Who is Nicholas Castello? German Artist Goes Viral For Placing $11.7M Pure Gold Cube In Central Park
On February 2, German artist Niclas Castello unveiled an $11.7 million “Gold Cube” artwork in Central Park, New York, which was on display for one day. The 410-pound (186-kilogram) cube is said to be made of “pure gold, 24 carats, 999.9”.
According to Castello’s official press release, the Golden Cube required more than 4500 hours of work and was manufactured by the H. Rüetschi art foundry in Aarau (Switzerland). The document also revealed that the artwork promoted the artist’s cryptocurrency, Castello Coin.
New in New York: A cube made from solid gold worth $11.7 million is in Central Park and has its own security system: bit.ly/32So5U1 https://t.co /5kXUDSVnS9
The golden cube was guarded on Wednesday by a security unit. Castello previously teased the Golden Cube by having several trucks (which featured mysterious location coordinates) drive around Times Square.
What do we know about Niclas Castello?
According to Artnet, Niclas Castello (aka Norbert Zerbs) is a contemporary artist from East Germany and was born on July 21, 1978. The 43-year-old artist is believed to have been influenced by the fall of the Berlin Wall. It presents his works inspired by neo-expressionism, pop art and street art, among others.
In the late 1990s, Niclas Castello became involved in street art culture in Germany, then moved to Paris in 2003. The native of Neuhaus am Rennweg then moved to New York, where he developed the essential to his artistic style. During this time, Castello worked on several artistic projects in various galleries in the United States and Europe.
In the biography section of her website, Castello credits American videographer Arleen Schloss as her mentor. He reportedly resided with her at Schloss in New York for two years. The German artist is currently based in New York and Switzerland.
Castello’s work
The artist is known for his sculptures like The Kiss and his critically acclaimed work, the Cube-Painting-Sculpture (released in 2016). His other works include several cube-inspired structures.
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According to Artnet, Castello currently has around 20 artworks available for purchase. These include six paintings and nine sculptures, as well as prints and installations. While some of his sculptures and paintings are exclusively available at auction, others can be purchased at exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, his printed works are available for $20,000 to $30,000.