Since the dawn of time, people have been debating what qualifies as art and what doesn’t. Most would argue that haphazardly splashing some paint does not qualify as art if there’s no additional meaning behind it. While there are some notable exceptions, most graffiti would fall under the classification of “not art” in most people’s estimation. Some, however, done with high intellectual intent behind it, may qualify as true art. One such instance happened recently, when enigmatic graffiti artist Kidult made a statement by spray painting the word “ART” in bold, yet jagged pink letters across the store front of SoHo-based artist Marc Jacobs.
Jacobs took the action in stride. Before having the damage cleaned up, he snapped a photo of the vandalized store front and had the photo printed on a pink t-shirt, which he then offered for sale for $689 as a piece of original art.
It’s unknown if this is part of some long-standing feud between the two, but Jacobs clearly showed quick and classy thinking in his response to Kidult’s vandalism. Time will tell whether this will be the start of a longer war between the two, but if it is, chances are that it will be quite entertaining for both their fans. Either way, the back-and-forth itself between the two will be a form of art unto itself, and if we’re lucky, will inspire even more t-shirts out of two of them.