photo by Marshall Astor / Flickr
It seems that Prada Marfa, the west Texas art installation of sculptors Elmgreen and Dragset, will live to see another day. The life-sized replica of a Prada boutique has been occupying an desolate stretch of Texas highway since 2005, and has been caught up in a year-long legal battle to stay intact.
The Texas Department of Transportation threatened to shut down Prada Marfa almost a year ago, citing it as an illegal roadside advertisement. Thanks to an agreement between the foundation Ballroom Marfa and the Texas government, the site of this ephemeral installation is now officially an art museum, allowing it to sidestep the legal ramifications.
The faux-storefront was installed almost a decade ago with the intention of allowing it to fall natural into disrepair by the ravages of time, but it’s seen more damage at the hands of vandals and thieves since then. Now with its upgraded status as an art museum, robbers might have a harder time getting their hands on those (fake) Prada purses.
(via Artnet)
