New York Artist Did Not Sell Invisible Art
The Claim
A New York artist named Lana Newstrom is selling invisible art.
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An image with the caption “New York artist creates ‘art’ that is invisible and collectors are paying for that” went viral.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation concluded that the artist Lana Newstrom and her invisible art were fabricated for a satirical Canadian radio show. The Lana Newstrom invisible art story first appeared in 2014 on CBC Radio’s “This is That.” The show describes itself as “an award-winning program that doesn't just talk about the issues, it fabricates them.”
The image that’s shared with the claim is altered as well. A reverse image search revealed that it is originally a stock photo of a Phil Stern photo exhibition in Milan, Italy. The original image, found on Shutterstock, shows people looking at walls of photography rather than the blank walls from the viral post.
However, there have been instances where invisible art was sold. In 2021, artist Salvatore Garau sold an invisible sculpture in an auction for over $18,000. Artist Andy Warhol also famously had an invisible sculpture displayed in 1985 in New York.
