Invader's 'Rubik Mona Lisa' beats estimate at Paris auction

PARIS -- A French street artist's interpretation of the Mona Lisa made of 330 Rubik's Cubes sold for 480,200 euros ($520,680) on Sunday at a modern art auction in Paris, well above presale estimates of up to 150,000 euros, organizers Artcurial said.

The 2005 artwork by anonymous street artist Invader uses the plastic puzzles' squares to create a mosaic of the Mona Lisa and her famous smile in garish colours.

The sale coincided with the closure of a blockbuster Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the nearby Louvre museum, the home of the real Mona Lisa. That show marked the 500th anniversary of the death of the Renaissance master.

Invader is known for his mosaic tile works featuring pixelated versions of the 1978 Space Invaders video game characters, which "invade" cities around the world.

The Rubik Mona Lisa was created in 2005 and is the first in Invader's "Rubikcubism" series, in which he recreates well-known Old Master works.

Invader, who defines himself as an UFA, an Unidentified Free Artist, wears a mask and insists on his face being pixilated for his rare appearances on camera.

He has a large following of fans who use a Smartphone app, "Flash Invaders," to snap pictures of his mosaics if they’re authentically his, rack up points and compete with other players.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Rubik's Cube, soap bubbles among Toy Hall of Fame inductees

WASHINGTON - Soap bubbles, little green army men and Rubik's Cube are the latest inductees to the US National Toy Hall of Fame, the National Museum of Play announced Thursday.

They were among 12 toys considered this year for the honor, alongside the likes of American Girl dolls, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and paper airplanes.

"Little Green Army Men encourage imaginative play and make-believe," said curator Christopher Bensch of the National Museum of Play in Rochester, upstate New York.

"Bubbles are purely physical, with the skill required to carefully blow them and the visual and tactile delight they promote," Bensch told AFP via email.

"And Rubik's Cube offers users an intellectual challenge to puzzle out its solution. Together, the three cover an impressive range of types of play."

In a statement, the National Museum of Play traced the origins of soap bubbles back to at least 17th century Europe, when children blowing bubbles appeared in Flemish paintings.

"Today, retailers sell more than 200 million bottles of this inexpensive and clean toy annually," it said.

Little green army men, made from molded plastic, evolved from metal and lead toy soldiers.

They first appeared in 1938, initially depicting US infantry men, hit the big time in the 1950s when a box of 200 cost $1.98, and starred in the 1995 animated hit "Toy Story."

An icon of the 1980s, the Rubik's Cube was the brainchild of Hungarian architect Erno Rubik -- and by some estimates, more than 500 million have tried to unscramble it.

It remains the centerpiece of puzzle-solving competitions in more than 50 countries, while books and websites explain the secrets to mastering the colorful 3-D combination puzzle.

Fifty-six toys now enjoy pride of place in the National Toy Hall of Fame, including Barbie, Lego, Frisbee, the Atari 2600 game system, Mr Potato Head and the humble cardboard box.

The National Museum of Play is part of The Strong museum in Rochester that also includes the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. It draws 560,000 visitors a year.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com