Brillo Box (3¢ OFF) Tells a Personal Story About the Warhol-ification of Art
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Recently an artist named Lucy Sparrow opened a bodega in New York City’s Meatpacking District, in which every single product, from produce to magazines to toilet paper, was made of felt and sewed by hand. And with 9,000 felt objects selling for nearly $70, the shop became swamped with tourists and ultimately had to close early after it sold out of the little felt trinkets.
In 2017 there is no question that Sparrow’s exercise is art. Nor is there any question that artists like Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, or Cory Arcangel—who often reinterpret artifacts of popular culture (video games, Marlboro ads) or replicate them exactly (even to the point of lawsuits)—deserve to be shown in museums. Today, appropriation is par for the course when it comes to contemporary art.