‘Cash for Your Warhol’ Becomes a Physical Meme

That great prank “Cash for Your Warhol” which was seen at ArtBasel Miami Beach in 2009 among other places. The photographer who created it, Geoff Hargadon is amazed that it still strikes a chord even with the Warhol Museum :

Since then it has snowballed, appearing in cities all over the country. People soliciting CFYW stickers and signs in the mail did Hardagon’s distribution work for him. He did not believe the joke would go on this long, but people keep responding to it.

A new art gallery in Fishtown, called LMNL, asked Hargadon if he would want to put together an exhibition. Opening April 10, the show will include all 24 variations on the sign, photographer of signage in situ, and a selection of audio phone messages from people responding to the sign, many of whom claim to own a Warhol they want to unload.

“The problem is that anybody who has a Warhol thinks it’s worth a million bucks,” said Hargadon, referring to a fickle, flooded Warhol market. “You know, something he wrote on a napkin. They guy was pretty prolific. He did a lot of stuff.”

The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has bought “Cash For Your Warhol” signs for its collection. Andy, doubtlessly, would have been tickled.

‘Cash for Warhol’ prank won’t go away (NewsWorks)