A tattoo of the Virgin Mary on Tim Steiner's back was bought last week by a German art collector for $257,000. The art gallery, the Belgian artist Wim Delvove and 32 year old Steiner all took a cut of the money.
In return, Steiner has agreed to exhibit the work on his back three times a year in public and private art shows.
The artist, Wim Delvove started off tattooing the skin of pigs but it was always his goal to one day create a work on a human back. He found that back in Tim Steiner, and turned the young man into a walking work of art.
But the most bizarre thing about this story is that when Tim Steiner dies, the tattoo becomes the property of the new owner, contemporary art collector Rik Reinking.
The contract includes a provision giving the owner the right to sell the work on again. Reinking has also insured against any opposition from Steiner's family by making them sign a binding document agreeing not to intervene in the removal of the tattoo after his death.
I don’t like this story, it reeks of exploitation. It doesn’t seem right to me that a rich person can come along and buy a part of a person’s body and then cut it out and sell it after he’s dead, it’s just plain sick.
I’m guessing that some time in the not too distant future, Tim Steiner will rue the day he decided to sell his back for art.
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