Recession Special: Portraits by Michel Gondry

Walk down Broadway in Times Square or along the Seine in Paris and you’ll encounter those mediocre street artists interested in drawing your portrait and making your mug as ugly as possible.

One of those artists you may have told to “fuck off” could have very well been French director Michel Gondry if his recent undertakings are any indication. According to his website, for the price of 20 bucks and a bit of patience (6-8 weeks for delivery), Gondry will draw a picture of you if you send a photo of yourself. The end-all-be-all of crackhead specials if you ask me.

Could Gondry, the director of such brilliant music videos as Daft Punk’s “Around The World” (below) and Kylie Minogue’s “Come Into My World” (just watch it on mute), be going broke amidst the global recession?  After all, his films—Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Science of Sleep, Be Kind, Rewind—though conceptually and visually enthralling, aren’t really blockbusters. Or is this a case of benevolence from the privileged (just a lot less complicated than adopting black children like Madonna does)?

Regardless of why he’s doing it, the world’s better for it.

-Devin Chanda