Revolutions leave behind artifacts. In the summer of 2011, a painter named Alex Schaefer set up an easel on a sidewalk in Van Nuys, California, and began painting the Chase Bank branch across the street. In his mind, the building was on fire — flames pouring from the windows, black smoke rising over the palm trees, the Chase logo still legible through the heat. He worked en plein air, the way the Impressionists had worked the Seine and the hay fields, except the subject was a branch of the largest bank in America three years after it had been bailed out with public money. A passerby called the police. When the artwork sold on eBay for $25,200 to a German collector, Schaefer did the only logical thing and painted more.
This is Part IV of the Relics of a Revolution interview series accompanying the Relics of a Revolution exhibition. Part I features Kolin Burges, Part II Mear One, Part III Afroman.
Fix the money. Fix the world.
Clean and minimal: Schaefer will exhibit artwork on view at Bitcoin 2026, April 27–29, at The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, and will appear on a speaking panel moderated by Dennis Koch titled “Looking at Bitcoin Art Through a Protest Lens” alongside Kolin Burges and Mear One. Bid on Schaefer’s work HERE.
The Bitcoin Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) is the curatorial and cultural programming division of BTC Inc and the Bitcoin Conference. Since 2019, the BMAG conference art gallery has facilitated more than 120 BTC in art and collectible sales. Learn more about BMAG at museum.b.tc. Follow BMAG on twitter @BMAG_HQ.
Bundle your Bitcoin 2026 pass with a stay at The Venetian and get your fourth night free. Use code AFTERS for a free After Hours Pass, or get your pass alone here.
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