Tuesday, September 1, 2009
L. A. Police Department searching for art dealer believed to be in Florida | abcactionnews.com
L. A. Police Department searching for art dealer believed to be in Florida | abcactionnews.com
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Monday, July 27, 2009
The New York Times's Photos - Art & Design: Mural Makeover
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The lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, that movie-set-perfect Art Deco interior, sees thousands of people every day. Most are passing through. But for the last nine months a team of six conservators has all but moved in and will be there for the next two years. Carefully concealed behind giant scrims, they spend hour after hour methodically removing decades of yellowed varnish from the building’s famed murals, one inch at a time.
Their work is so quiet and the scrims — blown-up photographs of the murals — so unobtrusive that nobody seems to notice them.
“The other day I sneezed and nearly scared someone to death,” said Gillian Randell, chief conservator for EverGreene Architectural Arts, the Manhattan company restoring the murals. (EverGreene has worked on other landmarks, including nearby Radio City Music Hall.)
When the murals in the north corridor of 30 Rockefeller’s lobby were finally cleaned, Jeffrey Greene, EverGreene’s president, had a eureka moment. “I realized the building was out of balance,” he said one recent steamy morning, standing on a second-floor balcony and staring directly into “Abolition of War,” a mural by the Spanish painter José María Sert that depicts a woman astride two cannons with a baby in her outstretched arms.
When Rockefeller Center was built (it was conceived in 1930 and finished nine years later), “the marble was supposed to have the same tonalities as the background color of the walls and the murals,” Mr. Greene said.
During construction, Edward Trumbull, a painter, designer and muralist, coordinated the color schemes of all the artwork and the finishes for the lobbies of every building in the complex. But over the years the surfaces grew darker. And as the murals’ topcoat of varnish deepened, the maintenance staff painted the undecorated parts of the walls a darker color to match. After the north corridor lobby murals were cleaned, Mr. Greene discovered that the color scheme for the whole interior was out of whack.
The murals “were supposed to be in harmony with the warm, stone color of the marble,” he explained. With the cleaning, he added, “it was as though we’d switched on the lights.”
The ravages of age became apparent in other ways, too. For example, over the years the baby in “Abolition of War” had been obscured and looked like a blemish.
Two years ago, when Tishman Speyer, co-owner and manager of Rockefeller Center, hired EverGreene, Mr. Greene spent six months doing nothing but research. “I read the Rockefeller family archives,” he said. (Robert J. Speyer, senior managing director of Tishman Speyer, would not specify the project’s cost, although it is believed to exceed seven figures.)
Like the surrounding complex, the art at 30 Rockefeller Plaza has a rich history. A committee set up by John D. Rockefeller and his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., decided that the artworks there should have a unifying theme, New Frontiers, encompassing aspects of a modern society: science, labor, education, travel, communication, humanitarianism, finance and spirituality. Because 30 Rockefeller Plaza, near the Channel Gardens, where the Christmas tree stands every year, was considered the center’s flagship, it was to be the most elaborately decorated.
By 1933 the committee was making lists of the most talented names to consider. Initially artists like Picasso and Matisse were candidates. But they were unavailable and would have been too expensive. Sert was on the list too, along with the British painter Frank Brangwyn, who ended up creating murals for the lobby’s south corridor.
Diego Rivera was also brought on board, but his work was removed and destroyed when he refused to alter a panel glorifying Lenin. In its place, Sert created “American Progress,” one of several murals he contributed.
More than 16 feet high and 41 feet long, “American Progress” was installed in 1937 behind the information desk. An allegory for the building of contemporary America, the scene includes statues of the muses of poetry, music and dance, their arms reaching toward the men of action with laborers in the center and Abraham Lincoln, wearing a top hat, resting his hand on the shoulder of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Brangwyn’s four murals, installed in 1934, used the same muted palette as Sert’s compositions, but the subject was man’s search for eternal truth through Christ’s teachings. Brangwyn didn’t rely on professional models but used folks from his home in Ditchling, about 50 miles south of London.
Before the cleaning began, Mr. Greene enlisted several scientists to analyze and test the murals to determine their condition, the composition of the paints and exactly what had been done by previous conservators. “I was afraid these murals were hiding a multitude of sins,” he said.
It was the 1970s varnish, they realized, that had to be removed first. One scientist formulated a chemical cleaning solution, but Mr. Greene was afraid to use it, concerned that it might damage the paint underneath.
He also tried removing the varnish with an electric toothbrush, but it didn’t come off easily enough. Then he realized that the simplest method was still the best: gently rubbing all the surfaces with an agate burnisher or a bone folder, a tool more commonly used for book binding. By working slowly, in tiny sections, the varnish began to flake off easily. “It’s a green, incredibly low-tech solution,” Mr. Greene said. Still, he added, “it is going to take two years to get through all the murals, one inch at a time.”
Beneath the varnish the original glaze on the murals still has its sheen. Nevertheless, there are small losses, or blemishes as Mr. Greene calls them, and places where previous conservators had scrubbed too hard, damaging some of the designs. He and his team have had to paint in those areas.
Their two biggest challenges still lie ahead: “Time,” Sert’s mural on the lobby’s ceiling, and “American Progress,” at the information desk. To work on Sert’s dramatic ceiling, conservators plan to build what Mr. Greene calls a “dance floor” above the foot traffic. More difficult will be tackling “American Progress” because it conceals electrical and mechanical equipment from the elevators.
“Over the years there has been damage from decades of floods,” Mr. Greene said. “We want to avoid radical surgery. First we will clean the mural, stabilize it, reattach pieces of canvas that have gotten loose, and flatten pockets that have formed.” And as they have throughout the project, conservators will delicately paint in any discolored or damaged surfaces.
“I don’t want to go too far,” Mr. Greene said. “I will leave it this way for future, newer technology.”Room For Art Gallery
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Venture into the art market with costs in mind
The Associated Press
Room For Art Gallery
NEW YORK - In the movies, art auctions always seem so glamorous. A hushed room full of people raise paddles to bid on priceless works of art. It's a chilly scene that seems reserved for the truly privileged.
Now as the art market struggles with the broader economy, you might be wondering whether there's room for you to start your own collection.
While auction houses such as Sotheby's remain too pricey for most people, it shouldn't be difficult finding works you love at summer art fairs and local galleries, where prices can start a few hundred dollars.
The key is to know what you're getting into, and that the value of art works can rise and fall dramatically and unpredictably. That's true even in rarefied circles where five-figure price tags are the norm.
"Art is not liquid, like gold or corn. It's not quantifiable," said Allan Schwartzman, an art adviser based in New York City and former curator of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. "Art as an investment is not a wise strategy for collecting."
Sotheby's, for instance, is expected to record about $2.5 billion in auction sales this year, down from $5 billion last year, according to Craig Hallum Capital Group in Minneapolis. The drop is the result of lower prices and jittery sellers waiting to put items on the block.
Those are trends that are being reflected in the broader art market, said George Sutton, a Craig Hallum analyst. So before you start buying, here's a strategy for building a collection.
DEVELOPING AN EYE
Before you even think about buying, take time to train your eye.
Find out about local art fairs and make a habit of visiting galleries and museums. The exposure will refine your tastes and ability to discern what you like. This learning process is vital, because the works that jump out at you as a novice likely won't be the same ones you count as favorites later on.
"It's just like one's taste for wine or one's ear for music," Schwartzman said. "One's eye for art evolves too."
There's no rule on how long you should take to hone your eye, but Schwartzman usually advises new collectors to wait at least six months.
ENLISTING HELP
As you begin visiting museums and galleries, forge relationships with those who can educate you.
Don't be shy about talking to dealers at galleries. Their ultimate goal is to sell, but they can still offer valuable insight about the works on display and the greater art scene. To find a gallery near you, check the listings in the art section of your local newspaper or visit www.artinfo.com/galleryguide.
Museums often have discussion groups for collectors, and it's worth seeking out curators if you can.
"They're the ones who have the least financial interest and the broadest viewpoint," Schwartzman said.
If you can't make it to Sotheby's in New York, check out the auction house's online catalog. People are welcome to call or e-mail with a specialist who can give detailed background on listed items. Even if you're not sure you're ready to buy, talking with a specialist is a way to get your feet wet.
Hiring an art adviser is another option, but it's usually best suited for those looking to spend large sums of money. It's probably not necessary for making purchases of a couple thousand dollars.
Besides, there's probably someone with knowledge of art in your network of friends who's willing to take you around to galleries.
MAKING A PURCHASE
The art market is fickle, so turning a profit shouldn't be your driving concern in deciding what to buy.
"It's something you're presumably going to be living with, so it's important that you love it," said Helen Allen, executive director of Ramsay Fairs, which runs the Affordable Art Fair in New York City. "It should be something that will keep your interest and grow with you."
With that in mind, work out a budget for how much you want to spend. You don't have to be a millionaire to get a collection started. At the Affordable Art Fair in New York City, works start as low as $65 and come from notable galleries around the world. Remember that prints, photographs and water colors are generally less expensive than oil paintings.
Once you decide how much to spend, figure out where you'll display the art and what would be appropriate for that space.
Most people buy their art from galleries, although auction houses can be good for specific pieces. Sotheby's might seem too rich for beginners, but the auction house has more affordable pieces starting at around $5,000 too. Art fairs are ideal for seeing a variety of work in one place, but be wary of the tendency to make impulse buys.
"One should avoid the souvenir syndrome," Schwartzman said.
The less formal, outdoor presentation of an art fair might not show the work in the same light that you'd see it in a gallery either, he said.
Before you buy, do your homework on the piece you're interested in. Ask the dealer who else is collecting the artist's works, and where else the pieces are being exhibited. Also check if the artist has been written about in journals such as Art in America, Artnews and Artforum.
The more established the artist, the more likely it is the work will maintain or grow in value.
Room For Art Gallery
NEW YORK - In the movies, art auctions always seem so glamorous. A hushed room full of people raise paddles to bid on priceless works of art. It's a chilly scene that seems reserved for the truly privileged.
Now as the art market struggles with the broader economy, you might be wondering whether there's room for you to start your own collection.
While auction houses such as Sotheby's remain too pricey for most people, it shouldn't be difficult finding works you love at summer art fairs and local galleries, where prices can start a few hundred dollars.
The key is to know what you're getting into, and that the value of art works can rise and fall dramatically and unpredictably. That's true even in rarefied circles where five-figure price tags are the norm.
"Art is not liquid, like gold or corn. It's not quantifiable," said Allan Schwartzman, an art adviser based in New York City and former curator of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. "Art as an investment is not a wise strategy for collecting."
Sotheby's, for instance, is expected to record about $2.5 billion in auction sales this year, down from $5 billion last year, according to Craig Hallum Capital Group in Minneapolis. The drop is the result of lower prices and jittery sellers waiting to put items on the block.
Those are trends that are being reflected in the broader art market, said George Sutton, a Craig Hallum analyst. So before you start buying, here's a strategy for building a collection.
DEVELOPING AN EYE
Before you even think about buying, take time to train your eye.
Find out about local art fairs and make a habit of visiting galleries and museums. The exposure will refine your tastes and ability to discern what you like. This learning process is vital, because the works that jump out at you as a novice likely won't be the same ones you count as favorites later on.
"It's just like one's taste for wine or one's ear for music," Schwartzman said. "One's eye for art evolves too."
There's no rule on how long you should take to hone your eye, but Schwartzman usually advises new collectors to wait at least six months.
ENLISTING HELP
As you begin visiting museums and galleries, forge relationships with those who can educate you.
Don't be shy about talking to dealers at galleries. Their ultimate goal is to sell, but they can still offer valuable insight about the works on display and the greater art scene. To find a gallery near you, check the listings in the art section of your local newspaper or visit www.artinfo.com/galleryguide.
Museums often have discussion groups for collectors, and it's worth seeking out curators if you can.
"They're the ones who have the least financial interest and the broadest viewpoint," Schwartzman said.
If you can't make it to Sotheby's in New York, check out the auction house's online catalog. People are welcome to call or e-mail with a specialist who can give detailed background on listed items. Even if you're not sure you're ready to buy, talking with a specialist is a way to get your feet wet.
Hiring an art adviser is another option, but it's usually best suited for those looking to spend large sums of money. It's probably not necessary for making purchases of a couple thousand dollars.
Besides, there's probably someone with knowledge of art in your network of friends who's willing to take you around to galleries.
MAKING A PURCHASE
The art market is fickle, so turning a profit shouldn't be your driving concern in deciding what to buy.
"It's something you're presumably going to be living with, so it's important that you love it," said Helen Allen, executive director of Ramsay Fairs, which runs the Affordable Art Fair in New York City. "It should be something that will keep your interest and grow with you."
With that in mind, work out a budget for how much you want to spend. You don't have to be a millionaire to get a collection started. At the Affordable Art Fair in New York City, works start as low as $65 and come from notable galleries around the world. Remember that prints, photographs and water colors are generally less expensive than oil paintings.
Once you decide how much to spend, figure out where you'll display the art and what would be appropriate for that space.
Most people buy their art from galleries, although auction houses can be good for specific pieces. Sotheby's might seem too rich for beginners, but the auction house has more affordable pieces starting at around $5,000 too. Art fairs are ideal for seeing a variety of work in one place, but be wary of the tendency to make impulse buys.
"One should avoid the souvenir syndrome," Schwartzman said.
