Sculptor, Market-Mover Needs Dylan Record Badly

Tim Davis, an artist who teaches at Bard College in upstate New York, wanted to sculpt a life-size self-portrait out of album covers of Bob Dylan’s Self Portrait.

But he’s been having trouble getting enough copies, as explained in an e-mail note he sent along to friends: “I’ve been buying them on eBay, but have artificially driven up the price by buying so many.”

As of this writing, an eBay search for “dylan self portrait” reveals a scarcity problem (there are only three vinyl records for sale), but the most expensive record is only $6.95, so I don’t know how much Davis has really driven up the price — artificially or otherwise. Also, he says he is willing to pay up to $10 for a copy. He is actually looking for the record cover, with or without the vinyl LP’s.

So if you have a copy of Self Portrait lying around (although I am a Dylan fan, I think “lying around” is exactly the right place to keep Self Portrait), and want to contribute to the sake of art, here’s where to send your offering:

Tim Davis
101 North Road
Tivoli, NY 12583
tdavis@bard.edu

I will be interested to see if Davis sells his work eventually, and if its cumulative value is greater than the value of all the records he had to buy.