13-02-24, 10:45
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Re: Artist Will DESTROY Picasso/Rembrandt & More Masterpieces If Assange Dies in Pris
Artist Claims He Will Use Acid to DESTROY Picasso, Rembrandt and Warhol Masterpieces If Julian Assange Dies in Prison
Andrei Molodkin says he has gathered 16 works of art - which he estimates are collectively worth more than $45m - in a 29-tonne safe with an "extremely corrosive" substance.
MailOnline 13 FEB 2024
Artist Andrei Molodkin
The safe includes acid that can be triggered to destroy the artwork, Andrei Molodkin says.
Molodkins' sketches for the Dead Mans' Switch project.
An artist has defended plans to destroy masterpieces by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt and Andy Warhol with acid if Julian Assange dies in prison.
Andrei Molodkin says he has gathered 16 works of art - which he estimates are collectively worth more than $45m (£42.77m) - in a 29-tonne safe with an "extremely corrosive" substance.
Inside the vault are boxes containing the art and a pneumatic pump connecting two white barrels - one with acid powder and the other with an accelerator that could cause a chemical reaction strong enough to turn the safe's contents to debris, Molodkin claims.
The project - called "Dead Man's Switch" - is being backed by Assange's wife Stella, whose husband is awaiting his final appeal against being extradited to the US, where he faces charges under the Espionage Act.
The Wikileaks founder is wanted in America over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The 52-year-old denies any wrongdoing.
He has been held in London's Belmarsh prison for almost five years and will have his final appeal heard at the High Court in London on February 20 and 21.
Assange's supporters say he faces 175 years in prison if he is extradited. His lawyer claims the Australian's life "is at risk" if the appeal fails.
Molodkin told Sky News: "In our catastrophic time - when we have so many wars - to destroy art is much more taboo than to destroy the life of a person.
"Since Julian Assange has been in prison... freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of information has started to be more and more repressed. I have this feeling very strongly now."
The Russian dissident has refused to reveal which pieces of art are inside the safe but says it includes works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Warhol, Jasper Johns, Jannis Kounellis, Robert Rauschenberg, Sarah Lucas, Santiago Sierra, Jake Chapman, and Molodkin himself, among others.
"I believe if something happened and we erased some masterpiece, it will be erased from history - nobody will know which kind of piece it was," he says.
"We have all the documentation and we photographed all of them."
The safe will be locked on Friday and it is being kept at Molodkin's studio in the south of France, the artist says, but he plans for it to be moved to a museum.
Explaining how the "Dead Man's Switch" works, he says a 24-hour countdown timer must be reset before it reaches zero to prevent the corrosive material from being released.
He says this will be done by "someone close" to Assange confirming he is still alive in prison each day - which will mean the timer can be reactivated.
If Assange is released from prison, the works of art will be returned to their owners, Molodkin adds.
He admits "many collectors are really scared" about the acid going off accidentally but insists the work has been done "very professionally".
Molodkin says he would feel "no emotion" if the art was destroyed because "freedom is much more important".
Giampaolo Abbondio, who owns an art gallery in Milan, says he has provided the Picasso artwork for the safe and has signed a non-disclosure agreement preventing him from revealing which one.
He said his first response when he was asked to take part was: "No way", but he was convinced by Molodkin, who he has known since 2008.
"It got me round to the idea that it's more relevant for the world to have one Assange than an extra Picasso, so I decided to accept," Mr Abbondio told Sky News.
"Let's say I'm an optimist and I've lent it. If Assange goes free, I can have it back.
"Picasso can vary from 10,000 to 100 million but I don't think it's the number of zeros that makes it more relevant when we're talking about a human life."
Stella Assange, the wife of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is supporting Andrei Molodkin's 'Dead Man's Switch' project.
Australia High Commissioner Stephen Smith Visits Julian Assange in Prison
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