Archive for January, 2009
Monday, January 12th, 2009
KAWS’ Kanye West Billboard
The Art Collectors put on our best tourist face and made a quick trip to Times Square to snap a few pics in the snow of KAWS’ new billboard for Kanye West. Click images for larger views.
Friday, January 9th, 2009
Jeff McMillan 2.0
Jeff McMillan has just relaunched his website, including a new online portfolio of recent work. Jeff is also blogging for our friends over at SlamxHype. We like Jeff and his art, so check him out.
Friday, January 9th, 2009
Uncertainty as London Art Fair Approaches
Nick Walker’s new print, The Empire State, will be released by Black Rat Press
at The London Art Fair.
The London Art Fair opens its doors next week, on January 13th. Many will be keeping a close eye on the second most substantial British venue for art sales (the younger Frieze Fair holds the top position). With the recent slowdown in attendance and sales figures at both Art Basel Miami last month and at the Freize Art Fair this past October, the outlook remains questionable for the first major fair of the new year.
One interesting addition to this year’s convention comes from Black Rat Press, a London print shop and gallery dealing exclusively in urban street art, including some names to have risen to astronomical heights in a very short amount of time. In an interview with Bloomberg, Black Rat director, Mike Snelle, anticipated selling out a new print by Nick Walker (edition of 175 and priced at 475 pounds) within the fair’s first hour.
By this time next week we should know if Snelle’s prediction will hold true, and if the rest of the exhibitors at The London Art Fair will be as lucky.
Thursday, January 8th, 2009
Weekend Openings
Andrew Schoultz + AJ Fosik
With the holiday hiatus behind us, many galleries will be reopening this weekend with new exhibitions. Here’s a brief list of what’s on our radar.
Mark Price – The New Real Fantasy Now, Glowlab, opening reception Jan. 8, 6-9pm – Feb. 1.
Mark Mulroney – Follow the Nosebleeds, Mixed Greens, opening reception Jan. 8, 6-8pm – Feb. 7.
James Meyer – Culture Hero, Morgan Lehman, opening reception Jan. 8, 6-8pm – Feb. 7.
Michael Bevilaqua – Corrosion of Conformity, Gering + Lopez, Jan. 8 – Feb 21.
Andrew Schoultz + AJ Fosik – New Ancient Structures, Space 1026, opening reception Jan. 9, 7-10pm – Jan 30.
Stephen Sprouse – Rock On Mars, Deitch Projects (Wosster St.), Jan. 9 – Feb. 28.
Curated by Ad Hoc Art – From the Streets of Brooklyn, Thinkspace – opening reception Jan. 9, 7-11pm – Feb. 6.
Closed Caption Comics – Adolescent Rage, Cinders Gallery, opening reception Jan. 9, 7-10pm – Feb 8.
James Jean – Kindling: New Works on Paper and Canvas / Kenichi Hoshine – The Night Before, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, opening reception Jan. 10, 6-9pm – Feb. 7.
Amy Bennett – At the Lake, Richard Heller Gallery, opening reception Jan. 10, 5-7pm – Feb. 14.
Charles White – Let the Light Enter: Major Drawings, 1942-1969, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, opening reception Jan 10, 2-5pm – March 7.
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
It Was A Very Good Year or Hey Hey, Goodbye!
Images via artprice
Has Damien Hirst committed professional suicide and is he’s taking the rest of the art market with him?
Over past few weeks, the hot topic for art critics has been speculation that not only may Hirst’s monumental Sotheby’s sale turn out to be his achilles heel, but the breaking point for the entire art market. Has the record shattering auction signaled the end of a reeling market bubble and incessant speculative buying? Since the September 15th sale, several signs suggest that Hirst’s prices are dropping, with more and more works failing to find buyers at auction and international fairs.
