‘This Post Is Art’ Framed 4Chan Screenshot Passes $90k

Have modern lives been so far redefined around internet and technology that an internet post simply reading “this post is art” can truly be art? That’s the question aroused by a series of eBay auctions centering around framed screenshots.

The first, and original, auction, which ended August 1st, was for a framed screenshot of a 4Chan post that said:

“Art used to be something to cherish. Now literally anything could be art. This post is art.”

Since the post was anonymous, there’s no telling whether the person who posted it printed it and framed it, or whether the seller, xhacker02, saw an opportunity, but the printed and framed item quickly soared, and the bidding ended at $90,900. Artnet suggests that, reminiscent of the Potato Salad Kickstarter, at least some of the bids are likely fake and will be cancelled, so the seller may get a much smaller price, or end up with no real sale at all.

However, this was not to be the end of the search for what art is; no, it was followed by an auction for a framed screenshot of the “this post is art” auction. At the time of this writing, the bidding for the meta art post is at $31.

The bidding on that one doesn’t end until August 5, so it remains to be seen how much value eBayers will put on this meta internet art.

However, the purchaser of the original ‘this post is art’ piece may have a legitimate claim about a misleading or inaccurate description, or perhaps the seller has a claim for being ripped off. Here’s the description given in the original auction:

“This auction is for a One of a Kind work of art by Anonymous. This work is untitled. This item will be shipped in a frame for convenience. This artwork will be sold with no refunds accepted.”

Note that it says “one of a kind”?

Well, there is an identical one — down to the same flash visible in the photo — for sale currently, offered by a different eBay seller, with, at the time of this writing, no bids. So much for owning a unique piece of history.

The whole saga may be less of a visual experience and more of a typically 4Chan style stunt, but if art is a glimpse of the world from one perspective at one moment in time, well, in that case, this post is art.

[Images: Ebay]