The less formal, outdoor presentation of an art fair might not show the work in the same light that you'd see it in a gallery either, he said.
Before you buy, do your homework on the piece you're interested in. Ask the dealer who else is collecting the artist's works, and where else the pieces are being exhibited. Also check if the artist has been written about in journals such as Art in America, Artnews and Artforum.
The more established the artist, the more likely it is the work will maintain or grow in value.
Venture into the art market with costs in mind
The Associated Press
NEW YORK - In the movies, art auctions always seem so glamorous. A hushed room full of people raise paddles to bid on priceless works of art. It's a chilly scene that seems reserved for the truly privileged.
Now as the art market struggles with the broader economy, you might be wondering whether there's room for you to start your own collection.
While auction houses such as Sotheby's remain too pricey for most people, it shouldn't be difficult finding works you love at summer art fairs and local galleries, where prices can start a few hundred dollars.
The key is to know what you're getting into, and that the value of art works can rise and fall dramatically and unpredictably. That's true even in rarefied circles where five-figure price tags are the norm.
"Art is not liquid, like gold or corn. It's not quantifiable," said Allan Schwartzman, an art adviser based in New York City and former curator of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. "Art as an investment is not a wise strategy for collecting."
Sotheby's, for instance, is expected to record about $2.5 billion in auction sales this year, down from $5 billion last year, according to Craig Hallum Capital Group in Minneapolis. The drop is the result of lower prices and jittery sellers waiting to put items on the block.
Those are trends that are being reflected in the broader art market, said George Sutton, a Craig Hallum analyst. So before you start buying, here's a strategy for building a collection.
DEVELOPING AN EYE
Before you even think about buying, take time to train your eye.
Find out about local art fairs and make a habit of visiting galleries and museums. The exposure will refine your tastes and ability to discern what you like. This learning process is vital, because the works that jump out at you as a novice likely won't be the same ones you count as favorites later on.
"It's just like one's taste for wine or one's ear for music," Schwartzman said. "One's eye for art evolves too."
There's no rule on how long you should take to hone your eye, but Schwartzman usually advises new collectors to wait at least six months.
ENLISTING HELP
As you begin visiting museums and galleries, forge relationships with those who can educate you.
Don't be shy about talking to dealers at galleries. Their ultimate goal is to sell, but they can still offer valuable insight about the works on display and the greater art scene. To find a gallery near you, check the listings in the art section of your local newspaper or visit www.artinfo.com/galleryguide.
Museums often have discussion groups for collectors, and it's worth seeking out curators if you can.
"They're the ones who have the least financial interest and the broadest viewpoint," Schwartzman said.
If you can't make it to Sotheby's in New York, check out the auction house's online catalog. People are welcome to call or e-mail with a specialist who can give detailed background on listed items. Even if you're not sure you're ready to buy, talking with a specialist is a way to get your feet wet.
Hiring an art adviser is another option, but it's usually best suited for those looking to spend large sums of money. It's probably not necessary for making purchases of a couple thousand dollars.
Besides, there's probably someone with knowledge of art in your network of friends who's willing to take you around to galleries.
MAKING A PURCHASE
The art market is fickle, so turning a profit shouldn't be your driving concern in deciding what to buy.
"It's something you're presumably going to be living with, so it's important that you love it," said Helen Allen, executive director of Ramsay Fairs, which runs the Affordable Art Fair in New York City. "It should be something that will keep your interest and grow with you."
With that in mind, work out a budget for how much you want to spend. You don't have to be a millionaire to get a collection started. At the Affordable Art Fair in New York City, works start as low as $65 and come from notable galleries around the world. Remember that prints, photographs and water colors are generally less expensive than oil paintings.
Once you decide how much to spend, figure out where you'll display the art and what would be appropriate for that space.
Most people buy their art from galleries, although auction houses can be good for specific pieces. Sotheby's might seem too rich for beginners, but the auction house has more affordable pieces starting at around $5,000 too. Art fairs are ideal for seeing a variety of work in one place, but be wary of the tendency to make impulse buys.
"One should avoid the souvenir syndrome," Schwartzman said.
The less formal, outdoor presentation of an art fair might not show the work in the same light that you'd see it in a gallery either, he said.
Before you buy, do your homework on the piece you're interested in. Ask the dealer who else is collecting the artist's works, and where else the pieces are being exhibited. Also check if the artist has been written about in journals such as Art in America, Artnews and Artforum.
The more established the artist, the more likely it is the work will maintain or grow in value.
NEW YORK - In the movies, art auctions always seem so glamorous. A hushed room full of people raise paddles to bid on priceless works of art. It's a chilly scene that seems reserved for the truly privileged.
Now as the art market struggles with the broader economy, you might be wondering whether there's room for you to start your own collection.
While auction houses such as Sotheby's remain too pricey for most people, it shouldn't be difficult finding works you love at summer art fairs and local galleries, where prices can start a few hundred dollars.
The key is to know what you're getting into, and that the value of art works can rise and fall dramatically and unpredictably. That's true even in rarefied circles where five-figure price tags are the norm.
"Art is not liquid, like gold or corn. It's not quantifiable," said Allan Schwartzman, an art adviser based in New York City and former curator of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. "Art as an investment is not a wise strategy for collecting."
Sotheby's, for instance, is expected to record about $2.5 billion in auction sales this year, down from $5 billion last year, according to Craig Hallum Capital Group in Minneapolis. The drop is the result of lower prices and jittery sellers waiting to put items on the block.
Those are trends that are being reflected in the broader art market, said George Sutton, a Craig Hallum analyst. So before you start buying, here's a strategy for building a collection.
DEVELOPING AN EYE
Before you even think about buying, take time to train your eye.
Find out about local art fairs and make a habit of visiting galleries and museums. The exposure will refine your tastes and ability to discern what you like. This learning process is vital, because the works that jump out at you as a novice likely won't be the same ones you count as favorites later on.
"It's just like one's taste for wine or one's ear for music," Schwartzman said. "One's eye for art evolves too."
There's no rule on how long you should take to hone your eye, but Schwartzman usually advises new collectors to wait at least six months.
ENLISTING HELP
As you begin visiting museums and galleries, forge relationships with those who can educate you.
Don't be shy about talking to dealers at galleries. Their ultimate goal is to sell, but they can still offer valuable insight about the works on display and the greater art scene. To find a gallery near you, check the listings in the art section of your local newspaper or visit www.artinfo.com/galleryguide.
Museums often have discussion groups for collectors, and it's worth seeking out curators if you can.
"They're the ones who have the least financial interest and the broadest viewpoint," Schwartzman said.
If you can't make it to Sotheby's in New York, check out the auction house's online catalog. People are welcome to call or e-mail with a specialist who can give detailed background on listed items. Even if you're not sure you're ready to buy, talking with a specialist is a way to get your feet wet.
Hiring an art adviser is another option, but it's usually best suited for those looking to spend large sums of money. It's probably not necessary for making purchases of a couple thousand dollars.
Besides, there's probably someone with knowledge of art in your network of friends who's willing to take you around to galleries.
MAKING A PURCHASE
The art market is fickle, so turning a profit shouldn't be your driving concern in deciding what to buy.
"It's something you're presumably going to be living with, so it's important that you love it," said Helen Allen, executive director of Ramsay Fairs, which runs the Affordable Art Fair in New York City. "It should be something that will keep your interest and grow with you."
With that in mind, work out a budget for how much you want to spend. You don't have to be a millionaire to get a collection started. At the Affordable Art Fair in New York City, works start as low as $65 and come from notable galleries around the world. Remember that prints, photographs and water colors are generally less expensive than oil paintings.
Once you decide how much to spend, figure out where you'll display the art and what would be appropriate for that space.
Most people buy their art from galleries, although auction houses can be good for specific pieces. Sotheby's might seem too rich for beginners, but the auction house has more affordable pieces starting at around $5,000 too. Art fairs are ideal for seeing a variety of work in one place, but be wary of the tendency to make impulse buys.
"One should avoid the souvenir syndrome," Schwartzman said.
The less formal, outdoor presentation of an art fair might not show the work in the same light that you'd see it in a gallery either, he said.
Before you buy, do your homework on the piece you're interested in. Ask the dealer who else is collecting the artist's works, and where else the pieces are being exhibited. Also check if the artist has been written about in journals such as Art in America, Artnews and Artforum.
The more established the artist, the more likely it is the work will maintain or grow in value.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thomas Kinkade’s New Canvas Edition Sells Out in 20 Hours
MORGAN HILL, CA—In just 20 hours from the end of the dealer allocation, the entire canvas edition of Thomas Kinkade’s “Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland” available to dealers sold out. This marked the fastest-selling image in Thomas Kinkade Company history.Since the beginning of the year, more than 80 dealers have joined the Kinkade Company to represent and sell works to previously unexplored markets.
When asked about the developments at the Thomas Kinkade Company, Senior Vice President of Retail Development Rick Barnett said, “It has long been established that Kinkade’s work sells in a normal economic retail environment and now it is evident that even in the most difficult times, his message of hope and simpler times resonates with the consumer. ”
“Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland” is part of The Disney Dreams Collection, in which paintings are based on Kinkade’s inspiration from classic Disney films and characters. The first two pieces in the collection,“Snow White Discovers the Cottage and Pinocchio Wishes Upon A Star, have been the most popular images ever released by the Thomas Kinkade Company, creating record sell-outs at the publisher for both images.
“As with the first two paintings in my twelve piece Disney Dreams Collection, I try to tell the whole story in a single image—what I refer to as a ‘narrative panorama.’ We see Neverland in the distance, just below the “second star to the right,” as the full moon bathes the scene with its silvery glow. The lights of London twinkle along the river Thames, as the clouds take shape, if only in our imagination, as characters from the adventure—Captain Hook, Smee, the Lost Boys and the ubiquitous ticking crocodile. But for me, the central character of the story will always remain Tinker Bell, the enchanted fairy princess who makes the entire journey of imagination possible,” Kinkade related about the piece.
For more information on the work of Thomas Kinkade, visit http://www.thomaskinkade.com/.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Sleuth outwits Sotheby’s in £750,000 art coup
Richard Brooks, Arts Editor
AN expert from the Antiques Roadshow has identified an unknown landscape put up for sale by Sotheby’s for between £10,000 and £15,000 as one of the earliest works of Thomas Gainsborough, worth £750,000.
Philip Mould pieced together clues that convinced him the painting of a Suffolk view being offered at auction was created by one of Britain’s greatest 18th-century artists.
Mould, who values fine art on the BBC1 show, chose to bid for the landscape over the telephone so as not to attract suspicion.
He paid £50,000 for the painting, which Sotheby’s had described as of “the English school”. It is now valued at about £750,000.
“As soon as I saw an online image from the sales catalogue, I thought it might be Gainsborough,” said Mould. “It was the way the light was painted, and the sandy ground in the foreground, which are trademarks of Gainsborough. But we needed to do some rapid sleuthing before the sale a few weeks later.”
A vital clue for Mould, who runs an eponymously named gallery in central London, was the tiny depiction of a couple at the front of the canvas.
The expert spotted that they looked similar to a drawing Gainsborough had made of himself and his wife Margaret. Now held by the Louvre in Paris, it was created less than a year before the mystery Sotheby’s oil painting.
Working with his colleague Bendor Grosvenor, Mould set about trying to discover the painting’s provenance.
The building on the left of the picture, which shows Ipswich, a mere village in the 1740s, provided another clue.
Christchurch mansion, which is still standing, was owned by the Fonnereau family, who saw Gainsborough, a local teenager, as a promising artist and lent him money to develop his talent. “In return, Gainsborough put the Fonnereau house into his picture,” said Mould.
The BBC valuer and his team of art detectives finally turned to the painting’s records of ownership. In 1824, it was sold for £43 by Evans, a Pall Mall auction house. The vendor was George Nassau, whose father, Richard Savage Nassau, had been painted by Gainsborough in 1750 and was another family friend.
All these clues persuaded Mould to bid for the painting. The fact that its guide price was pushed up to £50,000 suggests other bidders may have also twigged that it could be a Gainsborough.
Mould, who has recently published a book called Sleuth: The Amazing Quest For Lost Art Treasures, cleaned up the picture and showed it to a group of Gainsborough experts, all of whom agreed on its authenticity.
“I simply knew it as soon as I saw it,” said Diane Perkins, director of the Gainsborough House Museum in Sudbury, Suffolk. “The clinchers were the couple, plus the family links with Fonnereau and Nassau.” Two other Gainsborough experts also confirmed it.
Now Sotheby’s could face having to compensate the painting’s vendor for drastically underestimating its worth.
Friday, April 24, 2009
THE GROOVY TWIN
This is a reblog compliments of Shea: Anything
Minneapolis as an Arts Powerhouse? We've known it for years! And MARK ELLWOOD of the New York Post has finally taken notice with his article The Groovy Twin as copied below. We at Shea have loved working on great project such as the Chambers Hotel (discussed below) and our staff can often be found at one of the great jewels this city has to offer listed at the end of the article. Sir Tyrone Guthrie chose Minneapolis for his theater for a reason: It's a great place to call home!
