"Brillo Box (3c off)" (2016 release; 41 min.) brings the story of an iconic Andy Warhol pop-art sculpture. As the movie opens, we are introduced to the (in)famous yellow Brillo Box sculpture, of which Warhol made only 17, and which the director's father bought in 1969 for just $1,000 (about $7,000 in today's dollars), only to eventually see it sold in 2010 at Christie's for a staggering $3+ million. The movie brings the journey of the sculpture in between.
Couple of comments: this documentary, directed by Lisanne Skyler, is a mixture of a personal/family history and a look at Andy Warhol art's astonishing rise following his 1987 death. The director interviews both her parents and reflects on what life was like, growing up amidst pop-art, literally (she makes extensive use of family photos and video footage). But much better for me is the review of how the value of art is influenced by perception. The Andy Warhol-produced Brillo Box that is the subject of the movie came out in 1964 and was available for $200, even though it is literally a carbon copy of the real life Brillo Box. "Take a Brillo Box, make it into sculpture, and call it art", someone comments. The sculpture would become ever more valuable, even more so after Warhol's death in the late 80s. Absolutely fascinating.
I recently stumbled on this while surfing the documentary section of HBO On Demand for something good to watch. Glad I took a flyer on this. The director nicely mixes the personal family history with the rise of Andy Warhol's pop art, and this particular sculpture in particular. If you enjoy the arts, I'd readily suggest you seek this out.
