NY Sales begin tonight

We'll see how these post-war and contemporary NY auctions fare over the next several weeks; in the meantime everyone is on pins & needles waiting to see if the art market can stand on its own, or if it will succumb to the same fate as the rest of the world markets. According to Marc Porter of Christie's, “Prices of all assets have fallen — stocks, gold, oil, real estate — and it would be unrealistic to expect works of art to be immune to the market’s pressures.” For more of Carol Vogel's article recently published in the NY Times about the sales, read here.

Philip Guston, Beggar’s Joys (1954-55)

Vogel writes about the Guston painting:

Minimizing risk is the message of the moment. While Sotheby's has said that it has provided only half the number of guarantees it did a year ago, the company still has outstanding guarantees of $285.5 million. And guarantees are still given for desirable art, such as the Philip Guston.

Prices have soared since 1996 when Donald L. Bryant paid $1.7 million for the painting at Christie’s in New York, then a record price for the artist. Now Sotheby’s has lined the inside of its sale catalog with the image and experts there say that the seminal painting could well bring around $15 million, which is about what Mr. Bryant has received as a guarantee.

Sarah Thornton: Seven Days in the Art World

I was reading one of my go-to blogs, written by Matthew Langley here in Washington, and came across a mention of this forthcoming book about the art world. Can't wait to get a copy!!

Joseph Kosuth at the Hirshhorn

Last night I heard Joseph Kosuth speak at the Hirshhorn Museum and what an experience -- I've been attending artist lectures for over a decade and nothing compared to this one. Where to begin? This is an artist who pioneered conceptual art, most notably in the 1960s when he undertook his series of "investigations" into ways in which art could exceed the limitations of institutional and structural hierarchies of art and art history. Kosuth is known for his brilliant and ironic appropriation of words -- in which the reading of the words and the subsequent understanding of its meaning (by the viewer) is the ultimate goal of the artwork and aesthetics. Whether or not the viewer deems it ugly or beautiful is besides the point -- the process is what matters. Which again goes to the heart of my own perspective about "where" art resides -- it's in the interaction between artwork and viewer, when the viewer is moved/disturbed/inspired/puzzled/etc.

Prior to hearing Kosuth speak, I was most familiar with his neon works. But during the lecture I was really intrigued with his larger-scaled pieces, particularly the permanent installations at various venues in Europe, in which he employed significant portions of texts and ideas -- that contradicted each other -- resulting in textures and overlays of meaning and ideas. His installation in Copenhagen was one of the pieces I was most struck by. He began with a section of Hans Christian Anderson's "Emperor's New Clothes" (one of Kosuth's favorite childhood stories) and then visually interspersed it with fragments of Kierkegaard's damning review of the same text - but took these fragments out of context and connected them in such a way that it read in defense of Anderson. Brilliant. I absolutely love Kosuth's genius and rebellious nature, which (in this particular instance) was defiant against the philosopher who had criticized his beloved author, but in a larger context, defied the very annals of art history in the making of his highly intellectualized text art that negated the requirement of paper and paintbrush that had come before him.

Initially signed with Leo Castelli (when Kosuth was a mere 24 years old), he has been represented by Sean Kelly Gallery for many years, has exhibited around the world (including several years at Documenta and the Venice Biennale) and is currently showing a large holding of his work at the Hirshhorn Museum. I will continue to enjoy learning about and viewing his work.

Joseph Kosuth, Self-Defined Object (White), neon, 1966

Looking at Art -- The Phillips Collection

Could there be a more inviting way to look at (and converse about) art?

Quote of the Week - Eric Fischl

"To have the art experience is to change places with the object. It is for one to become still, to become frozen in one's tracks, to leave one's body for a brief moment, to stand outside oneself and reflect on one's life meaning by looking through the object, which now stares back. It is a profoundly complex process of identification and transference."

Eric Fischl, from his essay "A Meditation on the Death of Painting", The Phillips Collection Fall 2008 magazine.

Bourgeois and Basquiat at Christie's NY sale

Okay, my few yet loyal readers, the rant portion of my blog is done (well, at least for now!!) and it's time to move on to the major Fall auctions being held in New York at Christie's and Sotheby's next month, which I think will be the true test of how the art market is faring in context of our current financial meltdown. Just yesterday the Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art catalogue arrived in the mail, and I'm so excited to start reading through the material. Browsing through these hefty books and studying the exceptionally written essays ("lot notes") is absolutely my favorite moment of the Fall season. So here are a few highlights, with more to come in the weeks ahead:

Louise Bourgeois
Spider V, 1999
Bronze and steel
21 x 38 x 44 in.
No.2/6 (edition of 6 with one AP)
Estimate: $1,500,000 - 2,000,000:

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (Boxer), 1982
Acrylic and oil paintstick on linen
76 x 94 in.
Estimate not provided:

Review of the Christo exhibit in today's Post

Did anyone else read it, and what are your thoughts? Here is the link to the scathing review given the current Christo exhibition at the Phillips, written by Blake Gopnik for the Washington Post. And here are my thoughts --

Number 1. Gopnik condescends that the artists are asking the viewers to consider art that "doesn't exist" and "may never be made". Well, I think he misses the point entirely -- that in fact, the art does exist, it exists (as the artists themselves stated quite clearly in their written and verbal presentations) in the process of acquiring permits; in the process of spending decades planning for it, raising money for it, creating the materials for it; and in the minds of those who are for it and against it. And perhaps then, existentially speaking, whether or not it is actually made (which it will, given their track record) is irrelevant.

Number 2. I don't think Christo or Jeanne-Claude have ever claimed to be "environmental" or green artists, so Gopnik's argument (that people driving to see the finished project in gas-guzzling SUVs and that the use of excessively large quantities of fabric is in contrast to the artists' values) is a bit off.

Number 3. This is what really got me going -- he claims that "everyone" agrees that museums are on a "special-exhibition treadmill" that is "exhausting" them and creating a "problem". As I see it, special exhibitions are perhaps the best way that a museum can actively engage in the current trends of the contemporary art market. And that they also provide a substantial revenue source for their budget, as well as invaluable publicity. For example, the recent Jeff Wall retrospective was immensely important for both the artist and the organizing institution for all the reasons I just stated. Without a special exhibition program, a museum is left with a permanent collection alone, which by itself is too slow-moving and arduous in acquiring new pieces (which can take years sometimes) to stay active and relevant in today's art conversation. I think that the REAL "easy measure" for the "worth of any show" is whether or not it makes someone want to visit the museum in the first place. And while they're visiting - either for the special exhibition OR the permanent collection - they will visit the other as well.

Certainly, this exhibition might not be for everyone, but just as certainly, it is not a waste of time for either the artists, the museum, or for many of us art lovers who understand and appreciate their work and vision.