HOW MINNEAPOLIS BECAME AN ARTS POWERHOUSE--
WHEN telling someone to meet you at the upstairs lounge at Minneapolis' Chambers Hotel for a drink, make sure you know you can get away with using the bar's actual name: "Red, White and F-----g Blue."The bleep-worthy bar was personally named by owner and avid art collector Ralph Burnet, an homage to the neon artwork by Brit bad girl Tracy Emin that dangles from its main wall.Bullishly charming -- and himself often Emin-style profane -- Burnet is a real estate developer by trade but has become Minneapolis's homegrown answer to Charles Saatchi.Much of his blue chip collection -- heavy on British YBAs like Sarah Lucas and Gary Hume, as well as New York mainstays like Jude Tallichet -- festoons the walls of his all-white boutique hotel, Chambers. There's a well-respected gallery tucked just off its lobby, showing rotating exhibitions, and Burnet even screens video art in the corridors -- the raunchier stuff's relegated to after 9 p.m. -- allowing interested guests to dial up the sixty odd works directly on their in-room TVs."People invest money here instead of wearing it," he laughs.His love for the arts isn't just a pose: politically active Burnet spearheaded the 'Yes' vote on the constitutional amendment that Minnesota's voters passed at the last election.Economy be damned, Minnesotans agreed to up taxes, raising an extra $80m a year: some of the windfall's earmarked for the environment but the rest will be spent on the arts. If only they could pick a senator as decisively.Burnet's electoral success was significant in many ways. New York may boast about Broadway, big concerts and BAM, but slipping a tax like that past the voters in the Big Apple is all but unthinkable.Voters' enthusiasm in Minneapolis is the clearest sign that the city's reputation as a countrywide cultural HQ isn't all hype and hot air. Many cities outside New York claim that the arts thrive in their regenerated downtowns, but few can back up the claims (take that, Miami).Minneapolis is a very large exception. Playwrights and script mavens have often used it as a base and backdrop, from Sam Shepard and Diablo Cody to the Minnesota-born Coen Bros. Prince and Flyte Tymee - the svengali producers who string-pulled for Janet Jackson when anyone still cared -- are local legends.When a study commissioned by Central Connecticut State University touted a rundown of the most literate cities in America recently -- a study cooked up using bookstores per capita and other ad hoc data -- Minneapolis was a clear first place (twin city St Paul snagged third.) "The Lion King" tried out here in the summer of 1997 at the Orpheum Theater, and most of its cast transferred to Broadway with the show later that year. It's clearly the stuff of local lore: One person boasted, a little too precisely, it was 92 percent of the actors.But unlike New York, with its galleries hunched together in Chelsea and official Theater District, the arts scene in Minneapolis is unassuming and scattered. Galleries and theaters are all too easy-to-miss in that humble, Midwestern way. Strolling around, first impressions of the city are architectural: a slew of well-preserved red brick buildings downtown, so many clock towers that are a holover from the railway heyday and amid the gleaming new skyscrapers downtown, the bizarre but beautiful Foshay Tower. It's a 28-story, deco-era ego trip thrown up by the namesake businessman who promptly went bankrupt and had to sell the pile (it's just been rejigged into an endearingly retro W hotel -- owned by Ralph Burnet, of course).But tucked away amid the soaring buildings there are world class arts institutions, two above all that anchor the city's claims.Originally, the Guthrie Theater and the Walker Center shared a common site, but three years ago the former decamped to a brand new purpose built pile on the waterfront, just after the Walker had unveiled its enormous expansion by Swiss starchitects Herzog and DeMeuron.The Walker, with it 385-seat theater, 40,000 sq foot gallery spaces and 11-acre sculpture garden, is a catch-all monolith that produces dance, performance, plays, films and art shows year-round. The entire operation has just been taken over by a new director, having lured rising star Olga Viso from the Smithsonian last year (Ralph Burnet helped with that, too) Tall, elegant and raved-about by even her rivals, Viso is about to reinstall the entire collection at the end of this year to try to make the Walker even more high profile. She, too, was amazed that Minneapolis's reputation as an arts hub wasn't undeserved. She still marvels at how involved and supportive the local community is."The Walker is deeply held and understood by the community," says Viso. "They may not always like what they see, but they believe it's important for artists to experiment."That live-and-let-live Midwestern-nessess has allowed experimental spaces to thrive here aside from the Walker. John Rasmussen runs Midway Contemporary Art, housed in a low-slung building skulking on a side road in a residential 'hood north of the river; it's a combination art book and magazine library plus contemporary gallery space.Rasmussen was born locally, but worked at a gallery in New York before returning to set up the center in 2001 -- like "The Lion King" transfer, he and his fellow Chelsea-trained galleristas underscore how the Minneapolis arts scene is a feeder for the bigger budgets and egos in New York (no wonder one local nickname for the city is the Mini-Apple) New York looms as large for Tim Peterson, who runs another non profit space on the south side, the Franklin Arts Center.He laughs when recalling how PS1 xeroxed one of his shows six months after it was mounted at the Franklin but gave his team no credit (in the last three years alone, Peterson's sent work from here to the Whitney and Brooklyn museums, as well as pesky PS1). Peterson was another Minneapolis native who decamped elsewhere for training before coming home to the quirky, isolated arts hot house here."Minneapolis is a cultural island. We have our hands waving in the air, saying 'Look at us!' It's part of that crazy Midwestern ethic of 'everybody does well'", he chuckles.But after three days pounding the sidewalks and galleries here, it's evident that Minneapolis's reputation for arts isn't undeserved; but what's harder to Braille is why.One simple reason is money. Dozens of blue chip corporations - more than 40 NYSE members alone -- are headquartered here, and most are famous as companies-with-a-conscience, like Target, Aveda and 3M. Their founders' names (the Target-owning Daytons more than anyone) are plastered on arts projects and plaques across the city.It dates back to the mid-20th century, when those atomic-era cashed-up industrialists felt a civic responsibility to tithe their good fortune back to the city.What's more, arts funding here isn't conditional and money's given without strings, which not only means that more experimental -- read: shocking -- art can be bankrolled (remember Burnet's R-rated Emin) but also that museums' operating costs, from cleaning to staff salaries, can be offset that way.Months after arriving, the Walker's Viso is still stunned at the support her museum enjoys."I didn't realize how deeply the commitment to creating world class things in a smaller city went, that it wasn't surface. And culture is valued so deeply in a mass way -- it's not just a small group of elite people."For example. Viso's Walker is among the top 5 most visited museums in America, though the city's population doesn't break 400,000. (To be fair, the metropolitan area, which includes St. Paul, tops 3 million.) Population is also crucial for its thriving arts scene: just small enough for there to be easy access to the mayor but large enough to reach critical mass.Ironically, though, the real reason Minneapolis has a boast-worthy arts scene may be down to the one thing it's already famous for: terrible weather. Video artist Nathaniel Freeman moved here with his writer wife Emily and he sums it up best."Everyone knows everyone and attends each other's events. They're so supportive. The weather sucks in the winter, which keeps people in their studios, but come spring, the weather is good and the days are so long people want to come out."Translation: six months stuck inside means artists will create things, while six months mingling helps them hype it and make connections over cocktails. No doubt, "Red, White and [Expletive] Blue" is a favorite hangout.
SERVICE ON THE SIDE
There are dozens of must-see arts sights in Minneapolis -- but these are the top 10.1) First Avenue (http://www.first-avenue.com/)A top notch rock venue that attracts every impressive mid-career act that pitstops in Minneapolis - this month, that includes Lily Allen. It's also where the Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum and Atmosphere got their starts.2) Franklin Art Works (http://www.franklinartworks.org/)Opened in 1999 in a onetime porn theater, this 9,000-sq foot building has three exhibition spaces. It specializes in premiering work, with a skew towards black artists like Wangechi Mutu and Kehinde Wiley.3) The Guthrie Theater (http://www.guthrietheater.org/)Founded in 1963, this hotbed of top tier drama is now housed in a purpose-built gleaming black spaceship idling on the side of the Mississippi river designed by Jean Nouvel. The upcoming season, just announced, includes productions of "Macbeth", "A Streetcar Named Desire" and a special stage adaptation of Noel Coward's iconic movie, "Brief Encounter". This summer, the disappointing onsite restaurant is set to be replaced by a Danny Meyer-at-MoMA-like café.4) The High Point Center for Printmaking (http://www.highpointprintmaking.org/)Founded by husband and wife Cole Rogers and Carla McGrath, this is part exhibition space, part workshop. The printmaking complex offers studios for local artists, walk-in sessions for amateurs and an onsite gallery where boldfacers like Carlos Amorales can display their print-making collaborations with the High Point team.5) The Loft Literary Center (http://www.loft.org/)For more than 30 years, the Loft has hosted creative writing classes, readings and bookish events with everyone from Salman Rushdie and James Fenton to the late Allen Ginsberg.6) Midway Contemporary Art (http://www.midwayart.org/)Come here for first exhibitions from emerging artists, both local and national, as well as the chance to browse a raft of arts books and magazines in the roomy library.7) Playwrights Center (http://www.pwccenter.org/)Run by Polly Karl, this lures playwrights and directors to Minneapolis from across the country -- to workshop together in writing labs, and through philanthropy-funded fellowships for specific commissions. There are regular, staged public readings of new plays.8) The Walker Arts Center (http://www.walkerart.org/)The category-killing arts center, it stages high profile visual arts shows - currently, the Elizabeth Peyton round-up that debuted at the New Museum - as well as dance (Merce Cunningham's 'Ocean' project last year in a granite quarry) and experimental theater. A bonus: average ticket prices for performances is only $20.9) The Weisman Art Museum (http://www.weisman.umn.edu/)Housed on the campus of the University of Minnesota in a signature twisty silver Frank Gehry building - it was one of his first museum commissions and he's about to build an extension - this impressive, if smallish, museum has rotating shows as well as displays from a permanent collection that includes Chuck Close, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol.10) Radio K (radiok.cce.umn.edu)And don't miss alt-rock Radio K, run by the University of Minnesota, which hopscotches between three different frequencies daily - most think it's thanks to budget problems.
Minneapolis as an Arts Powerhouse? We've known it for years! And MARK ELLWOOD of the New York Post has finally taken notice with his article The Groovy Twin as copied below. We at Shea have loved working on great project such as the Chambers Hotel (discussed below) and our staff can often be found at one of the great jewels this city has to offer listed at the end of the article. Sir Tyrone Guthrie chose Minneapolis for his theater for a reason: It's a great place to call home!
