Friday, August 28, 2009

The $100,000 Dust Size Hulk

His paintbrush, a hair plucked from a dead housefly. His sculptures, invisible to the naked eye. This is the world-reknowned art of self taught British sculptor Willard Wigan. Creating miniature masterpieces that fit inside a needle’s eye or rest on the the head of a pin, the work is no small feat and the price tag of his artistry fetch dollars amounting in the hundred thousands.Peering through a microscope at 800 times magnification, he molds dust fibers and slivers of plastic into recognizable images.

Whether its sculpting animated characters like the Incredible Hulk and The Simpsons or pop culture icons like Michael Jackson and Buzz Aldrin, these tiny micro-sculptures go for up to $140,000 a piece according to Wigan’s latest catalog. Collectors of his unique craft, including the likes of Prince Charles, Elton John and Mike Tyson receive a microscope along with each sculpture so they can view the artwork they’ve purchased. Check out some of his works below.


Hulk in a needle eye


Simpsons on a pin head



To commemorate the Moon landing


The artist poses with Buzz Aldrin