While the market for GIF art has yet to be fully realized, there’s evidence that it’s beginning to grow. ArtFCity points out that a Jeff Koons-inspired GIF by artist Michael Green is currently up for grabs on eBay for the relatively Koonsian starting bid of $2,000. Given that the most expensive work of GIF art ever sold went for $1,300, $2,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

Entitled Balloon Dog Deflation, the work depicts a metallic balloon dog deflating melting into a puddle of liquid, mirrored steel. According to text by the artist on the auction page, “The deflation…represents this death, letting go of all the optimism Koons blew into it 20 years ago. It’s over and it begins again…”

Unfortunately, there were no takers on the first eBay listing, which ended September 1. The work has been re-listed for the same price, with the sale due to run until September 8, unless a savvy buyer decides to opt for the “Buy It Now” price of $5,800, an homage to Koons’d $58 million Balloon Dog (Orange). The buyer will be sent the GIF on a USB stick, along with a certificate of purchase, within 24 hours of payment.

The item description, which reads like something of a GIF art manifesto, actually makes a strong argument for dropping two grand on a moving image:

When you commit to buying the original GIF file, rendered directly from the artist’s computer, you will be making history, as you will have purchased the most expensive bitmap image format in the history of mankind…this will change the way  image formats are valued, and open up debate of how an digital artist can sell his or her work.