HOW MINNEAPOLIS BECAME AN ARTS POWERHOUSE--
WHEN telling someone to meet you at the upstairs lounge at Minneapolis' Chambers Hotel for a drink, make sure you know you can get away with using the bar's actual name: "Red, White and F-----g Blue."The bleep-worthy bar was personally named by owner and avid art collector Ralph Burnet, an homage to the neon artwork by Brit bad girl Tracy Emin that dangles from its main wall.Bullishly charming -- and himself often Emin-style profane -- Burnet is a real estate developer by trade but has become Minneapolis's homegrown answer to Charles Saatchi.Much of his blue chip collection -- heavy on British YBAs like Sarah Lucas and Gary Hume, as well as New York mainstays like Jude Tallichet -- festoons the walls of his all-white boutique hotel, Chambers. There's a well-respected gallery tucked just off its lobby, showing rotating exhibitions, and Burnet even screens video art in the corridors -- the raunchier stuff's relegated to after 9 p.m. -- allowing interested guests to dial up the sixty odd works directly on their in-room TVs."People invest money here instead of wearing it," he laughs.His love for the arts isn't just a pose: politically active Burnet spearheaded the 'Yes' vote on the constitutional amendment that Minnesota's voters passed at the last election.Economy be damned, Minnesotans agreed to up taxes, raising an extra $80m a year: some of the windfall's earmarked for the environment but the rest will be spent on the arts. If only they could pick a senator as decisively.Burnet's electoral success was significant in many ways. New York may boast about Broadway, big concerts and BAM, but slipping a tax like that past the voters in the Big Apple is all but unthinkable.Voters' enthusiasm in Minneapolis is the clearest sign that the city's reputation as a countrywide cultural HQ isn't all hype and hot air. Many cities outside New York claim that the arts thrive in their regenerated downtowns, but few can back up the claims (take that, Miami).Minneapolis is a very large exception. Playwrights and script mavens have often used it as a base and backdrop, from Sam Shepard and Diablo Cody to the Minnesota-born Coen Bros. Prince and Flyte Tymee - the svengali producers who string-pulled for Janet Jackson when anyone still cared -- are local legends.When a study commissioned by Central Connecticut State University touted a rundown of the most literate cities in America recently -- a study cooked up using bookstores per capita and other ad hoc data -- Minneapolis was a clear first place (twin city St Paul snagged third.) "The Lion King" tried out here in the summer of 1997 at the Orpheum Theater, and most of its cast transferred to Broadway with the show later that year. It's clearly the stuff of local lore: One person boasted, a little too precisely, it was 92 percent of the actors.But unlike New York, with its galleries hunched together in Chelsea and official Theater District, the arts scene in Minneapolis is unassuming and scattered. Galleries and theaters are all too easy-to-miss in that humble, Midwestern way. Strolling around, first impressions of the city are architectural: a slew of well-preserved red brick buildings downtown, so many clock towers that are a holover from the railway heyday and amid the gleaming new skyscrapers downtown, the bizarre but beautiful Foshay Tower. It's a 28-story, deco-era ego trip thrown up by the namesake businessman who promptly went bankrupt and had to sell the pile (it's just been rejigged into an endearingly retro W hotel -- owned by Ralph Burnet, of course).But tucked away amid the soaring buildings there are world class arts institutions, two above all that anchor the city's claims.Originally, the Guthrie Theater and the Walker Center shared a common site, but three years ago the former decamped to a brand new purpose built pile on the waterfront, just after the Walker had unveiled its enormous expansion by Swiss starchitects Herzog and DeMeuron.The Walker, with it 385-seat theater, 40,000 sq foot gallery spaces and 11-acre sculpture garden, is a catch-all monolith that produces dance, performance, plays, films and art shows year-round. The entire operation has just been taken over by a new director, having lured rising star Olga Viso from the Smithsonian last year (Ralph Burnet helped with that, too) Tall, elegant and raved-about by even her rivals, Viso is about to reinstall the entire collection at the end of this year to try to make the Walker even more high profile. She, too, was amazed that Minneapolis's reputation as an arts hub wasn't undeserved. She still marvels at how involved and supportive the local community is."The Walker is deeply held and understood by the community," says Viso. "They may not always like what they see, but they believe it's important for artists to experiment."That live-and-let-live Midwestern-nessess has allowed experimental spaces to thrive here aside from the Walker. John Rasmussen runs Midway Contemporary Art, housed in a low-slung building skulking on a side road in a residential 'hood north of the river; it's a combination art book and magazine library plus contemporary gallery space.Rasmussen was born locally, but worked at a gallery in New York before returning to set up the center in 2001 -- like "The Lion King" transfer, he and his fellow Chelsea-trained galleristas underscore how the Minneapolis arts scene is a feeder for the bigger budgets and egos in New York (no wonder one local nickname for the city is the Mini-Apple) New York looms as large for Tim Peterson, who runs another non profit space on the south side, the Franklin Arts Center.He laughs when recalling how PS1 xeroxed one of his shows six months after it was mounted at the Franklin but gave his team no credit (in the last three years alone, Peterson's sent work from here to the Whitney and Brooklyn museums, as well as pesky PS1). Peterson was another Minneapolis native who decamped elsewhere for training before coming home to the quirky, isolated arts hot house here."Minneapolis is a cultural island. We have our hands waving in the air, saying 'Look at us!' It's part of that crazy Midwestern ethic of 'everybody does well'", he chuckles.But after three days pounding the sidewalks and galleries here, it's evident that Minneapolis's reputation for arts isn't undeserved; but what's harder to Braille is why.One simple reason is money. Dozens of blue chip corporations - more than 40 NYSE members alone -- are headquartered here, and most are famous as companies-with-a-conscience, like Target, Aveda and 3M. Their founders' names (the Target-owning Daytons more than anyone) are plastered on arts projects and plaques across the city.It dates back to the mid-20th century, when those atomic-era cashed-up industrialists felt a civic responsibility to tithe their good fortune back to the city.What's more, arts funding here isn't conditional and money's given without strings, which not only means that more experimental -- read: shocking -- art can be bankrolled (remember Burnet's R-rated Emin) but also that museums' operating costs, from cleaning to staff salaries, can be offset that way.Months after arriving, the Walker's Viso is still stunned at the support her museum enjoys."I didn't realize how deeply the commitment to creating world class things in a smaller city went, that it wasn't surface. And culture is valued so deeply in a mass way -- it's not just a small group of elite people."For example. Viso's Walker is among the top 5 most visited museums in America, though the city's population doesn't break 400,000. (To be fair, the metropolitan area, which includes St. Paul, tops 3 million.) Population is also crucial for its thriving arts scene: just small enough for there to be easy access to the mayor but large enough to reach critical mass.Ironically, though, the real reason Minneapolis has a boast-worthy arts scene may be down to the one thing it's already famous for: terrible weather. Video artist Nathaniel Freeman moved here with his writer wife Emily and he sums it up best."Everyone knows everyone and attends each other's events. They're so supportive. The weather sucks in the winter, which keeps people in their studios, but come spring, the weather is good and the days are so long people want to come out."Translation: six months stuck inside means artists will create things, while six months mingling helps them hype it and make connections over cocktails. No doubt, "Red, White and [Expletive] Blue" is a favorite hangout.
SERVICE ON THE SIDE
There are dozens of must-see arts sights in Minneapolis -- but these are the top 10.1) First Avenue (http://www.first-avenue.com/)A top notch rock venue that attracts every impressive mid-career act that pitstops in Minneapolis - this month, that includes Lily Allen. It's also where the Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum and Atmosphere got their starts.2) Franklin Art Works (http://www.franklinartworks.org/)Opened in 1999 in a onetime porn theater, this 9,000-sq foot building has three exhibition spaces. It specializes in premiering work, with a skew towards black artists like Wangechi Mutu and Kehinde Wiley.3) The Guthrie Theater (http://www.guthrietheater.org/)Founded in 1963, this hotbed of top tier drama is now housed in a purpose-built gleaming black spaceship idling on the side of the Mississippi river designed by Jean Nouvel. The upcoming season, just announced, includes productions of "Macbeth", "A Streetcar Named Desire" and a special stage adaptation of Noel Coward's iconic movie, "Brief Encounter". This summer, the disappointing onsite restaurant is set to be replaced by a Danny Meyer-at-MoMA-like café.4) The High Point Center for Printmaking (http://www.highpointprintmaking.org/)Founded by husband and wife Cole Rogers and Carla McGrath, this is part exhibition space, part workshop. The printmaking complex offers studios for local artists, walk-in sessions for amateurs and an onsite gallery where boldfacers like Carlos Amorales can display their print-making collaborations with the High Point team.5) The Loft Literary Center (http://www.loft.org/)For more than 30 years, the Loft has hosted creative writing classes, readings and bookish events with everyone from Salman Rushdie and James Fenton to the late Allen Ginsberg.6) Midway Contemporary Art (http://www.midwayart.org/)Come here for first exhibitions from emerging artists, both local and national, as well as the chance to browse a raft of arts books and magazines in the roomy library.7) Playwrights Center (http://www.pwccenter.org/)Run by Polly Karl, this lures playwrights and directors to Minneapolis from across the country -- to workshop together in writing labs, and through philanthropy-funded fellowships for specific commissions. There are regular, staged public readings of new plays.8) The Walker Arts Center (http://www.walkerart.org/)The category-killing arts center, it stages high profile visual arts shows - currently, the Elizabeth Peyton round-up that debuted at the New Museum - as well as dance (Merce Cunningham's 'Ocean' project last year in a granite quarry) and experimental theater. A bonus: average ticket prices for performances is only $20.9) The Weisman Art Museum (http://www.weisman.umn.edu/)Housed on the campus of the University of Minnesota in a signature twisty silver Frank Gehry building - it was one of his first museum commissions and he's about to build an extension - this impressive, if smallish, museum has rotating shows as well as displays from a permanent collection that includes Chuck Close, Sol Lewitt and Andy Warhol.10) Radio K (radiok.cce.umn.edu)And don't miss alt-rock Radio K, run by the University of Minnesota, which hopscotches between three different frequencies daily - most think it's thanks to budget problems.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
9 Twitter Tips for Artists
You’ve heard me mention Twitter in the last few posts and it’s been lovely to see a good few artists joining the micro-blogging revolution and following me accordingly. Recently I’ve had a couple of artists ask what they can do to increase followers and therefore push traffic to their sites/Myspaces. So as ever, I looked into those puppy dog eyes and I just couldn’t bring myself to deny you my mediocre-at-best advice. Here are some tips…
(Please note that for hardened Twitter users some of these points may seem a tad obvious so if they do then just shut up and move on to the next point. I love you.)
1) Choose a short name
There is no point having a massive Twitter name as straight away that restricts what people can say to you in replies and therefore may put them off conversing with you which is what Twitter is all about (for me anyway). Remember that your followers have to put their concise witticisms into an already restricting 140 characters so there is no need to confine them further by having a username along the lines of @genericindiebandnameunitedkindgomonlineROFL. Take Sentric Music artist ‘The Second Hand Marching Band’ – they rather sensibly went for @shmb or Tim and Sam’s The Tim and Sam Band with Tim and Sam (which is 39 characters by itself); they’re known on Twitter as @timandsam. Short is sweet.
2) Tell people
Sounds like quite a simple one but it’s quite surprising the amount of artists that are on Twitter but don’t tell their fans. Anywhere you have web presence; MySpace, Bebo, Facebook, mailouts, blogs, email signatures etc put a cheeky link to your Twitter page to encourage people to follow you.
3) Don’t be too self indulgent
I won’t follow you if every tweet is about your music, even if I’m a massive fan of what you do. It’s quite boring. Set yourself a nice little ratio; I’d suggest around 4:1, so for every tweet about your music you tweet four other things unrelated to your artistic endeavours that could be about anything whatsoever. The joy of Twitter is so people can get to know you and your many, many foibles and twittering constantly about how you “just can’t get that middle 8th right” on the new song you’re writing isn’t really going to interest anyone.
4) Talk to people
Someone who just tweets self indulgent sentences thinking they’re some form of 21st century Western haiku making machine is going to struggle to raise followers. Talking to people encourages them to follow you and to retweet you which is one of the best ways to increase followers. Try it now, start something with @sentricmusic and lets have a chat eh?
5) Retweet often
If you read a tweet that either makes you go “Ha!” or “Hm!” (which is the ‘I just learnt something new me’ noise that I’ve mentioned before in previous posts) then retweet it so a) the people who follow you who don’t follow the original tweeter get to make the same noise and b) the original tweeter sees you’ve retweeted him/her and may follow you in return or engage in conversation.
6) Utilise the free Twitter widgets and platforms
Get yourself to Twitter’s download page and go giddy. Get the widget and put it on your MySpace/website so the whole world knows what you’re up to. Also, don’t bother with the Twitter web interface; it’s slow and not very pretty. There are many Twitter platforms available and I’d personally recommend Tweetdeck. It’s quick, easy to use and great for setting up various filters so you can put all of your followers into various categories i.e. ‘Industry’, ‘Friends’, ‘Fans’ etc thus to keep the OCD side of your personality happy.
7) Know what you’re doing
Remember the following:
- If you write a standard Tweet then all of your followers see it.
- If you start a tweet with someone’s username (I.E. @sentricmusic) then the person you replied to will see it, regardless of if they follow you or not, and also everyone who follows both you and the person you’ve replied to will see it.
- If you want to talk to someone without anyone else seeing it then use the Direct Message function.
Learn that and you’ll be fine.
8 ) People unfollowing you isn’t a band thing
Ever hit that refresh button and your followers have gone from 75 to 74?! Don’t panic my good friend, this isn’t a bad thing. People regularly cull followers if their tweet streams get too messy or quite simply you may have just offended someone with that tweet you made about Iraq and Palestine needing to ‘just chill out and relax a bit’. People will come and go so don’t take it personally. Saying that, if your followers drop by about 50% and the other 50% are still only there because they missed the tweet then you probably have done something pretty bad.
9) Aim high now and again
Sentric Music artist Alex Highton (@alexhighton) recently got ‘props’ from Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk - rather suspect American actor who is pretty much now only famous thanks to being married to Demi Moore) who has over a million followers and humble Mr Highton’s MySpace received a lovely surge in traffic. Granted this may be a bit of a one off but why not chuck the odd celebrity a reply in hopes they pick up on your music.
The day Stephen Fry tweets me (@stephenfry) I just may delete my Twitter account as that is the no doubt unreachable zenith I’m aiming for.
Right then, I reckon those nine points should help you on your way to a healthy Tweet life.
I’ll just finish on a few people that you should be following:
@jonathandeamer – Clever bloke who is quite funny when he puts his mind to it
@mr_trick – Regularly tweets about music industry news
@seaninsound – Main guy behind ‘Drowned In Sound’
@dubber – Clever bloke who runs this very useful website
@popjustice – Good source of LOL’s
@sentricmusic – Obviously
@mychemtoilet – Music blog
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sotheby’s Scaled-Down Hong Kong Sales Yield Mixed Results
HONG KONG—Sotheby’s wrapped up its five days of auctions in Hong Kong with a grand total of HK$691 million ($89 million). The number surpassed the pre-sale estimate of HK$600 but fell well below the HK$1.77 billion earned in last year’s comparable sale. “The financial crisis is still with us, so many potential collectors took a wait-and-see attitude,” Michael Wang, an art collector and chief executive of Humble House Art Space, told Bloomberg. Highlights of the sales, which ran April 4–8 and included 1,700 lots in a variety of categories, were the sold-out wine auction and the record set by modern master Lin Fengmian. Hong Kong is Sotheby’s third-largest market after New York and London. Christie’s holds its Hong Kong sales next month.
Arts Policy: Germany Reaffirms Commitment to Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art
from ARTINFO
The statement came in response to a suggestion by Norman Rosenthal that such works should stay in museums
Arts Policy: Germany Reaffirms Commitment to Restitution of Nazi-Looted Art
from ARTINFO
The statement came in response to a suggestion by Norman Rosenthal that such works should stay in museums
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Smirking Madoff Portrait for $100,000 Finds No Buyers at Armory
March 5 (Bloomberg) -- A creepy portrait of Bernard Madoff found no fans at the Armory Show in Manhattan yesterday.
The 7-foot-wide black-and-white watercolor appeared to repel visitors right out of David Zwirner’s stand.
“Just look at that smirk,” Zwirner said of the work by Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming, who based his image on a familiar photograph of the alleged Ponzi meister wearing a baseball cap.
