More from Complex Networks

A New Service Allows You to "Purchase" New York City Graffiti and Street Art

Andrew LaSane is a freelance writer from South Carolina who currently resides in Brooklyn. He spends most of his life connected to the grid, obsessing over and customizing sneakers, and trying to relive the '90s.

There is no shortage of graffiti (both good and bad) on the walls of New York City. One company has decided to cash in on all of that free and unclaimed art. Wall-(m)Art gives New Yorkers the opportunity to buy graffiti for as low as $111, but the catch is that you won't be able to take it with you. Instead, the company will create a gold frame with your name on it and put it around the piece as it stands, and you get to visit it and show the world that you're the owner.

Image via Wall-(m)Art

Image via Wall-(m)Art

Image via Wall-(m)Art

Wall-(m)Art outlines in their website FAQ section that they "make no claims as to the legality or illegality of stuff therein." They also say that once you give them money for someone else's art and they have installed your frame, they are not responsible for anything that happens, and that includes vandalism or theft of your frame.

While we hope that this is just a joke (like the artist selling invisible paintings), we also know that people would fork over cash for the opportunity to buy coolness. Street art by artists like Banksy brings in big bucks at auction, and it all had to start somewhere. Joke or not, this isn't much different than what is happening on a larger scale in the art world, yet very few people question how legal something is when there are famous artists and big checks involved.

No Articles Found. Try Our Search Here:

Now Trending

COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive.