We are sure you all now about David Choe and what went on with his shares of Facebook stock he received back in 2005 for painting the social network’s offices. In case you missed that news, it turns out his stocks are now valued at 200 million US dollars. Barbara Walters linked up with the artist to talk about the deal in this clip on Youtube (ABC is not allowing embedding, so click the link here). While hanging with the artist, Walters also took a moment to get up with a spray paint can. (Source: TheWorldsBestEver)

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, barbara walters, David Choe, facebook

Many of you know by now the Labbit character by artist Frank Kozik. Now the Labbit returns in the form of plush toys, featuring tiger and cow patterns all over the upper – say hi to the Tiger Labbit and Cow Labbit. Both come in two sizes and are now available from Kidrobot.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: David Fischer | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: frank kozik, kidrobot, plush toys

The official video for Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris” is set to debut tomorrow at noon. In the meantime here’s a “videojacking” of the track put together by a Parisian graffiti crew who go HAM in the Paris Metro with lyrics from Jay and Ye’s popular Watch The Throne track. Feels a bit like a Kidult job to us. What do you think?

Click here to view the embedded video.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: Pete Williams | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: graffiti, jay-z, kanye west, Music, videos

Tomorrow, Takashi Murakami (the world’s 6th richest living artist) opens his latest blockbuster exhibit at the Al Riwaq Exhibition Hall in Doha, Qatar. Marking his first show in the Middle East, Murakami is not only showcasing a vast collection of previous releases, but is also unveiling a host of new work.

According to the press release, “for this presentation, Murakami has conceived of the exhibition itself as a work of art, creating new modes of display that include sculptural pedestals with digital animation, a circus tent that doubles as an indoor cinema, and a new 100-meter-long painting that wraps around the exhibition space. Most spectacularly, the artist will depict himself as a larger than life inflatable creature, greeting visitors at the entrance of the exhibition, turning the show into a giant self-portrait, in which Murakami appears as a character in his own typically supernatural world.”

The Murakami Ego exhibition opens tomorrow and runs until June 24, 2012.

More images follow after the click.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: Pete Williams | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, takashi murakami

Here above you see a print that artist David Choe produced for Howard Stern. It will go on sale soon with all proceeds going to charity. Now let’s get to the real news though. After the news came out that David Choe was paid in Facebook stock in 2005, for painting murals at the then startup’s office, and with the upcoming Facebook IPO around the corner, everybody was of course eager to hear what the artist had to say when coming on Howard Stern’s radio show yesterday. Some interesting things about the 4th richest living artist came out in the lengthy interview.

Listen to all the sequences here below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

More after the jump.

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Post tags: Art, David Choe, facebook, howard stern, radio

Click here to view the embedded video.

Time Magazine sits down with Damien Hirst. They talk about his spot paintings and why he wanted to put them in so many galleries at the same time, the meaning behind the spots, his diamond encrusted skull and his worth, which seems to be a little lower than in this recent listing of the richest living artists. Enjoy!

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: David Fischer | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, damien hirst, videos

Reebok unveils their newest Jean-Michel Basquiat collection for this Spring/Summer 2012 season. The collection expands with the addition of graphic tee shirts, a knit sweater and jackets. Also present is the Reebok Pump Omni Lite in three colors, as well as the popular Reebok Freestyle for women. Look for this collection to be hitting retailers sometime this month.

Check out the full collection after the jump.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: basquiat, Fashion, reebok, Sneakers

Click here to view the embedded video.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: Pete Williams | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, takashi murakami, videos

Last week we reported about David Choe being paid in 2005 in stock by Facebook, for painting murals in their offices. That stock might become worth 200 Million USD, after Facebook’s IPO and official stock market listing. Complex took a look at the richest living artists, and it is interesting to see where Choe ranks in there now.

