An American beer presents "the most expensive work in history," even more than the Salvator Mundi

Its title is Da Vinci of Debt, it was unveiled yesterday at New York ’s Grand Central Terminal (the world’s largest train station), and it was produced by Natural Light, a U.S. brand of cheap beer: it is an installation that has been described as “the most expensive work of art in the world,” even more than the Salvator Mundi attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which was sold in 2017 by Sotheby ’s for the monstrous sum of $450 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art passed at auction.

The work presented by Natural Light is more expensive for a very simple reason: it consists of 2,600 real American college diplomas(each student was paid $100 to temporarily lend their diploma for the transaction), which have a total value of $470 million. So much is the sum that, in the aggregate, students paid to arrive at the coveted degree: the value was calculated as the amount it takes for a four-year course of study at an American college (which costs an average of $180,000). And thus so much is the amount that . the work cost.

The diplomas are suspended in midair, as if a gust of wind had scattered them across Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central station. The installation is intended to demonstrate the severity of the student debt crisis (a very strong problem in the United States) and also to allude to the serious consequences of debt for those who must bear it.

Natural Light beer, which is moreover very popular among students (it is familiarly known in America as “Natty Light”), made a commitment four years ago to distribute ten million dollars (one million a year) to students who are crushed by debt-that is why this installation. “Natty,” said Daniel Blake, vice president of value brands at Anheuser-Busch, the company that owns the Natural Light brand, “is committed to doing everything we can to offer real solutions to our customers’ student debt. We want our fans to experience college without the debt that comes with it, and so through Da Vinci of Debt, we hope to have more participation in our Natty College Debt Relief Program, which offers students the opportunity to repay their debts.”

Can the project be called a work of art? “The art world,” Blake said, “is full of works with absurd prices for which most people cannot find justification. That’s why this installation is perfect for our campaign.”

An American beer presents "the most expensive work in history," even more than the Salvator Mundi

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