Slopfest #92 · 2018 · Vienna

Portrait of a Blurry Gentleman

An AI portrait sold at Christie's for $432,500, signed with a math formula. We signed ours 'probably'.

#92Photographer forgot to remove the lens cap. Twice.

Gilt-framed GAN portrait of a smudged gentleman, signed with a loss function, auction card beside it: 'SLOPFEST #92, Lot 1, 43 euros'

Museum status: Listed as "priceless" (nobody would name a price).

Venue: Dorotheum, the auction hall
Attendance: 52,600
Fun fact: 88 portraits, 88 blurry men, 43 euros top bid

What happened

Six days after the Christie's sale, the committee auctioned its own machine-made portraits, each of a gentleman who was mostly smudge. The top lot went for 43 euros and a Käsekrainer. The buyer asked for a certificate of authenticity and got one signed with the loss function, which he has framed and cannot read.

“Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
— attributed to Pablo Picasso

Elsewhere in 2018

Christie's auctions 'Portrait of Edmond de Belamy', a GAN-generated image by the collective Obvious, for $432,500.

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