Over on artnet, Charlie Finch makes some colorful predictions for the coming year, wryly suggesting, “DAMIEN HIRST’S CAREER IS OVER,” and “like those of Schnabel, Cucchi, Salle and other victims of the late 1980s crash, [his] values will never recover.” The lesson learned from Schnabel’s trajectory through the 1980s is well known. Over the span of two years from 1979 to 1981, prices for Schnabel’s work skyrocket from $6,000 to $40,000 per painting. Then, after soaring through the decade riding the back of an over-inflated market built largely on ego and celebrity, the career of the self-proclaimed “most famous painter in America” suffered a critical collapse. By the 1990s he had all but disappeared from the art world, reemerging as a film director in 1997 with the biopic, Basquiat. Will Hirst suffer the same fate, and will the general art market tumble along with him?
Clearly, the downward spiral seems to be holding true for the market at large. Art Market Insight notes that during 2007 and 2008 (before mid-September) 80% of works offered at auctions with estimates over 1 million euros were sold. However, beginning September 17, 2008, the day after the Hirst sale, only 55% of works offered in this price range found buyers. Furthermore, buyers have become much more modest in their bidding – Prior to the Hirst auction 35% of lots offered (all works, all periods) sold above their low estimate. After September 16, this deflated to a mere 24%.
With an estimate of $3-4 million, Damien Hirst’s 2007 spin painting, “Beautiful Artemis Thor Neptune Odin Delusional Sapphic Inspirational Hypnosis Painting” went unsold at a Nov 13, 2008 Phillips de Pury auction. (Image via Phillips de Pury)
A December 31 Bloomberg report argued that “Hirst’s record Beautiful Inside My Head Forever sale and collapse of Lehman Brothers Inc. in September marked the turning of the art market in 2008,” including the recent failed sale of Hirst’s “Beautiful Artemis Thor Neptune Odin Delusional Sapphic Inspirational Hypnosis Painting,” (the spin painting went unsold at Phillips de Pury this past November, despite a $1.8 million reserve on a piece estimated between $3 – 4 million), and weak results at Art Basel Miami.
The verdict may not be unanimous though. Art Market Monitor does a good job of pointing out the weaknesses of the Bloomberg claims, and The Telegraph’s Colin Gleadell reminds us us that as recenlty as a late December sale, “Hirst’s spot prints and spin paintings opened to unanimous approval. Within days, all but five of the 22 works had been sold. Prices ranged from £10,000 to £250,000.
While disagreement remains over the future of Hirst, no one seems to be arguing the dire state of the overall market. That is no one except the auction houses themselves.
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
TAC VAULT :: Barry McGee
It’s been quite a while since we’ve posted from the TACVault, featuring images from our members’ private collections. As collectors, while we do enjoy seeing art in museums and gallery spaces, there’s another level of excitement and joy that comes from experiencing the living spaces of fellow art ethusaists, and works of art that are otherwise gone from public view. Through TACVault, we hope to provide some insight into the collecting process, and an intimate look at the passionate and dedicated pursuits of art collectors.
The above Barry McGee installation comes to us from one of our TACForum members. The individual pieces were acquired separately over a span of a few years. Two notable works include the man with tanktop, 2001 (upper left), which is featured in the Fondazione Prada museum calatog, and the torso man (bottom left), exhibited as part of a larger installation at the 2007 Watari-um Museum show in Tokyo.
We welcome images for inclusion in the TACVault. Please send images and relevant information to info@theartcollectors.com If posted, we will keep your identity anonymous or credit you, depending on personal preference.
Monday, January 5th, 2009
GLIMPSE :: Thinkspace Gallery + Andrew Hosner
It is our pleasure to present a look into the world of Thinkspace Gallery in Silverlake and its proprietor, Andrew Hosner. Thinkspace has been a real springboard for emerging artists who have amassed a global following in the past couple of years. With a ‘collecting’ perspective, Andrew carefully shapes the future of his art endeavors. Having such a solid foundation patiently built, it’s easy to say that Thinkspace will be among the leading authorities in the ‘movement’ for a long time to come.
We had the opportunity to visit the gallery, as well as Andrew’s home, all in one afternoon. The passion supporting the effort is manifested in what can only be called a ‘comprehensive’ personal collection – a visual symphony that is part of everyday living. It’s extremely rare that we obtain such insight into the life of a substantial player in the burgeoning contemporary art scene in Los Angeles.
Together with an in-depth interview, we present a litany of photos, edited from much more, forming our first in a series of focused profiles. Thanks, Andrew, for letting us see behind the curtain.