dies, no one can prove that the undercover is the good guy, which is going to suck.
Anyways, we received news on the sale of the 250 ‘Poisson’ sculptures about 7 hours ago, and all 250 have been spoken for. Fret not if you didn’t manage to score a piece of the lucky dip because you can admire the 250-piece as an art installation at Perrotin Gallery at 5036 & 5040 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, from April 6th to June 1st, 2024, Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 AM to 6 PM.
That said, purchases of the wooden fish will only ship at the end of the show at Perrotin Gallery.
But why is MSCHF doing this? I’m not 100% sure but it is most certainly multifaceted. My understanding is that it demonstrates the relationship of how the artist’s death gave birth to the artworks, and how quantity devalues the art. My interpretation could be flawed, so I shall leave it to you to understand what MSCHF is trying to convey HERE.
Images: MSCHF.
