New NYC Museum Filled With Forgeries Of Famous Paintings: Why You Should Visit It Anyway

The sign on the door of the new museum at 393 Broadway reads "Closed" (closed for installation). But artist Robin Ely hopes you will break the rules and enter anyway. Time-out.

If you do, you will find a new museum called New or Traditional Art Museum (NOTaMUSEUM). An exhibition has recently opened here with some of the greatest works of art of all time. But in fact, all these works are fakes. They were created by museum founder Robin Ely. All this is due to the fact that most of the originals of these paintings are not available to the general public. Many of them are in private collections, they have been lost or stolen.

Eli has recreated the artwork in stunning detail. He also painted an illusory layer of bubble wrap or tape over each of the paintings. Thus, these works of art look three-dimensional.

You can see all this for free, but you need to hurry

The exhibition entitled “Private Collection/Closed for Installation” is available for free admission from 17 to 25 September

These works have never been exhibited together before. And they will never be shown together again, since each piece has already been sold and will soon go to its buyer.

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The exhibition features 17 oil paintings and one bronze sculpture. You can see works of art such as Jean-Michel Basquiat's Dustheads, Pablo Picasso's Roar, Andy Warhol's Turquoise Marilyn, Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, Vincent van Gogh's Three Sunflowers, Christ in the Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee” by Rembrandt, “Self-Portrait with a Monkey” by Frida Kahlo and sculpture by Alberto Giacometti “Man in Armor”.

Eli created each hyperrealistic piece over the course of four years.

Unbridled creativity

Eli's paintings fit well with the design of the hall, created by creative director David Korins. Korins transformed the empty space in such a way as to create the feeling that you are in a museum. To do this, he used diagonal wooden floors, rich colors on the walls and decorative stucco. Korins designed everything as if the room is still in the process of being assembled, with moving platforms, tools and wooden boxes decorating the room. He also added some kind of "easter eggs" throughout the gallery. For example, a bullet next to a Warhol painting as an allusion to the history of the executed paintings.

“The idea of ​​the exhibition is about access. It's about privileges,” Eli said. Let's take Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" for example. Van Gogh painted sunflowers as simple decorations for his studio. Pictures like this one are a paradox. We all know these works because they are known and can be seen on the Internet. But they are also insanely expensive. Therefore, very few are available. Sunflower paintings sell for billions, which is completely different from what Van Gogh intended.”

This situation means that the public cannot see the original works. The highly controversial painting by Leonardo da Vinci “The Savior of the World” belongs to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. He refused to show it at the Louvre because of questions about its authenticity. Eli presents his own take on this painting.

In addition, Eli wanted to pay tribute to the pieces that were stolen. For example, Rembrandt's The Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee was stolen during one of the world's most famous art heists. She still hasn't been found.

“The idea behind this museum is that we were able to create these exhibits out of thin air,” Eli explained.

Visit NOTaMUSEUM at Lime Studios (393 Broadway in Manhattan) from September 17th to 25th (10:00 am to 18:00 pm). Admission is free, no ticket reservations required.