Artist David Choe on the cover of KoreAm in 2006.
On the cusp of Facebook’s long-awaited initial public offering, Korean American artist David Choe’s decision years ago to take stock options of the then nascent social media website is going to make him an instant millionaire. Choe’s shares in Facebook are estimated to be worth close to $200 million.
According to news reports by the New York Times, Facebook commissioned Choe to paint murals in their first headquarters in Palo Alto in 2005. The company’s original president, Sean Parker, gave Choe two options: take thousands of dollars in cash for his paintings or take company stock equivalent in value.
Despite believing that the concept of Facebook was “ridiculous and pointless” at the time, Choe wisely chose the latter. With over 845 million users, Facebook has become the most widely used social media websites in the world. Choe now has Facebook page of his own, suggesting that he no longer thinks the site is “ridiculous” or “pointless.”
Ever since the news broke, Choe has been making headlines and his friends have not kept quiet about his good fortune. According to the Washington Post, they have posted on his Facebook page, congratulating him, asking him for money, and giving him advice:
“Hey I think you owe me $”
“Hey, Dave, can I borrow $200M? I need to make a wager…”
“No limits. The world is your canvas. congrats man! also, bacon.”
“My Advice David, Hang up the Phone, turn off the Computer, find a nice spot on a beach in Bora Bora, and forget to tell people where you are for awhile.”
Though his future seems bright, Choe, now 35, has had a rough past. Growing up in Los Angeles, he spent time in jail in Japan and claims to have participated in looting during the 1992 L.A. riots. According to an interview Choe had with Ion Magazine in 2010, his difficult past is what inspires his work today.
Everything that happened in my life affects my art. I’m left-handed so all my drawing from my childhood ended up getting smudged with my palm while drawing, so I could never develop a clean style, and that’s why my art style is very dirty.
The Facebook headquarters is not the only place where one can view Choe’s “dirty” street style art. A portrait of Barack Obama can be seen hanging in the White House.
Below is a video of Mark Zuckerberg contributing to Choe’s mural at the Facebook headquarters.
Related Articles
FOR ONLY $28!
Featured Event
One of the the biggest Asian cinema events to hit Southern California opens on May 10. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, features the latest works by established and emerging filmmakers, along with seminars, panel discussions and symposiums on topics relevant to Asian Pacific cinema.
Opening Night features “Shanghai Calling,” directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Korean American Daniel Henney, who plays a Chinese American expat lawyer navigating his way through the mean streets of Shanghai (the picture above also indicates he is a raisin smuggler). But does he take off his shirt? Go watch the movie to find out! read more
LINKS
Featuring Recent Posts Wordpress Widget development by YD