Three hours into the fair’s preview, not a single collector had inquired about the $100,000 price, Zwirner said.
The 11th annual Armory Show on Manhattan’s West Side piers yesterday welcomed several thousand collectors who strolled the stands, many in no particular rush to open their wallets.
“With the economy, I’m not in the mood to buy,” said Phyllis Mack, wife of William L. Mack, chairman of Mack-Cali Realty and chairman of the board at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. “But I’m loving looking at beautiful pictures.”
Tennis great John McEnroe cruised the aisles, waiting for something to catch his eye. Was he having fun? “Trying!” he said.
Film director Sofia Coppola, collector Danielle Ganek -- wife of hedge-fund manager David Ganek -- and MSD Capital’s Glenn R. Fuhrman also made the rounds.
Smattering of Sales
Several hours into the opening, there were a smattering of sales and works put on hold, or “reserve,” but business was slower than previous years.
“What is the likelihood we are going to sell everything, like in years past?” asked Marc Glimcher, president of PaceWildenstein gallery. “Nil.”
Glimcher’s stand featured a 20-foot-long $650,000 Alex Katz painting and Tara Donovan’ shiny Mylar sculpture for $150,000.
Pace’s biggest attraction were bowls stacked with free Twinkies, Ring Dings and Devil Dogs.
“It’s for comfort,” said Glimcher, who dressed down in jeans instead of his usual Christian Dior suit. “A little something to take the edge off.”
The fair, which includes 243 exhibitors from 55 countries, opens to the public today and continues through Sunday. Covering 84,000 square feet on Piers 92 and 94, the show is an excellent gauge of the health of the art market.
The subdued mood was a sharp contrast to the fair just two years ago, when frenetic collectors hustled the aisles, competing for the hot and new.
No Frenzy
“There’s no frenzy, it’s laid-back,” said painter Chuck Close, surveying the scene.
He said he expected stronger offerings.
“I thought the quality of the art would bring would be better,” he said. “Instead, some of the galleries have emptied out their backrooms.”
Business was brisk for $12 sangrias at the bar, while at the Ronald Feldman Fine Arts stand, artist Christine Hill role- played as an apothecary, dispensing fake prescriptions and remedies for $20. She had 35 takers by 5 p.m.
Art adviser Elizabeth Jacoby whipped off a pair of oversized sunglasses.
“Forget the recession,” said Jacoby. “We are in it to win it.” She asked for a “happy pill.”
Despite the economic doldrums, there were some quick sales. Nicole Klagsbrun sold Adam McEwen’s orange painting with the words “Pay 1/2 Price,” to a European collector shortly after the start of the fair. The asking price: $6,500. No discount.
The 7-foot-wide black-and-white watercolor appeared to repel visitors right out of David Zwirner’s stand.
“Just look at that smirk,” Zwirner said of the work by Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming, who based his image on a familiar photograph of the alleged Ponzi meister wearing a baseball cap.
Three hours into the fair’s preview, not a single collector had inquired about the $100,000 price, Zwirner said.
The 11th annual Armory Show on Manhattan’s West Side piers yesterday welcomed several thousand collectors who strolled the stands, many in no particular rush to open their wallets.
“With the economy, I’m not in the mood to buy,” said Phyllis Mack, wife of William L. Mack, chairman of Mack-Cali Realty and chairman of the board at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. “But I’m loving looking at beautiful pictures.”
Tennis great John McEnroe cruised the aisles, waiting for something to catch his eye. Was he having fun? “Trying!” he said.
Film director Sofia Coppola, collector Danielle Ganek -- wife of hedge-fund manager David Ganek -- and MSD Capital’s Glenn R. Fuhrman also made the rounds.
Smattering of Sales
Several hours into the opening, there were a smattering of sales and works put on hold, or “reserve,” but business was slower than previous years.
“What is the likelihood we are going to sell everything, like in years past?” asked Marc Glimcher, president of PaceWildenstein gallery. “Nil.”
Glimcher’s stand featured a 20-foot-long $650,000 Alex Katz painting and Tara Donovan’ shiny Mylar sculpture for $150,000.
Pace’s biggest attraction were bowls stacked with free Twinkies, Ring Dings and Devil Dogs.
“It’s for comfort,” said Glimcher, who dressed down in jeans instead of his usual Christian Dior suit. “A little something to take the edge off.”
The fair, which includes 243 exhibitors from 55 countries, opens to the public today and continues through Sunday. Covering 84,000 square feet on Piers 92 and 94, the show is an excellent gauge of the health of the art market.
The subdued mood was a sharp contrast to the fair just two years ago, when frenetic collectors hustled the aisles, competing for the hot and new.
No Frenzy
“There’s no frenzy, it’s laid-back,” said painter Chuck Close, surveying the scene.
He said he expected stronger offerings.
“I thought the quality of the art would bring would be better,” he said. “Instead, some of the galleries have emptied out their backrooms.”
Business was brisk for $12 sangrias at the bar, while at the Ronald Feldman Fine Arts stand, artist Christine Hill role- played as an apothecary, dispensing fake prescriptions and remedies for $20. She had 35 takers by 5 p.m.
Art adviser Elizabeth Jacoby whipped off a pair of oversized sunglasses.
“Forget the recession,” said Jacoby. “We are in it to win it.” She asked for a “happy pill.”
Despite the economic doldrums, there were some quick sales. Nicole Klagsbrun sold Adam McEwen’s orange painting with the words “Pay 1/2 Price,” to a European collector shortly after the start of the fair. The asking price: $6,500. No discount.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saint Laurent Art Sale Brings In $264 Million
By STEVEN ERLANGER
Published: February 23, 2009 New York Times
PARIS — Despite the global economic crisis, a lot of money seems to be left over. On Monday, the private collection of Yves Saint Laurent and his partner became the most expensive one ever sold at auction, bringing in more than $264 million on the first night alone.
The only significant failure in the sale, one of six auctions of the collection being held over three days by Christie’s, was an apparently overpriced Picasso from the artist’s late Cubist period. The auction house pulled the work when bids stopped at 21 million euros ($26 million) on a painting that had been estimated at 25 million to 30 million euros.
But records were set for Matisse, Marcel Duchamp, Constantin Brancusi, James Ensor, Piet Mondrian and Giorgio de Chirico. The Matisse, a colorful painting from 1911 of a vase of cowslips on a carpet, sold for $40.9 million, double its estimate.
The auction unfolded in the cavernous Grand Palais in central Paris, where thousands of visitors lined up for hours over the weekend to get a chance to see the collection in what became a kind of temporary museum. Mr. Saint Laurent is regarded with great affection and awe here as a paragon of French style, and he evokes an era when no country could challenge French prominence in the world of fashion.
The Matisse was believed to have gone to an American, but Christie’s refused to identify the buyer. Few Matisse paintings of quality come on the market, and each of the three Matisse paintings did better than its estimates.
A remarkable painting by Ensor, “The Jealousy of Pierrot,” sold for $5.38 million. Thomas Seydoux, a Christie’s expert in Impressionist and modern art, described it as “the climax of Ensor’s work,” and noted that it last sold in 1987 for $700,000. “Those masterpieces are never on the market,” he said.
The Duchamp, “Beautiful Breath, Veil Water,” was a Dada hallmark. Its label depicts the artist dressed as a woman, Rrose Sélavy, a punning alter ego he created in 1920 in a photo taken by Man Ray. It sold for $10.1 million, more than six times the estimate, after a bidding war between two anonymous American collectors. “People had waited a long time for this to go on the market,” Mr. Seydoux said.
Mr. Seydoux accepted some blame for the Picasso’s failure. He said he had based his estimate “on the exceptional quality of that period, but I got carried away.”
Isabelle de Wavrin, deputy editor of BeauxArts magazine, said that while Mr. Saint Laurent loved the Picasso, “Picassos are not rare.”
“But everyone is looking for a good Matisse,” she added.
Jean-Marie Baron, an art dealer who bid on some art but could not afford to go high enough, said the sale suggested that to some extent, “the art market is still good and still strong. Almost everywhere they met the high estimate.”
Pierre Bergé, who was Mr. Saint Laurent’s business and personal partner for many years, said in a brief interview that he was very happy with the results. “But you have to know that I’m very cool about things every day,” he said.
He was more emotional later at a brief news conference. “The day Yves Saint Laurent died, I decided this collection had run its course,” he said. “It was something we created together.” Mr. Saint Laurent died last June at 71.
Mr. Bergé said he explored the possibility of creating a museum for Mr. Saint Laurent’s fashion and art collections but that the project proved too difficult. “Selling it was the only possible solution,” he said.
The proceeds, separate from the commissions that his own company, Pierre Bergé & Associés, will presumably share with Christie’s, are to go to the foundation he established with Mr. Saint Laurent, to various cultural projects, to charity and to found a new research center to combat AIDS. Mr. Bergé said he would keep the Picasso for his foundation.
French museums pre-empted the sale of three works: the record-setting painting by de Chirico, which is thought to be an allegory about the return of Napoleon; “At the Conservatory,” an Ensor satire; and “The Lilacs,” by Édouard Vuillard.
A rare wood Brancusi statue, “Madame L.R.,” originally owned by the artist Fernand Léger, sold for $33.3 million, and it was also a good night for the Mondrian market, with a 1922 composition in white, blue, yellow and black selling for $24.59 million, a record. A monochrome by Mondrian, whose art inspired one of Mr. Laurent’s best-known collections, sold for more than $16.4 million.
The final prices include taxes and the commission paid to the auction house: 25 percent, excluding tax of the first $26,000; 20 percent, excluding tax from that amount up to $1.03 million; and 12 percent excluding tax on the rest. Presale estimates do not reflect commissions.
More than 1,200 buyers, dealers, collectors and wealthy art lovers were in their seats as Christie’s staff members took bids from those abroad on 100 telephone lines. Most of the buyers were said to be American and European.
The sale has five other portions over the next few days, including furniture, silver and Asian art. A dispute has unfolded over two Qing dynasty bronze animal heads, a rabbit and a rat, originally looted from an imperial palace in China but purchased legally. China has demanded their return, but a French court ruled Monday evening that the auction of the heads can proceed as scheduled on Wednesday.
The issue has become a heated one in China, stirring nationalist indignation. Mr. Bergé countered that the heads belonged to him, saying he would give them to China if Beijing would “observe human rights and give liberty to the Tibetan people and welcome the Dalai Lama.”
A Christie’s official then hastened to emphasize that while Mr. Bergé was entitled to his opinion, the auction house had the greatest respect for China and Chinese art. Mr. Bergé, 79, said: “They are my heads. I own them and I said what I meant.”
Before the sale, President Nicolas Sarkozy toured the auction offerings, and accepted from Mr. Bergé a legacy to France from Mr. Saint Laurent: a 1791 portrait of a child by Goya.
Maïa de la Baume contributed reporting.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
How to Value Art
The major prerequisite for collecting art and design is an innate desire for the object. While historical, critical and even social context may enrich the story behind an object and explain its conceptual or physical production, it is the initial connection between viewer and object that sets tone and dialogue.
One collector may be drawn to nineteenth-century landscape etchings while another finds value in late twentieth-century color photography; the emotional connection a collector feels towards a work of art or an entire collection creates personal value.
Although personal value and preference may vary greatly, the methods by which one translates an appreciation and passion for art and design into dollars and cents remain the same. A variety of factors must be considered in determining an artwork’s monetary value.
Condition is one of the most important factors in assessing value. Has the object been maintained in the same condition since its creation? If there are changes in the condition, what are they? Have they affected the structure of the object? Have they affected the appearance of the object? Has the object been restored since its inception? If so, has the original integrity of the work been upheld?
Other key elements are the sales and acquisition history (the Provenance) of the object, as well as recent prices realized for similar works by the same artist. This information may be found by looking at public sales records; one efficient and complete tool for finding this information is artnet’s Price Database.
Artworks and design objects may be most effectively assessed by examining the market for similar items, sometimes referred to as “comparables.” Many variables affect the relevance of a comparable, most importantly its sale date. As with any market, the art market is fluid; comparable sales with dates over five years old may have little or no impact on an artwork’s current value. Recent sales indicate the most reliable information in determining the value of a work.
The most accurate evaluation of comparables comes from searching for works within the same medium (painting, sculpture, watercolors, drawing, collages, prints). For example, paintings tend to achieve higher prices than works on paper; the print market is more or less self-contained and specific. Therefore, a print sale, no matter when it occurred, has little relevance in determining the value of a painting, as opposed to the sale of a comparable painting by the same artist that took place during the past year.
The greater the volume of public sales records for an artist, the more important it is to find comparable sales of works within the same criteria. If an artist is new to the auction market and has only ten public sales (in various media), any price realized will be important in determining the value of the work. In the case of an artist whose work has appeared at auction often, and who has perhaps two hundred, or even two thousand sales records, finding an average price for similarly measured, “comparable” works is essential in understanding present value.
Subject matter, or the image depicted in a figurative work, may provide clues to trends within certain genres. For instance, still lifes from the Impressionist era, such as works depicting a bouquet of flowers or a bowl of fruit, have a slightly different market than a landscape painting or a commissioned portrait by the same artist. Thematic factors are combined with creation- or execution-date, followed by medium and size.
