To shed light on the national college debt crisis (currently over $1.7 trillion), we created the most expensive piece of art in history in partnership with Natural Light Beer. The piece, housed in Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall, is comprised of over 2600 real diplomas sourced from college graduates around the country. With students paying an average of ~$180,000.00 for a degree (and the piece of paper that comes with it), the total physical value of the piece is $470 million, surpassing the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction: Leonardo Da Vinci’s $450 million dollar Salvator Mundi.
The design is intended to illustrate the scale of the college debt crisis, while also alluding to the chaotic impact college debt creates for those who are burdened by it. It is a part of Natural Light’s ongoing annual college debt relief program, in which the brand provides $1,000,000.00 each year to students struggling with college debt.
Credits
Creative Director: Nicholas Rotondi
Designer: Adrien Giraux
Agency: M&C Saatchi S+E North America
Production: Bait Shoppe
