A pure gold cube worth $11.7 million and weighing over 400 pounds was just sitting in New York City’s Central Park this week.
The cube, which was only available for viewing on Wednesday, was created by German artist Niclas Castello, who says he paid $1,788 per ounce of gold, according to a statement he gave to ArtNews.
Castello called his piece “a conceptual work of art in all its facets.” He claimed to be trying to “create something that is beyond our world—that is intangible.”
Niclas Castello and his gold cube.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
While its important for art and self-expression to be celebrated, some pointed out that a giant gold cube sitting in Central Park is in poor taste due to the poverty and homelessness in New York City and its famed park.
Perhaps not surprisingly,, it was discovered that accompanying the reveal of the gold cube was a cryptocurrency put out by the artist called the Castello Coin. There will also be an NFT auction from the artist, scheduled for Feb. 21.
