An algorithm painted this portrait – and it just sold at Christie’s for US$432,500
- Software analysed 15,000 classic paintings to understand the rules of portraiture, before creating the new image by itself
- The French collective Obvious is behind the project, intended to democratise art with the use of artificial intelligence
A portrait made by algorithm smashed boundaries on Thursday, selling for US$432,500 and becoming the first piece of artificial intelligence art sold at a major auction house, Christie’s said.
At first glance, “Portrait of Edmond de Belamy”, depicting a gentleman dressed in black and framed in gold, could be an impressionistic portrait from the 19th century.
Up close, the image is more intriguing. The face is fuzzy and the picture seemingly unfinished. Instead of an artist’s signature, it bears the stamp of a mathematical formula on the bottom right.
It’s the brainchild of the French collective Obvious, whose aim is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to democratise art. To make the painting, artist Pierre Fautrel first ran 15,000 classic portraits through a computer software programme.
Once the software “understood the rules of portraiture,” using a new algorithm developed by Google researcher Ian Goodfellow, it then generated a series of new images by itself, Fautrel said.
