Vote for Art picks 3 new works for Mint

The voters have spoken, and they've declared that trash can be a valid means of expression. 

Visitors to The Mint Museum cast nearly 20,000 ballots in its Vote for Arts contest, picking their favorites from six candidates that have been on display at the Mint since the time of the Democratic National Convention. The polls closed Friday, and the Mint -- getting the count done much more quickly than Florida -- announced the results at its Ballot Ball fundraising gala that night. 

Thanks to money raised that night and other donations, the Mint will buy the top three vote-getters for its collection. The winners are: 

Vik Muniz's "The Birth of Venus, after Botticelli." a large-format photograph (above). Muniz recreated the famous Renaissance painting in a massive assemblage of discarded computers, wire, cans and other junk, then preserved the image on film.   


Mattia Biagi's "Before Midnight." Alluding to the Cinderella story, it's a sculpture of a Cinderella carriage covered in tar. 


Mathias Bengtsson's "Slice Chair Paper." Combining technology and sculpture, it's a chair composed of numerous layers of laser-cut paper glued together. 

(Photo: Vik Muniz/Licensed by VAGA, New York, N.Y.)