Italian artist sells invisible sculpture for 15,000 euros

The Italian artist Salvatore Garau has achieved to sell the void. The 67-year-old Italian artist has auctioned an invisible sculpture for which some buyer has paid 15,000 euros (US$ 18,300).

Its initial price was 6,000 to 9,000 euros, but, after several bids, it was awarded for this high amount in an online event.

The art work is named as ‘Io sono’ (I am), and it is an immaterial sculpture, that is, it does not exist, or that, if it does, it is in the mind of its creator.

About the invisible art work

The artist gave very specific instructions for the installation of the invisible piece: it must be placed in a special room, which has no obstacles and whose dimensions are 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters.

There is no need to worry about the lighting and the humidity conditions since, of course, no one will be able to see it…

These characteristics have caused many skeptics to criticize this curious creation, but Garau defends himself arguing that he has not sold a nothing, but a vacuum:

“The vacuum is nothing more than a space full of energy, and even if we empty it and there is nothing left, According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, that nothing has a weight. Therefore, it has energy that is condensed and transformed into particles, that is, into us”.

The artist was born in in Santa Giusta, on the island of Sardinia. Garau was already recognized for his work, but his latest work made him gain enormous notoriety.

In legal terms, this is perfectly possible as long as the buyer knows what is buying. This is to say, there is no legal impediment to carry out this transaction. However, in according with the law, the subject matter of the purchase agreement must be defined… therefore, it may pouse a trouble.

Now, the purchaser of this art work has the guarantee certificate which represents the only visual element present in the catalog where, instead of the traditional image of a tangible work, an absolute white space is reproduced .