Why One Collector Bought a Work of Art Made by Artificial Intelligence--and Is Open to Acquiring More artnet News

See the novel work, which joins Nicolas Laugero-Lasserre's pieces by Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and other human artists. The Paris-based collector Nicolas Laugero-Lasserre is known for his extensive collection of urban art by the likes of Shepard Fairey, Ivader, Banksy, and Swoon. But recently, he made a novel acquisition by a very different kind of artist. His latest purchase, Le Comte de Belamy, was created by artificial intelligence. Laugero-Lasserre bought the work directly from Obvious, the collective that created the AI behind it, for around €10,000 ($12,000) in February.