Pablo Picasso provides an excellent example of this point. Straddling between figurative and abstract, the works he created between approximately 1908 and 1914 are the product of his investigation into basic geometric elements of form, a method known as Cubism. As these Cubist works differ in style, date and subject matter from his 1940s and 1950s portraits, they also hold very different values.
Rarity is determined by the frequency with which a work by an artist appears on the market, or the number of a specific type of work that is currently available from a particular period in an artist’s career. When combined with demand, rarity becomes very important in appraisal. Visiting Picasso’s career can again be helpful in demonstrating this fact. A naturalistic or figurative Picasso painting from the turn-of-the-(twentieth)-century is extremely rare, compared to a similarly figurative work from the 1920s. Works from the earlier era, referred to as his “Blue Period” – due to the heavy usage of blues and darker, more dramatic hues – rarely come to market. In addition, they are in demand by museums and important collections. Because of these two combined factors, rarity and demand, when a Blue Period painting does appear for sale, its price is very high.
Conversely, works by an artist or from a specific era which appear often and abundantly in public auction sales may achieve lower prices. This is most common when the style or genre falls from fashion, causing less demand. A unique work, such as a painting or sculpture, that has appeared at auction more than once is considered “not fresh” to the market, and often attains much lower value than a work new to the market. A work that appears at auction and fails to sell is considered “Bought-In.” In most cases, when a work has been “Bought-In” recently or repeatedly, the value of that work is adversely affected.Although an artwork’s value is subject to a wide range of variables, these variables are not always relevant. For example, guidelines for insurance or sales appraisals may be more specific than the introductory definitions described above. Or a collector might assign an artwork or design object a value based on a more emotional level. In any case, understanding the background of an object and its current market can serve the buyer in making an educated purchase.
The major prerequisite for collecting art and design is an innate desire for the object. While historical, critical and even social context may enrich the story behind an object and explain its conceptual or physical production, it is the initial connection between viewer and object that sets tone and dialogue.
One collector may be drawn to nineteenth-century landscape etchings while another finds value in late twentieth-century color photography; the emotional connection a collector feels towards a work of art or an entire collection creates personal value.
Although personal value and preference may vary greatly, the methods by which one translates an appreciation and passion for art and design into dollars and cents remain the same. A variety of factors must be considered in determining an artwork’s monetary value.
Condition is one of the most important factors in assessing value. Has the object been maintained in the same condition since its creation? If there are changes in the condition, what are they? Have they affected the structure of the object? Have they affected the appearance of the object? Has the object been restored since its inception? If so, has the original integrity of the work been upheld?
Other key elements are the sales and acquisition history (the Provenance) of the object, as well as recent prices realized for similar works by the same artist. This information may be found by looking at public sales records; one efficient and complete tool for finding this information is artnet’s Price Database.
Artworks and design objects may be most effectively assessed by examining the market for similar items, sometimes referred to as “comparables.” Many variables affect the relevance of a comparable, most importantly its sale date. As with any market, the art market is fluid; comparable sales with dates over five years old may have little or no impact on an artwork’s current value. Recent sales indicate the most reliable information in determining the value of a work.
The most accurate evaluation of comparables comes from searching for works within the same medium (painting, sculpture, watercolors, drawing, collages, prints). For example, paintings tend to achieve higher prices than works on paper; the print market is more or less self-contained and specific. Therefore, a print sale, no matter when it occurred, has little relevance in determining the value of a painting, as opposed to the sale of a comparable painting by the same artist that took place during the past year.
The greater the volume of public sales records for an artist, the more important it is to find comparable sales of works within the same criteria. If an artist is new to the auction market and has only ten public sales (in various media), any price realized will be important in determining the value of the work. In the case of an artist whose work has appeared at auction often, and who has perhaps two hundred, or even two thousand sales records, finding an average price for similarly measured, “comparable” works is essential in understanding present value.
Subject matter, or the image depicted in a figurative work, may provide clues to trends within certain genres. For instance, still lifes from the Impressionist era, such as works depicting a bouquet of flowers or a bowl of fruit, have a slightly different market than a landscape painting or a commissioned portrait by the same artist. Thematic factors are combined with creation- or execution-date, followed by medium and size.
Pablo Picasso provides an excellent example of this point. Straddling between figurative and abstract, the works he created between approximately 1908 and 1914 are the product of his investigation into basic geometric elements of form, a method known as Cubism. As these Cubist works differ in style, date and subject matter from his 1940s and 1950s portraits, they also hold very different values.
Rarity is determined by the frequency with which a work by an artist appears on the market, or the number of a specific type of work that is currently available from a particular period in an artist’s career. When combined with demand, rarity becomes very important in appraisal. Visiting Picasso’s career can again be helpful in demonstrating this fact. A naturalistic or figurative Picasso painting from the turn-of-the-(twentieth)-century is extremely rare, compared to a similarly figurative work from the 1920s. Works from the earlier era, referred to as his “Blue Period” – due to the heavy usage of blues and darker, more dramatic hues – rarely come to market. In addition, they are in demand by museums and important collections. Because of these two combined factors, rarity and demand, when a Blue Period painting does appear for sale, its price is very high.
Conversely, works by an artist or from a specific era which appear often and abundantly in public auction sales may achieve lower prices. This is most common when the style or genre falls from fashion, causing less demand. A unique work, such as a painting or sculpture, that has appeared at auction more than once is considered “not fresh” to the market, and often attains much lower value than a work new to the market. A work that appears at auction and fails to sell is considered “Bought-In.” In most cases, when a work has been “Bought-In” recently or repeatedly, the value of that work is adversely affected.Although an artwork’s value is subject to a wide range of variables, these variables are not always relevant. For example, guidelines for insurance or sales appraisals may be more specific than the introductory definitions described above. Or a collector might assign an artwork or design object a value based on a more emotional level. In any case, understanding the background of an object and its current market can serve the buyer in making an educated purchase.
Reinventing Art
NEWSLETTER February 2009
Though it might seem that a majority of Bill Mack’s oeuvre concentrates on reliefs depicting the female form, he does in fact create artworks portraying a variety of other images including
portraits, animals, mothers and children, men and more. However, his
images of the female form have been his most successful and thus, more high profile and in demand in galleries. This can be explained in part, because the female is one of the most frequently depicted images throughout art history.
NEWSLETTER February 2009
Though it might seem that a majority of Bill Mack’s oeuvre concentrates on reliefs depicting the female form, he does in fact create artworks portraying a variety of other images including
portraits, animals, mothers and children, men and more. However, his
images of the female form have been his most successful and thus, more high profile and in demand in galleries. This can be explained in part, because the female is one of the most frequently depicted images throughout art history. According to Mack, “God created the beautiful female form and as
artists, we attempt to replicate this beauty to the best of our ability.”
Mack is often asked why he doesn’t use female figures that are more
“round and full-bodied” like classical images created by earlier artists
from Michelangelo to Ruebens to Renoir. Mack explains that these
artists created images of the idealized female of their time. As far back
as the ancients, a full-figured female body represented abundance,
prosperity and fertility. Today, the idealized female form is more
muscular and athletic. Hence, when Mack creates reliefs representing the female form, he chooses to create artworks based on the idealized female of today.
In his series The Female Nude In Art History, Mack is offering his
first ever, one-of-a-kind, Original Reliefs. In this series, he skillfully
merges contemporary and classic female form and pose. In so doing,
Mack visually demonstrates the extensive use of female imagery in art
throughout history by integrating the works of timeless artists, such as
Renoir, Picasso, Chagall, and others, with two previously sold out
Mack reliefs, Spirit and Spirit Detail.
In this series, Mack first modifies the works of the other artists as needed to fit his relief. Then he collages their work over the contours of his own work…his relief. He then hand paints the relief to betterartists, we attempt to replicate this beauty to the best of our ability.”
Mack is often asked why he doesn’t use female figures that are more
“round and full-bodied” like classical images created by earlier artists
from Michelangelo to Ruebens to Renoir. Mack explains that these
artists created images of the idealized female of their time. As far back
as the ancients, a full-figured female body represented abundance,
prosperity and fertility. Today, the idealized female form is more
muscular and athletic. Hence, when Mack creates reliefs representing the female form, he chooses to create artworks based on the idealized female of today.
In his series The Female Nude In Art History, Mack is offering his
first ever, one-of-a-kind, Original Reliefs. In this series, he skillfully
merges contemporary and classic female form and pose. In so doing,
Mack visually demonstrates the extensive use of female imagery in art
throughout history by integrating the works of timeless artists, such as
Renoir, Picasso, Chagall, and others, with two previously sold out
Mack reliefs, Spirit and Spirit Detail.
synthesize the two images. Additionally he adds shadowing and
definition to cause the Spirit figure to emerge through the color and
often complex imagery of the other artist’s work. In effect, he is
paying homage to the artists and their artworks, as well as the female
form. The finished pieces are artistic and stylized fusion; Original
mixed media reliefs, which incorporate collage, acrylic, oil, epoxy, and urethane over a resin relief.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Art Pricing For Artists
In order to price your art realistically, you must understand and respect how the art business works and how collectors shop and buy. You must step back and objectively evaluate the significance and quality of your art in relation to all other art. You must also objectively assess your art world accomplishments and determine how they position you in relation to all other artists. These are difficult tasks and not necessarily pleasant, but they're absolutely essential to achieving the goals of making a go of it as an artist and of selling art.
Understanding common mistakes that artists make when setting prices is the first step in this process. Perhaps the most significant error is the tendency to focus too much attention on only that segment of the art world that pertains to you and too little attention on the rest, or even worse, dismissing the rest as irrelevant. If you let this happen, your asking prices may make sense to you and to your inner circle, but make little sense to the overall art community. The more aware you are of the big picture, of what other artists are creating, how it's being priced and marketed, and who's buying what for how much and why, the better prepared you are to price your art sensibly.
Many artists make the mistake of equating dollar values with psychological factors like how emotionally attached they are to their art or how much angst they experience during the creative process. They place special meanings and, therefore, special asking prices on certain pieces of their work that may make sense to them inwardly, but have little or no relation to the selling prices of the rest of their art or to art prices in general. Dealers and collectors see these prices as inconsistent or excessively high. You can explain all of your emotions with todays technologies. Here is a video about Michael Godard speaking of his art, success and how the world should view him. Michael Godard Video
Avoid this pitfall by keeping any art off the market that you feel exceptionally close to or involved with. Keep it in your own personal collection. Any insights, enlightenments, sufferings, or inner pain you experience while creating art are your own business. Don't bill collectors for it. People in all professions have intense emotional experiences just like you, but you rarely see the prices of milk, plumbing, clothes, or other goods or services fluctuate wildly as a result.
The opposite of placing excessively high prices on works of art with high levels of personal meaning or emotional attachment is placing excessively low prices on works of art that lack those qualities. Experienced collectors who bargain hunt for art love when artists under-price art based on feelings rather than on more objective factors such as those that will be discussed below. Consistency in pricing is a cornerstone of successful selling.
Artists sometimes confuse subjective opinion with objective judgment when comparing the quality of their art to that of other artists. At the same time, they may also ignore outside factors that influence those artists' prices like who they show with, what their reputations are, how long they've been active, or how collectible they are. Once again, unrealistically high asking prices are often the result.
If you think your art is as good as that of Picasso or Matisse, for example, do you price it into the millions of dollars? Of course not. Your art may indeed by as good as that of a well-known or even famous artist who sells for lots of money, but many other factors must also compare favorably before your selling prices can approach those of that artist. Your personal opinion about how good your art is has little to do with that artist's prices or why collectors pay them. If it did, any artist could sell any work of art for any price at any time.
And don't make the mistake of thinking that your art is so unique that nothing else compares to it. All art is unique. Every artist is unique. Uniqueness, however, has never been and never will be the sole criterion for setting prices at any particular level.
Collectors rarely see themselves as having only one choice when selecting art, no matter how "unique" that art happens to be. Not only are they cost-conscious, but they almost always compare work from artist to artist and gallery to gallery before they buy. The more comparing they do, the better they get at collecting, assessing quality, determining fairness in selling prices, and getting the best bangs for their bucks. This is what good collecting is all about and what you're up against when it comes to pricing your art.
So how do you price sensibly and realistically? At the most fundamental level, you must be able to make a fact-based case for what your art is worth. You certainly know how to explain what it means from a personal standpoint, but if a collector asks, can you explain it equally well from a financial standpoint? Convincing people that your art is worth what it's priced and is therefore OK to own is an essential part of completing sales. This is especially true when buyers are on the fence, not familiar with your work, or just starting out as collectors.
In the world of selling, all reputable and established art galleries are fully prepared to explain their asking prices to anyone who asks. This is how the business end works. Dealers know that collectors are concerned about how they spend their money and, as a result, they have plenty of ammunition on hand when the focus of a presentation turns from art to dollars.
The best way to justify your asking prices is to do exactly what the galleries do. Present documentation that you've been selling art consistently for dollar amounts comparable to what you're now charging. The more records you have of recent sales through dealers, galleries and agents or directly to collectors from your studio, the better. These records, of course, should be relevant to the situation at hand. In other words, if you've sold three paintings to your rich uncle for $3000 a piece, but have never sold to a collector for more than $500, quote prices in the hundreds to collectors, not the thousands. You might also think about giving your uncle a price break while you're at it.
