The Living story
A painting called The Diriyah Starry Night was attributed to artist Jeroen van der MOST and sold for $3.2 million. He never made the artwork. In Saudi Arabia he found the painting and signed it. Which made it his. The full story was covered by international media.
After telling the tale on over a hundred stages worldwide, Van der MOST discovered something unexpected: the story of the going, the risking and the claiming proved consistently more powerful than the painting itself. And more engaging than any artwork he had ever made.
In an age where AI can generate any image, write any text, and produce any creative output, Van der MOST believes the living human story is the last truly scarce resource. Not what is created, but what is lived.
It’s why he created a certificate of ownership declaring the living story of the Diriyah Starry Night to be worth $3.3 million, deliberately more than the painting it is about.
The certificate is for sale. The buyer acquires the living story: its documented past, its present, and its continuing future. Whether the market agrees is itself the next chapter of the story.
Acquisition and press inquiries:
Unveiling the certificate (April 27, 2026) in interaction with the conceptual art collection of PoCo museum, Tallinn, Estonia.