The Zero-Sum Game
There is an interesting article in the recent issue of Modern Painters (a magazine that I usually read at the book story because it is one of those fancy mags for $10). The story by Jerry Saltz talks about the art market to say the least but I like the tone he has......he hasn't succumb to the pretentious art dribble that bores me to death, instead he highlights the market in an honest light. Here are a few good quotes from the story....I looked online but there are no links so you will have to pick up a copy if you want to read on.
..."The key question is whether or not the market is changing the way we see and think about art.
...Richard Prince sell for more than a million dollars, does this alter our consideration of their work? Does it alter the way magazine editors and curators think about this work? Should it?...
Collectors now imagine that they can become part of and even make art history simply by paying gigantic prices for works of art...
...I had a chat with a dealer in his or her gallery - often in the middle of a sell-out show, with prices usually above $30,000 and all the works taken - the dealer bemoans how 'bad the market is for art.' Then, he or she pines for the 'good old days.' I have to remain neutral with dealers but I want to say, 'It's easy for you to moan about how bad the market is; you're making money from it; the market is keeping you in business.'
...The biggest difference between then and now is that in the 80's a tiny handful of artists, mainly men cashed in...women are lagging behind again and the going is really tough if you're black.
...Does the market create a competitive atmosphere that drives artists to produce better work or does it foster empty product?".....The Zero-Sum Game by Jerry Saltz
..."The key question is whether or not the market is changing the way we see and think about art.
...Richard Prince sell for more than a million dollars, does this alter our consideration of their work? Does it alter the way magazine editors and curators think about this work? Should it?...
Collectors now imagine that they can become part of and even make art history simply by paying gigantic prices for works of art...
...I had a chat with a dealer in his or her gallery - often in the middle of a sell-out show, with prices usually above $30,000 and all the works taken - the dealer bemoans how 'bad the market is for art.' Then, he or she pines for the 'good old days.' I have to remain neutral with dealers but I want to say, 'It's easy for you to moan about how bad the market is; you're making money from it; the market is keeping you in business.'
...The biggest difference between then and now is that in the 80's a tiny handful of artists, mainly men cashed in...women are lagging behind again and the going is really tough if you're black.
...Does the market create a competitive atmosphere that drives artists to produce better work or does it foster empty product?".....The Zero-Sum Game by Jerry Saltz
posted by art blogs are fun at 4:03 PM
3 Comments:
"...The biggest difference between then and now is that in the 80's a tiny handful of artists, mainly men cashed in...women are lagging behind again and the going is really tough if you're black."
OMG is this racist talk? or is it confirming my suspicion that the art world is less interested in what i have to say.
what he said is not racist, but the truth of the situation.
if you are black, the art world would be interested in what you have to say if your work is like Kara Walker or Michael Ray Charles----promoting negative images, especially those bordering on the pornographic.
this is the choice the 'mainstream' art press has made, calling it 'cutting edge' and 'important'.
abstract art made by black artists is not 'important'.
thanks for clearing that up. i feel much better now.
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