What a waste. "Anthony James, best known for employing AK-47 machine guns and chainsaws in his creations, then the answer may come as a shock. You see, the 36-year-old artist bought a Ferrari 355 Spider not for enjoying a piece of Italian supercar mastery, but for the sole purpose of creating a work of art. So what did he do? Did he paint it in a psychedelic scheme, like artists who worked on BMWs cars, or create a new edition with unusual bodywork colors and bespoke interior? None of the above: James actually torched it, and then flanked it with birch trunks and put it in a mirrored cube For the uninitiated, including yours truly, thats art. " Such a waste
Well geez, if he was going to do that he should have at least invited some friends over and provided the marshmallows... Speechless. That. Ain't. Right.
Being somewhat familiar with the art world, I would think this artist probably did this because it would be advantageous from a business loss perspective, or he's making so much money with his art that it would be better financially to make a publicity splash rather than sell the car. He did say it was a life-long desire, so I doubt he bought it just for destruction. Maybe the headers went south and he realized the burn was better than the top-end rebuild and major? $60K american for a nice F355 Spider isn't that much when we're talking about the art market. Celebrity artists are just celebrities, and like the Kardashians they need to find ways to be noticed. Marketing is king in that business, like most. At least it wasn't a truly rare classic Ferrari. THAT would have made me mad.
It's still pretty sad... it's not like Ferrari is making any more - there's a finite number of these cars in the world and it's ever diminishing through unplanned tragedies anyway. There's no need to deliberately reduce the number. If he did it for the reasons you're saying, then the "artist" is a pretty ruthless guy and, in my eyes, not at all a Ferrari enthusiast. No enthusiast could ever torch a Ferrari, even if it wasn't in running condition. Sincerely, Andrew.