Here is the complete list:

1. Damien Hirst – 1 Billion USD
2. Jeff Koons – 500 Million USD
3. Jasper Johns – 300 Million USD
4. David Choe – 200 Million USD
5. Andre Vicari – 142 Million USD
6. Takashi Murakami – 100 Million USD
7. Anish Kapoor – 85 Million USD
8. Antony Gormley – 50 Million USD
9. Gerhard Richter – 40 Million USD
10. David Hockney – 40 Million USD
11. Cindy Sherman – 35 Million USD
12. Richard Prince – 30 Million USD
13. Andreas Gursky – 30 Million USD
14. Chuck Close – 25 Million USD
15. Georg Baselitz – 25 Million USD

For background on each one of the artists, check the full article over at Complex.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: David Fischer | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, artists, damien hirst, David Choe

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Last year, French artist JR made the city of Los Angeles into a canvas for this large-scale photos. This video features interviews and insights from the people that were photographed for the project. In case you missed it, here’s your chance to see some of the works.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, jr, los angeles, wrinkles of the city

Artist Tim Doyle has created some new works entitled “UnReal Estate” where he took some highly recognizable establishments from programs like Seinfeld, Arrested Development, The Sopranos, King of the Hill and others and illustrated them in a much darker tone than we are accustomed to seeing. These look great, so be sure to check them out!

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
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In 2005 artist David Choe, whom we often report about here on Highsnobiety, was asked by Facebook to paint their headquarters at the time. With the filing for IPO by Facebook, it turns out that painting the offices of the then Internet start-up, will make him one of the richest living artists one day.

This week Facebook announced that they will be going public in the near future. Along with the filing, they had to reveal the current ownership state of the company. In 2005 David Choe chose to be paid in stock rather than cash and it looks like that stock will be worth 200 Million USD, if Facebook will be valued on the open stock market at the estimated 100 Billion Dollar mark.

“In 2005, Mr. Choe was invited to paint murals on the walls of Facebook’s first offices in Palo Alto, Calif., by Sean Parker, then Facebook’s president. As pay, Mr. Parker offered Mr. Choe a choice between cash in the “thousands of dollars,” according to several people who know Mr. Choe, or stock then worth about the same.

Mr. Choe, who has said that at the time that he thought the idea of Facebook was “ridiculous and pointless,” nevertheless chose the stock.

Many “advisers” to the company at that time, which is how Mr. Choe would have been classified, would have received about 0.1 to 0.25 percent of the company, according to a former Facebook employee. That may sound like a paltry amount, but a stake that size is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, based on a market value of $100 billion. Mr. Choe’s payment is valued at roughly $200 million, according to a number of people who know Mr. Choe and Facebook executives.”

You can read the full New York Times article on what happened here.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: David Fischer | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, David Choe, facebook

Known for his colorful art and characters, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is on to his next project. He is currently producing a children’s monster movie, entitled Jellyfish Eyes.

“Using a cast of unknown actors and putting the film’s sizable budget almost entirely into special effects, the artist has managed to create big-screen incarnations of his ravenous, curious creatures that maintain astonishing fidelity to their canvas versions. But like “Godzilla,” which was born from the nuclear terror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s aftermath, Murakami’s film arises from a disaster: the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that rent his country asunder, killing thousands and displacing countless more (see Part 1 of our video interview with the artist, where he talks about his charity auction benefiting the earthquake victims).

Titled “Jellyfish Eyes,” the movie follows a young boy who after an earthquake has to move with his family to an “experimental city” where each child is paired with a small monster. The “angry feeling” of the children then gives these creatures great power, allowing them to grow from cuddly little companions to giant, omnivorous behemoths that tower over buildings and, in one especially gorgeous scene, tromp majestically through a misty forest. Havoc ensues.”

Check out the video interview by ArtInfo about the upcoming film here below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Murakami hopes to release the film later this year.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: David Fischer | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, Movies, takashi murakami, videos

Artist Bruce Lowell has taken a unique approach to LEGO sculptures with these everyday items he has created. We’ve seen a lot of great LEGO related stories here, and this is another cool addition. Lowell creates some items such as tacos, a donut, a garbage can filled recyclable bottles, and other neat little creations.