When you don't have a record of consistent sales in a particular price range or sales have been erratic and you're not sure how much to charge, setting your prices the way that real estate agents do is one of your better options. They base home prices on "comparables" or what similar houses in the same neighborhoods sell for. In your case, this means basing prices on how much other artists charge who live in your geographical area, work in similar mediums, sell through similar venues, create similar art, and whose accomplishments, experience, and quality of work are comparable to your own.
If you're just starting out and have not sold very much, pricing your work based on time, labor, and cost of materials is often the best way to go. Set yourself a sensible hourly wage, add the cost of materials, and make that your asking price. If materials cost $50 and you take 20 hours to make the art at $15 per hour, then you price it at $350. Don't forget the comparables, though. You still want your final asking prices to be in line with what other artists with similar credentials to yours are charging for their work.
Whenever you set prices by comparison, compare to what sells, not to what doesn't. Supposing your "comparable" artist has a show with prices ranging from $2000-$25,000. Suppose it closes with only pieces in the $2000-4000 range selling. This result tells you that collectors balk at paying anything more than $4000 and can be interpreted as their verdict on the artist's high-end prices. You, consequently, would be advised to price your art from $2000-4000 and forget going much higher.
A similar situation can occur if you compare your prices to those of artists who primarily sell limited edition prints of their work. They price their art to sell their prints, not their originals. The more expensive the originals, the more they tend to elevate the collectibility of the prints in the eyes of collectors and stimulate sales.
Dealers use the expensive cost of the originals not to sell them, but rather to justify the print prices being as high as they are while at the same time, portraying those prices as bargains. "The original costs $100,000, but you can have the signed limited edition for only $600." It's just basic marketing, folks. Selling prints is what this tactic is all about and not selling originals. The prints, meanwhile, have nothing to do with the originals other than being photographic reproductions in one form or another and the idea of equating the two is absurd-- but don't get me started on that one.
No matter how you set your prices, be competitive. As distasteful and capitalistic as this may sound, you're in competition with other artists. Every time a collector buys a piece of art from you, that's one less piece that they're going to buy from someone else. Naturally, you want to maximize the number of pieces that collectors buy from you.
The best way to stay in the hunt is to make sure that you're always charging the same or even a little less than what you determine to be the "going rate" in any given selling circumstance. For example, if you're in a group show or exhibition, enter a piece that's priced competitively with those of the other artists. You don't want to have the most expensive piece in the show; you don't want the first impression that collectors have of your work to be sticker shock. You want it to stand out for art reasons, not money reasons.
Another issue that artists often wrestle with is when to raise prices. The best time is when you're experiencing a consistent degree of success and have established a proven track record of sales that's lasted for at least six months to a year and preferably longer. You should also be selling at least half of everything that you produce within a six month time period. As long as sales continue to be good and demand remains high, price increases of 10-25% per year are in order. As with any other price-setting circumstances, be able to justify all increases with facts. Never raise prices based on whimsy, personal feelings, or because you feel that they've remained the same for long enough.
Remember that today's collectors are more sophisticated than ever. The idea of falling in love with one piece of art and having to have it at any cost fell by the wayside years ago. Collectors now research and compare before they buy. The only ones who don't are new to the game. Just in case you get lucky and find one who's a little naive, by the way, resist the temptation to take advantage and overcharge. You risk the possibility of turning them off to continued collecting. We all know that we need all the art collectors we can get.
Lastly, have something for everyone. Offer art in all price ranges. People who like your work, but can't afford the big stuff should at least have the opportunity to come away with something. These are your biggest fans, your collector base, the people who will stand by you throughout your career. Do whatever you can to provide them with art. That's the best way to maximize your exposure, create good will, get yourself out there, jump start your sales, and become known and respected in the arts community.Being clear and consistent when pricing your art gives you credibility as an artist. Just as consumers expect clear consistent pricing when shopping for milk at the grocery story or for a new refrigerator at Fred's Appliance Palace, they also expect that when shopping for art. Price structures that are difficult to understand or explain or are problematic in other ways do not engender confidence in buyers and do not encourage sales.
A clear consistent price structure means that every work of art you create is assigned a dollar value that relates to the dollar values of all other art that you create. In other words, all art is priced according to the same basic principles, determined by you and/or those who best know your art, so that the price of any individual work of art makes sense within the context of the rest. Pricing rules and guidelines are based on unique characteristics of your art in combination with outside art market forces. If you have little or no experience selling and/or pricing your art, please read Price Your Art Realistically before continuing.
A main goal of sensible art pricing is that similar works of art have similar selling prices. You, the artist, decide what those similarities are based on criteria you choose. Those criteria become the measures by which you assess and ultimately price your art. Remember at all stages in this process that those criteria should be explainable to anyone with questions about your art, especially potential buyers.
A good first step in determining your criteria is to select one or more works of art that you consider typical of your current output and that display an average range of your skills. These would be pieces that you consider neither exceptional nor inferior in any way. If you work in more than one medium or style, select at least one piece that is representative of each.
Describe these works, in writing and in detail, in terms of basic physical characteristics as well as in terms of variables unique to your art. Basic physical characteristics include size, subject matter, color, complexity, weight, detail, cost of materials, time necessary to create, and so on. Variables unique to your art might include the number of dogs in the composition, theme, texture, frequency of use of the color orange, direction of the brush strokes, date produced, or degree of abstraction.
Avoid using subjective criteria to describe your art such as what it means to you, what its message is, how it makes you feel, and so on. Subjective qualities are important from intellectual and/or emotional standpoints, but not necessarily in terms of pricing as they can vary widely from one viewer to the next. No one, however, can dispute a work of art's size or subject matter. If, over time, you find that some of your art imparts similar feelings or messages to wide audiences, you may eventually be able to quantify those feelings or messages as price points.
Once you've completed your written descriptions, your next task is to set a base price for your chosen typical work or works of art. A good analogy to a base price in the art world is a base price in the car world, or the price of a car with no extras (this may sound crass, but it's how the overwhelming majority of art gets priced). A basic car model with no extras costs a certain dollar amount; models with "extras" cost more. How much more depends on the amount and quality of their extras.
Artists with gallery experience and consistent sales histories should already have base prices that typical works of their art regularly sell for. If you don't have a track record of sales, your base price should approximate what artists in your locale with comparable experience and sales records charge for similar works of art. Keep in mind that even though your art is unique, experienced art people like dealers, advanced collectors, consultants and agents make price comparisons from artist to artist all the time. Being able to evaluate your art from a detached standpoint by comparing it to that of other artists in your area is necessary in order for your price structure to make sense in the marketplace.
Once you've set your base price, use it as the norm to price the rest of your art in relation to that base, in terms of "extras" or lack thereof. "Extras," according to your descriptive criteria, are those characteristics that make certain works of art more significant, in your judgment, than others. If, for example, your typical work of art measures 20 by 30 inches and you base-price it at $1000, and you consider one measuring 40 by 50 inches to be more significant, you might price it at $3000. Similarly, you might price one measuring 8 by 12 inches at $400 because you consider it to be less significant, all else being equal. "Extras" that indicate price increases beyond the base are characteristics like more complex compositions, larger sizes, more intricate details, higher levels of technical difficulty, greater production times, and more expensive materials.
If certain works of art hold special meaning for you or represent critical moments in your life or career, but are not drastically different from your other art in terms of physical criteria, best procedure is to keep them off the market because the tendency is to overprice them. Isolated extreme prices may not make sense to viewers, and can even skew an artist's entire price structure in an unrealistic direction. If you can make a case to the art world as to why isolated works of art should be priced well beyond similar looking pieces, and the art world agrees with you, then fine. If not, save emotion- or attachment-based pricing for when you become famous and have greater latitude in how you present your art to the public.
As previously mentioned, your price structure should make sense to people who have questions about your art, such as why this piece costs more or that one costs less. Be able to explain how and why you set your base price, and how and why you set other prices higher or lower in relation to that base. Having a price structure that people who know art can understand is essential in order to move art from your studio to for-sale settings and ultimately to private or institutional buyers.
Once you've set your selling prices, don't change them without a reason. Any deviation in price, particularly in the upward direction, has to be justified. In other words, don't raise or lower your prices just because you feel like it. People generally shy away from art that costs a certain amount one week and a different amount the next; they prefer constancy in art prices.
And now for a few hypotheticals:
Suppose your price structure turns out to be too high-- people who like your art enough to ask how much it costs aren't buying. This means that you have to lower your prices, but by how much? Re-pricing somewhat below what comparable art by artists in your area sells for is a good starting point, but rather than arbitrarily cut prices either across the board or on a piece-by-piece basis, conduct an informal survey first.
Ask those most interested in your art how much they think it should sell for. Whenever you get the chance, also ask dealers, experienced collectors, consultants, fellow artists, and agents what they think. Put together as much of a consensus opinion as possible, and then reduce prices accordingly. Your goal is to generate sales with the new lower structure, so make sure reductions are in line with or even slightly greater than consensus opinion. You want to avoid having to reduce prices again, but you don't want to make your art so inexpensive that people won't take it seriously.
Suppose your art becomes popular with the public and sales are brisk. When demand reaches a point where a good percentage of your art, at least a third, sells within several months of its appearance on the market, think about raising your prices. A price increase is also in order when demand for your art regularly outstrips demand for art by your contemporaries.
As you become better and better known, a brand name, so to speak, your art begins to merit premium pricing, or pricing beyond that of your contemporaries. Exactly how much that premium is depends on the significance of your accomplishments (shows, awards, news coverage, etc.) and the constant or, better yet, expanding interest in your art. Depending on how well known you get, continue to price according to what "the competition" charges, but who that competition is will likely evolve from local artists to regional artists, and possibly even to national or international artists. As you advance in your career, always be aware of what circle of artists you are perceived as belonging to and how much they charge for their art.
Suppose that with the passage of time or as tastes in art change, that one type of your art finds favor with collectors while demand for your other art remains modest. Raise the prices of this in-demand art above that of your other art, and price earlier examples higher than those you're currently making. For example, if collectors come to like your abstracts much more than your landscapes, raise prices on all past, present and future abstracts, with prices for your earliest abstracts (those in the styles that receive the most attention) being raised the most.
Raising prices for the earliest examples of your most desirable art is somewhat similar to pricing antiques and collectibles-- the first edition of a famous book costs more than later editions, early Barbie dolls cost more those produced today, and so on. The significance of your "first" or "earliest" art only becomes apparent as you progress in your career. You have no idea how the public will respond to different styles of art when you first create or show them or what their legacy might one day be, but as that legacy becomes clear, price increases are in order.
Continuing with this line of reasoning, suppose, from a historical standpoint, a particular type of your art becomes significant beyond you as an artist-- in other words, as part of a movement or school of art. For example, let's say you painted large abstracts in the late 1950's. Prices for these abstracts will have to be raised, not necessarily according to how your own career has played out, but rather according to how abstract paintings from the late 1950's have been embraced by collectors. Prices for these abstracts may far outstrip prices for all other art you've created, regardless of the significance that you personally place on those abstracts, just because you painted them in a particular style at a particular point in time.
No matter how old you are or how long you've been making art, know that art prices fluctuate over time as a result of a variety of factors. Set your initial price structure according to characteristics of your art and of your local or regional art market, but be ready to revise those prices at any time (assuming adequate justification). The more you're aware of market forces in general and how people respond to your art in particular, the better prepared you are to maintain sensible selling prices and maximize your sales.
Understanding common mistakes that artists make when setting prices is the first step in this process. Perhaps the most significant error is the tendency to focus too much attention on only that segment of the art world that pertains to you and too little attention on the rest, or even worse, dismissing the rest as irrelevant. If you let this happen, your asking prices may make sense to you and to your inner circle, but make little sense to the overall art community. The more aware you are of the big picture, of what other artists are creating, how it's being priced and marketed, and who's buying what for how much and why, the better prepared you are to price your art sensibly.
Many artists make the mistake of equating dollar values with psychological factors like how emotionally attached they are to their art or how much angst they experience during the creative process. They place special meanings and, therefore, special asking prices on certain pieces of their work that may make sense to them inwardly, but have little or no relation to the selling prices of the rest of their art or to art prices in general. Dealers and collectors see these prices as inconsistent or excessively high. You can explain all of your emotions with todays technologies. Here is a video about Michael Godard speaking of his art, success and how the world should view him. Michael Godard Video
Avoid this pitfall by keeping any art off the market that you feel exceptionally close to or involved with. Keep it in your own personal collection. Any insights, enlightenments, sufferings, or inner pain you experience while creating art are your own business. Don't bill collectors for it. People in all professions have intense emotional experiences just like you, but you rarely see the prices of milk, plumbing, clothes, or other goods or services fluctuate wildly as a result.
The opposite of placing excessively high prices on works of art with high levels of personal meaning or emotional attachment is placing excessively low prices on works of art that lack those qualities. Experienced collectors who bargain hunt for art love when artists under-price art based on feelings rather than on more objective factors such as those that will be discussed below. Consistency in pricing is a cornerstone of successful selling.
Artists sometimes confuse subjective opinion with objective judgment when comparing the quality of their art to that of other artists. At the same time, they may also ignore outside factors that influence those artists' prices like who they show with, what their reputations are, how long they've been active, or how collectible they are. Once again, unrealistically high asking prices are often the result.
