Mr. Brainwash: Icons, in NYC Meatpacking District

February 17, 2010

Whatever you think of Mr. Brainwash's deliberately derivative artwork (everyone from Andy Warhol to Vic Muniz to, of course, Mr. Brainwash's patron saint Banksy are so closely copied that you can't even really call them influences), one thing's for sure the just-opened: Icons, Mr. Brainwash's art exhibition in the Meatpacking District in NYC, is one of the biggest, busiest, silliest, most lavishly-funded art shows you're likely to see all year.

Mr. Brainwash real name (maybe) is Thierry Guetta, a French one-time graffiti artist who first came to our attention when, based on a marked similarity in their style, rumors flew that here, in fact, was the legendary Banksy…. or, at least, here was an elaborate prank perpetrated by Banksy onto the gullible art-buying public… or something. And, if you follow this sort of thing, you know Mr. Brainwash was involved in Banksy's heavily-hyped "documentary," unveiled at last month's Sundance Film Festival, Exit Through the Gift Shop. Anyway, you don't need to know or care about any of the above to appreciate the pure spectacle of Mr. Brainwash's art Icons in NYC, which cram-fills two floors and 15,000 square feet of prime Meatpacking District real estate.

Now, we enjoy looking at Mr. Brainwash's art, even as we chuckle over how obvious and stolen it all is. And, frankly, there really is no better place for Mr. Brainwash to exhibit his wares–many of which, by the way, were already sold two days after the opening–than that most shallow and hyper-narcissistic of all parts of town, the Meatpacking District in NYC. So our suggestion: stop by sometime between now and the end of March and take a look… and make sure you go downstairs to see the dozens of rock- rap- jazz- blues- soul- portraits stacked around the gigantic boombox. Heck, if you're bored, play the "Can you identify all the famous people?" game! No matter what, New York City probably won't see the likes of such a thing for some to come.

Mr. Brainwash: Icons in the Meatpacking District of NYC Details

Mr. Brainwash: Icons is open now until March 31, and is located at 415 West 13th Street between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street in the Meatpacking District of NYC. Specific hours are tough to determine, but we heard Mr. Brainwash himself–he was just hanging out eating lunch with an entourage when we were there on Tuesday–asking an assistant to show up at 11:00 the next day "to open".