INVADER's Most-Watched Mosaic Hits eBay as Late Show Ends
The anonymous French street artist INVADER's mosaic INVADER NY_173, installed on the set of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015, is now being auctioned as an official alias replica. The original work, which appeared on millions of screens for over a decade, will be destroyed along with the show's set per the artist's philosophy. The alias, INVADER NY_173 ALIAS, is sold by the show on eBay as part of its "Everything Must Go!" charity sale, with proceeds benefiting World Central Kitchen. Bidding has reached $39,200 as of publication. INVADER's practice involves creating exactly one alias per street piece; no alias existed for NY_173 until now. The artist's work has appeared globally, including on the International Space Station in 2015.
Key facts
- INVADER installed mosaic NY_173 on The Late Show set on November 19, 2015.
- The work remained on set for eleven years, visible to millions of viewers.
- The alias replica is identical in dimensions, materials, and hand-set ceramic tiles.
- No alias existed for NY_173 prior to this auction.
- The original mosaic will be destroyed with the show's set.
- INVADER's studio stated in February 2026 that the mosaic should not survive the place.
- The eBay auction benefits World Central Kitchen, founded by José Andrés.
- Bidding reached US $39,200 (£29,900) at the time of writing.
Entities
Artists
- INVADER
- José Andrés
Institutions
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- World Central Kitchen
- eBay
- GraffitiStreet
- International Space Station
- NASA
- ESA
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Ed Sullivan Theatre
- Paris
- London
- Tokyo
- Los Angeles
- Hong Kong
- Kathmandu