If you think your art is as good as that of Picasso or Matisse, for example, do you price it into the millions of dollars? Of course not. Your art may indeed by as good as that of a well-known or even famous artist who sells for lots of money, but many other factors must also compare favorably before your selling prices can approach those of that artist. Your personal opinion about how good your art is has little to do with that artist's prices or why collectors pay them. If it did, any artist could sell any work of art for any price at any time.
And don't make the mistake of thinking that your art is so unique that nothing else compares to it. All art is unique. Every artist is unique. Uniqueness, however, has never been and never will be the sole criterion for setting prices at any particular level.
Collectors rarely see themselves as having only one choice when selecting art, no matter how "unique" that art happens to be. Not only are they cost-conscious, but they almost always compare work from artist to artist and gallery to gallery before they buy. The more comparing they do, the better they get at collecting, assessing quality, determining fairness in selling prices, and getting the best bangs for their bucks. This is what good collecting is all about and what you're up against when it comes to pricing your art.
So how do you price sensibly and realistically? At the most fundamental level, you must be able to make a fact-based case for what your art is worth. You certainly know how to explain what it means from a personal standpoint, but if a collector asks, can you explain it equally well from a financial standpoint? Convincing people that your art is worth what it's priced and is therefore OK to own is an essential part of completing sales. This is especially true when buyers are on the fence, not familiar with your work, or just starting out as collectors.
In the world of selling, all reputable and established art galleries are fully prepared to explain their asking prices to anyone who asks. This is how the business end works. Dealers know that collectors are concerned about how they spend their money and, as a result, they have plenty of ammunition on hand when the focus of a presentation turns from art to dollars.
The best way to justify your asking prices is to do exactly what the galleries do. Present documentation that you've been selling art consistently for dollar amounts comparable to what you're now charging. The more records you have of recent sales through dealers, galleries and agents or directly to collectors from your studio, the better. These records, of course, should be relevant to the situation at hand. In other words, if you've sold three paintings to your rich uncle for $3000 a piece, but have never sold to a collector for more than $500, quote prices in the hundreds to collectors, not the thousands. You might also think about giving your uncle a price break while you're at it.
When you don't have a record of consistent sales in a particular price range or sales have been erratic and you're not sure how much to charge, setting your prices the way that real estate agents do is one of your better options. They base home prices on "comparables" or what similar houses in the same neighborhoods sell for. In your case, this means basing prices on how much other artists charge who live in your geographical area, work in similar mediums, sell through similar venues, create similar art, and whose accomplishments, experience, and quality of work are comparable to your own.
If you're just starting out and have not sold very much, pricing your work based on time, labor, and cost of materials is often the best way to go. Set yourself a sensible hourly wage, add the cost of materials, and make that your asking price. If materials cost $50 and you take 20 hours to make the art at $15 per hour, then you price it at $350. Don't forget the comparables, though. You still want your final asking prices to be in line with what other artists with similar credentials to yours are charging for their work.
Whenever you set prices by comparison, compare to what sells, not to what doesn't. Supposing your "comparable" artist has a show with prices ranging from $2000-$25,000. Suppose it closes with only pieces in the $2000-4000 range selling. This result tells you that collectors balk at paying anything more than $4000 and can be interpreted as their verdict on the artist's high-end prices. You, consequently, would be advised to price your art from $2000-4000 and forget going much higher.
A similar situation can occur if you compare your prices to those of artists who primarily sell limited edition prints of their work. They price their art to sell their prints, not their originals. The more expensive the originals, the more they tend to elevate the collectibility of the prints in the eyes of collectors and stimulate sales.
Dealers use the expensive cost of the originals not to sell them, but rather to justify the print prices being as high as they are while at the same time, portraying those prices as bargains. "The original costs $100,000, but you can have the signed limited edition for only $600." It's just basic marketing, folks. Selling prints is what this tactic is all about and not selling originals. The prints, meanwhile, have nothing to do with the originals other than being photographic reproductions in one form or another and the idea of equating the two is absurd-- but don't get me started on that one.
No matter how you set your prices, be competitive. As distasteful and capitalistic as this may sound, you're in competition with other artists. Every time a collector buys a piece of art from you, that's one less piece that they're going to buy from someone else. Naturally, you want to maximize the number of pieces that collectors buy from you.
The best way to stay in the hunt is to make sure that you're always charging the same or even a little less than what you determine to be the "going rate" in any given selling circumstance. For example, if you're in a group show or exhibition, enter a piece that's priced competitively with those of the other artists. You don't want to have the most expensive piece in the show; you don't want the first impression that collectors have of your work to be sticker shock. You want it to stand out for art reasons, not money reasons.
Another issue that artists often wrestle with is when to raise prices. The best time is when you're experiencing a consistent degree of success and have established a proven track record of sales that's lasted for at least six months to a year and preferably longer. You should also be selling at least half of everything that you produce within a six month time period. As long as sales continue to be good and demand remains high, price increases of 10-25% per year are in order. As with any other price-setting circumstances, be able to justify all increases with facts. Never raise prices based on whimsy, personal feelings, or because you feel that they've remained the same for long enough.
Remember that today's collectors are more sophisticated than ever. The idea of falling in love with one piece of art and having to have it at any cost fell by the wayside years ago. Collectors now research and compare before they buy. The only ones who don't are new to the game. Just in case you get lucky and find one who's a little naive, by the way, resist the temptation to take advantage and overcharge. You risk the possibility of turning them off to continued collecting. We all know that we need all the art collectors we can get.
Lastly, have something for everyone. Offer art in all price ranges. People who like your work, but can't afford the big stuff should at least have the opportunity to come away with something. These are your biggest fans, your collector base, the people who will stand by you throughout your career. Do whatever you can to provide them with art. That's the best way to maximize your exposure, create good will, get yourself out there, jump start your sales, and become known and respected in the arts community.Being clear and consistent when pricing your art gives you credibility as an artist. Just as consumers expect clear consistent pricing when shopping for milk at the grocery story or for a new refrigerator at Fred's Appliance Palace, they also expect that when shopping for art. Price structures that are difficult to understand or explain or are problematic in other ways do not engender confidence in buyers and do not encourage sales.
A clear consistent price structure means that every work of art you create is assigned a dollar value that relates to the dollar values of all other art that you create. In other words, all art is priced according to the same basic principles, determined by you and/or those who best know your art, so that the price of any individual work of art makes sense within the context of the rest. Pricing rules and guidelines are based on unique characteristics of your art in combination with outside art market forces. If you have little or no experience selling and/or pricing your art, please read Price Your Art Realistically before continuing.
A main goal of sensible art pricing is that similar works of art have similar selling prices. You, the artist, decide what those similarities are based on criteria you choose. Those criteria become the measures by which you assess and ultimately price your art. Remember at all stages in this process that those criteria should be explainable to anyone with questions about your art, especially potential buyers.
A good first step in determining your criteria is to select one or more works of art that you consider typical of your current output and that display an average range of your skills. These would be pieces that you consider neither exceptional nor inferior in any way. If you work in more than one medium or style, select at least one piece that is representative of each.
Describe these works, in writing and in detail, in terms of basic physical characteristics as well as in terms of variables unique to your art. Basic physical characteristics include size, subject matter, color, complexity, weight, detail, cost of materials, time necessary to create, and so on. Variables unique to your art might include the number of dogs in the composition, theme, texture, frequency of use of the color orange, direction of the brush strokes, date produced, or degree of abstraction.
Avoid using subjective criteria to describe your art such as what it means to you, what its message is, how it makes you feel, and so on. Subjective qualities are important from intellectual and/or emotional standpoints, but not necessarily in terms of pricing as they can vary widely from one viewer to the next. No one, however, can dispute a work of art's size or subject matter. If, over time, you find that some of your art imparts similar feelings or messages to wide audiences, you may eventually be able to quantify those feelings or messages as price points.
Once you've completed your written descriptions, your next task is to set a base price for your chosen typical work or works of art. A good analogy to a base price in the art world is a base price in the car world, or the price of a car with no extras (this may sound crass, but it's how the overwhelming majority of art gets priced). A basic car model with no extras costs a certain dollar amount; models with "extras" cost more. How much more depends on the amount and quality of their extras.
Artists with gallery experience and consistent sales histories should already have base prices that typical works of their art regularly sell for. If you don't have a track record of sales, your base price should approximate what artists in your locale with comparable experience and sales records charge for similar works of art. Keep in mind that even though your art is unique, experienced art people like dealers, advanced collectors, consultants and agents make price comparisons from artist to artist all the time. Being able to evaluate your art from a detached standpoint by comparing it to that of other artists in your area is necessary in order for your price structure to make sense in the marketplace.
Once you've set your base price, use it as the norm to price the rest of your art in relation to that base, in terms of "extras" or lack thereof. "Extras," according to your descriptive criteria, are those characteristics that make certain works of art more significant, in your judgment, than others. If, for example, your typical work of art measures 20 by 30 inches and you base-price it at $1000, and you consider one measuring 40 by 50 inches to be more significant, you might price it at $3000. Similarly, you might price one measuring 8 by 12 inches at $400 because you consider it to be less significant, all else being equal. "Extras" that indicate price increases beyond the base are characteristics like more complex compositions, larger sizes, more intricate details, higher levels of technical difficulty, greater production times, and more expensive materials.
If certain works of art hold special meaning for you or represent critical moments in your life or career, but are not drastically different from your other art in terms of physical criteria, best procedure is to keep them off the market because the tendency is to overprice them. Isolated extreme prices may not make sense to viewers, and can even skew an artist's entire price structure in an unrealistic direction. If you can make a case to the art world as to why isolated works of art should be priced well beyond similar looking pieces, and the art world agrees with you, then fine. If not, save emotion- or attachment-based pricing for when you become famous and have greater latitude in how you present your art to the public.
As previously mentioned, your price structure should make sense to people who have questions about your art, such as why this piece costs more or that one costs less. Be able to explain how and why you set your base price, and how and why you set other prices higher or lower in relation to that base. Having a price structure that people who know art can understand is essential in order to move art from your studio to for-sale settings and ultimately to private or institutional buyers.
Once you've set your selling prices, don't change them without a reason. Any deviation in price, particularly in the upward direction, has to be justified. In other words, don't raise or lower your prices just because you feel like it. People generally shy away from art that costs a certain amount one week and a different amount the next; they prefer constancy in art prices.
And now for a few hypotheticals:
Suppose your price structure turns out to be too high-- people who like your art enough to ask how much it costs aren't buying. This means that you have to lower your prices, but by how much? Re-pricing somewhat below what comparable art by artists in your area sells for is a good starting point, but rather than arbitrarily cut prices either across the board or on a piece-by-piece basis, conduct an informal survey first.
Ask those most interested in your art how much they think it should sell for. Whenever you get the chance, also ask dealers, experienced collectors, consultants, fellow artists, and agents what they think. Put together as much of a consensus opinion as possible, and then reduce prices accordingly. Your goal is to generate sales with the new lower structure, so make sure reductions are in line with or even slightly greater than consensus opinion. You want to avoid having to reduce prices again, but you don't want to make your art so inexpensive that people won't take it seriously.
Suppose your art becomes popular with the public and sales are brisk. When demand reaches a point where a good percentage of your art, at least a third, sells within several months of its appearance on the market, think about raising your prices. A price increase is also in order when demand for your art regularly outstrips demand for art by your contemporaries.
As you become better and better known, a brand name, so to speak, your art begins to merit premium pricing, or pricing beyond that of your contemporaries. Exactly how much that premium is depends on the significance of your accomplishments (shows, awards, news coverage, etc.) and the constant or, better yet, expanding interest in your art. Depending on how well known you get, continue to price according to what "the competition" charges, but who that competition is will likely evolve from local artists to regional artists, and possibly even to national or international artists. As you advance in your career, always be aware of what circle of artists you are perceived as belonging to and how much they charge for their art.
Suppose that with the passage of time or as tastes in art change, that one type of your art finds favor with collectors while demand for your other art remains modest. Raise the prices of this in-demand art above that of your other art, and price earlier examples higher than those you're currently making. For example, if collectors come to like your abstracts much more than your landscapes, raise prices on all past, present and future abstracts, with prices for your earliest abstracts (those in the styles that receive the most attention) being raised the most.
Raising prices for the earliest examples of your most desirable art is somewhat similar to pricing antiques and collectibles-- the first edition of a famous book costs more than later editions, early Barbie dolls cost more those produced today, and so on. The significance of your "first" or "earliest" art only becomes apparent as you progress in your career. You have no idea how the public will respond to different styles of art when you first create or show them or what their legacy might one day be, but as that legacy becomes clear, price increases are in order.
Continuing with this line of reasoning, suppose, from a historical standpoint, a particular type of your art becomes significant beyond you as an artist-- in other words, as part of a movement or school of art. For example, let's say you painted large abstracts in the late 1950's. Prices for these abstracts will have to be raised, not necessarily according to how your own career has played out, but rather according to how abstract paintings from the late 1950's have been embraced by collectors. Prices for these abstracts may far outstrip prices for all other art you've created, regardless of the significance that you personally place on those abstracts, just because you painted them in a particular style at a particular point in time.
No matter how old you are or how long you've been making art, know that art prices fluctuate over time as a result of a variety of factors. Set your initial price structure according to characteristics of your art and of your local or regional art market, but be ready to revise those prices at any time (assuming adequate justification). The more you're aware of market forces in general and how people respond to your art in particular, the better prepared you are to maintain sensible selling prices and maximize your sales.
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