The Most Expensive Skateboard in the World is a Supreme Painter’s Palette
Supreme might be relishing the comfort of its new (temporary) home on the Bowery (Germania Bank Building), but many in the artist community remain bitter in the wake of its recent ad campaign.
Back in November, the iconic skater brand released a new skateboard video called “Blessed,” then hit the streets to promote. The subsequent flyposting initiative resulted in hundreds of bills pasted around the Lower East Side and angered many in the art community.
Posters were torn down at Spiegel on First Avenue, for instance, and an ejaculating red penis drawn on Supreme’s Lafayette Street doorstep.
Now, artist Adrian Wilson, who employs imaginative art as social commentary on the ridiculousness of modern culture, is taking the message a step further. He’s in possession of the “most expensive” skateboard in the world. A painter’s palette he transformed into the smallest skateboard out there, and branded with Supreme lettering. Dubbed the “Supreme Mundi,” a nod to Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, the deck is fully functional. He listed the piece on eBay with a starting price of $20,000 as a statement against the New York lifestyle brand.
“[I wanted] to create the most supremely artistic and expensive skateboard in the world,” Wilson said, mocking the decades-old brand for exploiting street artists for promotion, but then flyposting promo bills over street art.
Wilson reportedly approached Supreme to authorize this creation, but they wouldn’t allow him inside the store. He remains defiant. “This is the Supreme Mundi skateboard, it is art, not some silk-screened bit of plywood. Supreme uses Richard Prince to shill their mass produced stuff and he is the master of ‘appropriation,’ so by association, they obviously condone this piece of art.”
The skateboard is currently on view, albeit behind lock and key, at the Con Artist Collective on Ludlow Street.
Maybe 17-year-old Carson Guo will buy it. The Vancouver teen purchased the complete archive of 248 Supreme-produced skateboard decks for $800,000 (via Sotheby’s).
Recent Stories
NYPD Shut Down Adidas 99-Cent Sneaker Stunt on the Bowery Yesterday After it Turned Violent
Police yesterday morning shut down an out-of-control Bowery pop-up selling a limited-edition sneaker collaboration between adidas and AriZona Iced Tea. The huge crowds were the collective answer to the question, what happens when you sell a rare sneaker for 99 cents? The collaboration yielded two limited-quantity styles – Yung 1 and Continental. Both were available […]
Watch this Brazen Tagger Desecrate Louis Vuitton Logo on Ludlow Street
It’s clear that the locals aren’t too thrilled with the invasive Louis Vuitton pop-up at Ludlow and Rivington Streets. And one brazen tagger proved it. Midday Wednesday, a youngster jumped onto the building’s garbage bin and quickly spray-painted over the company logo. The graffiti lasted for a couple hours before it was buffed away. As […]
Katz’s Adjacent Retail Condo Sells for Record $89M
The hot pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Deli costs $22.95; the ginormous commercial condo in Ben Shaoul’s luxury development next door costs $89 million. Developer Ben Shaoul reportedly sold the retail portion of the building to the AR Global affiliate New York City REIT. Stated sale price is $88.75 million, which makes it the most expensive […]
Man’s Throat Slashed in Barbershop Bloodbath on Stanton Street
A 27-year-old man was slashed inside a barbershop on Stanton Street yesterday morning. The unidentified victim was attacked at about 11:15am while inside First Choice Barbers at 156 Stanton Street. The attacker, 35-year-old Aldo Corniel, slashed the customer in the throat; a third man saved the day by bashing the assailant with a fire extinguisher. […]
Doyers Street ‘Asphalt Art’ Ahead of Chinatown Seasonal Streets Closure
The third annual “Chinatown Seasonal Streets” initiative is upon us. As part of the program, select streets are closed to traffic to create public pedestrian space. The temporary plazas are also decorated with so-called Asphalt Art. Doyers Street had been the pilot, but this year sees the inclusionof a 5,370 square-foot area of Mott Street […]
