So it turns out that people really are willing to pay $50 or $100 for pieces of NYC garbage with trendy packaging – am I the only one who’s not surprised?

NYC Garbage creator Justin Gignac talks about how he used to sell the garbage for only $10. At that price point, most people saw it as a funny gift or a gag. When he increased the price to $25 or $50 people began to see it as “Art.”

Since the dawn of culture people have debated what is and what isn’t art. Have we come to the point where the defining factor for art is its price? Sad days indeed.

As a Finance student I firmly believe in the power of free markets. In general the value of anything can be well described by the price someone is willing to pay for it. But with Art (be it music, film, paintings, or pieces of garbage) my gut reaction is that it shouldn’t be just about the money.

For me, exceptional art is always made with integrity.  It is made solely for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion and is not designed in order to bring monetary profit. Strong sales should be the result of good art, not the goal.

So is NYC Garbage made with integrity? I hate to say it but I believe that it is. Justin Gignac is making some easy money selling boxes filled with trash but I think his “art” shines an interesting and ironic light upon the folly of modern consumerism.

What do you think?  Would you buy NYC Garbage art?