Courtesy of Nikolas BentelA former Rauschenberg sold in an online auction this month for $21,000, more than twice what it was worth when it was still a Rauschenberg. Here's the backstory:Earlier this year, a young artist in New York named Nikolas Bentel bought an original Robert Rauschenberg from a 25-year-old artist and collector named Ho Jae Kim. He didn't want the piece because he liked it, or because he wanted to own a Rauschenberg, or even as an investment. And if the art economy can not only condone but facilitate the literal destruction of an original Rauschenberg, he adds, "then maybe we should consider other models." Regarding Erased Rauschenberg's future, Bentel is no less precious than he was when papering over the original with ads.

Source: Forbes March 21, 2018 10:18 UTC