Take a look at Bruce Lowell’s work after the jump.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, bruce lowell, LEGO

Taiwanese-American painter Hilo Chen creates some rather remarkable paintings. His realist paintings of bikini-clad women at the beach are something to marvel at. The details and subtle sense of sensuality work well and leave a lot to the imagination. Some actually could be considered NSFW, if your workplace is prudish, then proceed with caution.

Check out Hilo Chen’s work after the jump.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, Girls, hilo chen, paintins

This ranking is in no way an “official” Top 10 Photo Tumblrs list, but more so ones that we follow and enjoy on a regular basis. We are sure there is a myriad of great original photo Tumblrs and we hope to come across more, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to let us know. What this list is, is a compilation of ones that showcase original photos. Re-blogging is great, don’t get us wrong, but we just wanted to put the spotlight on originality.

Check out some of our favorites after the jump.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Girls, photography, photos, tumblr

San Diego-based photographer Tim Mantoani undertook a fascinating project in which he photographed photographers holding some iconic imagery that they were responsible for. It’s always a great thing putting a face to something, as is the case here. There’s no doubt that you have seen some, if not all of these images at some point.

What’s also astonishing is that these were all shot with a large format 20×24inch Polaroid camera, which cost Mantoani $200 per photo. Over 150 portraits were created during a 5-year period, and with the camera company going under, it made it that much more of a mission to complete.

The book is now available in 2 versions at Behind Photographs. Check out the video below to get some insight into the project from Mantoani.

Click here to view the embedded video.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: behind photographs, books, photography

Never one to shy away from political and social commentary with his art work, Ron English is back at it with “America’s Back!”. Here we see the United States President, Barrack Obama, as an angry Hulk sculpture with bulging muscles, tattered pants and a menacing scowl.

See the full image after the jump.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, Ron English

German interview magazine The Talks chatted with Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash and as usual managed to dig deep. Check out a snippet from the interview here below.

“Mr. Brainwash, are you an art piece by Banksy?

What’s an art piece? Maybe I am. If you think about it, why not? I’m real; I am who I am. I’m continuing. What you see now is mine, Banksy has nothing to do with it. I’m here, it’s me. My life is my life; nobody’s going to take that from me. His life is his life. I mean, we have a connection, we have something that connected us for a movie, but life goes on.

Do you introduce yourself as Mr. Brainwash or Thierry Guetta?

Both names are the same – Mr. Brainwash a.k.a. Thierry Guetta. People know me as both names. It’s the same person.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned from Bansky?

If I learned anything from him, it would be passion. You know, two people meet each other and they connect. That’s why there is a movie about it because there was a connection from him to me and me to him. There is this connection that made something.

Were you ever tempted to tell people who he really is? A lot of people are interested in that and would pay a lot of money.

I don’t get bought out. I’m a real person with real trust and that’s how it is. You don’t need to know; it’s not going to make a difference if you know. It’s just going to serve a little problem in your head but it doesn’t make a difference.”

Read the full interview over at The Talks.

© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: David Fischer | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, interviews, mr brainwash, the talks

This is cool! Peter Stults has created this fantastic series of movie posters called Movies From an Alternate Universe. Stults re-imagines what popular movies of today would be like should they have been made in a different time with Hollywood stars of yore. Check out some insight into the project from the creator below:

Awhile back a friend of mine forwarded me a site where artist Sean Hartter made posters of films that, title wise, we were familiar with, but there was a slight difference; they were remade as if they belonged to a different era or a different genre, the name of the movie was there, but the actors were different, the style was different, and I loved the concept. So I went forward with this theme; what if movies we were all familiar with were made in a different slice of time? Who would be in it? Who would direct it? So here we are…

Check out the posters after the jump.

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© 2012 Highsnobiety for Titel Media. Author: nickestrada | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us | %%sharethis_link%%
Post tags: Art, movie posters, Movies