MSCHF’s “Possibly Real” Warhol Blurs the Line Between Original and Forgery

Imagine buying an artwork and not knowing whether it’s an original or a fake. No clue if you’ve struck gold or just bought a really convincing copy.

Sounds stressful right? Well, that’s exactly what MSCHF did with “Fairies” by Andy Warhol.

The project started with the collective purchasing one authentic artwork by Andy Warhol, reportedly worth around USD $20k. Instead of preserving it like an sacred art piece, MSCHF created 999 near-identical replicas copies through a well thought-through 4-step process:

Step 1: Replication

The original artwork was carefully reproduced hundreds of times.

Step 2: Degradation

The copies were intentionally aged and distressed in the same way to reduce obvious visual differences from the original copy.

Step 3: Authentication

Each piece was individually and newly authenticated by MSCHF.

Step 4: Lose the original in the pile

Mixing and intentionally losing the original copy randomly amongst the 999 near-identical copies.

With that, every single piece sold is definitely by MSCHF… but also possibly by Andy Warhol. Giving the project a new title, “Possibly Real Copy Of 'Fairies' by Andy Warhol" BY MSCHF, 2021

So physically, the original artwork still exists somewhere within the 1000 pieces. Nothing happened to it. It wasn’t burned, damaged or altered. Yet by overwhelming it with 999 other copies, the certainty itself disappears and suddenly, the “real” one becomes just as suspicious as every forgery surrounding it or the “fake” ones become just as authentic as the original copy hahaha.

As MSCHF puts it:

“By burying a needle in a needlestack, we render the original as much a forgery as any of our replications.”

And honestly? I think that’s what makes the whole thing brilliant.

I especially enjoy how fitting Andy Warhol is for this project. Warhol already explored ideas of repetition, mass production, consumer culture and even art as a product. In a strange way, MSCHF doesn’t feel like they are mocking his work but an extension of the conversation into today’s internet age.

Warhol industrialised art while MSCHF industrialised doubt. Perhaps perhaps, that’s the real artwork here.

Not the framed prints themselves, but the uncertainty they create. Oh oh and the speculation, the collapse of authenticity, the strange tension of owning something that might matter more than the others. Chef kiss frfr.

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