Miami Entrepreneur Uses Modern Art Knockoffs to Peddle Bottled Water

Art20: bottled water for the art minded
Photo via: Miami New Times

In the ephemeral ecosystems created by art fairs, art dealers are not the only ones hoping to hit the jackpot. The glitz and wealth that converge in these events attract throngs of daring entrepreneurs seeking to ingratiate themselves with the 1%.

The latest of such tailored ventures was launched as part of Art Basel in Miami Beach last week, under the name of Art20: a collection of bottles of mineral water, priced between $2 and $4, whose labels feature artworks made by emerging artists “inspired” by great masters of modern art.

The product is the brainchild of the Miami-based fledgling art historian Claudia López, who had the idea of linking a pretty basic human need, drinking water, to the hedonistic pleasures afforded by art.

The inaugural collection offers “re-interpretations” of works by Wassily Kandinsky, Frida Kahlo, Willem de Kooning, and Andy Warhol. And López is already on the look out for artists to work on a follow up collection inspired by Gustav Klimt, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, Marc Chagall, and Leonardo da Vinci, among others.

One would think that the public at Art Basel in Miami Beach would be more tempted by a customized bottle of champagne than by a humble bottle of mineral water. But, at the end of the day, even fabulous celebrities and art collectors have to keep hydrated.


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