Robert Manley, Phillips Deputy Chair, on artists, auctions and the art market

Robert Manley
Deputy Chairman
Phillips

2016: A YEAR OF SURPRISES, UPHEAVAL AND CHANGE IN EVERY POSSIBLE ARENA: POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC. CERTAINLY THE SEA CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP AND HIERARCHY AT THE AUCTION HOUSES AND GALLERIES HAS BEEN OF TSUNAMI PROPORTIONS IN THE ART WORLD. AMONG THE MANY SHIFTS OF VENUE, APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS, LAST JULY PHILLIPS ANNOUNCED A SIGNIFICANT COUP; THE APPOINTMENT OF ROBERT MANLEY AS DEPUTY CHAIR OF POST WAR AND CONTEMPORARY FOLLOWING A LONG-STANDING AND BRILLIANT CAREER AT CHRISTIE’S.

ROBERT IS A COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND WHO HAD ADVISED ME ON BIDDING AND COLLABORATED WITH ME ON A MULTITUDE OF TRANSACTIONS, BOTH BIG AND SMALL, AT CHRISTIE’S FOR AT LEAST A DECADE. IT IS NO SURPRISE PHILLIPS HAS WELCOMED HIM AS AN IMPORTANT LEADING FIGURE IN THEIR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EXPANSION STRATEGY OF THE LAST THREE YEARS MARKED BY THE ARRIVAL OF EX-CHRISTIE’S ED DOLMAN IN 2014.

Phillips New York
Park Avenue at 57th Street

Phillips Auction House was founded in London in 1796 by Harry Phillips, formerly senior clerk to James Christie. The company descended in his family through the 20^th Century until Bernard Arnault, chairman of the French luxury brand, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey, and merged his acquisition with the esteemed art dealers Simon de Pury and Daniela Luxembourg.

By 2013, the Mercury Group, a Russian retail and real estate conglomerate, acquired total control from de Pury and has expanded its international presence to include an impressive corner on 57^th Street and Park Avenue (450 Park) and a modern, beautifully designed London Headquarters on Berkeley Square in the heart of Mayfair. Phillips has dedicated the last few years to forming a strong and unique presence in the competitive auction world in which Christie’s and Sotheby’s are serious rivals. As the art world has seen significant changes in the collector profile and buying habits, Phillips focuses on the younger, and perhaps edgier collector. 

IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT THE LRFA BLOG OPENS THE 2017 POST WITH ROBERT MANLEY, SHARING HIS PROFESSIONAL HISTORY AND TOUCHING UPON HIS NEW POSITION AS DEPUTY CHAIR AND SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIST OF 20th CENTURY AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT PHILLIPS.

ROBERT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LRFA BLOG.

I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH YOU FOR MANY YEARS WHEN YOU WERE AT CHRISTIE’S AND LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE IN YOUR NEW POSITION AS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN AT PHILLIPS. ALTHOUGH WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER A LONG TIME, I KNOW ONLY RANDOM BITS AND PIECES ABOUT YOUR PROFESSIONAL HISTORY. ONE OF THE NICEST BONUSES OF THE LRFA BLOG IS LEARNING MORE ABOUT COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS SINCE WE TEND TO FOCUS ON THE IMMEDIATE TRANSACTION OR EVENT AT HAND.

 

 

ROBERT, WHAT PROMPTED YOUR INITIAL INVOLVEMENT IN ART? WAS YOUR FAMILY INTERESTED. WAS THERE AN ARTIST IN THE FAMILY, OR SOME AMBITIONS IN THAT DIRECTION YOURSELF?

I can date my interest in art to the first day of Art History 101 in college. I had always loved history, but until that day, I never thought of art as vehicle for a dialogue with history, ideas, aesthetics, politics and culture. It was a revelation. That class began an obsession that continues to this day. Learning about art is a bit like trying to put together a never-ending puzzle, and every day I try to fill in another blank space.

Joan Washburn

I KNOW THAT YOU WORKED FOR JOAN WASHBURN, ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED DEALERS IN THE ART WORLD. WHAT PERIOD OF TIME WERE YOU WITH THE GALLERY? WHAT EXHIBITIONS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF ART?

The one thing about Joan that many people don’t know is that before she became a dealer, she was a top specialist at Sotheby’s…she has a great understanding of the role that auctions play in the art world and the ways in which auction can play havoc. It made me appreciate the responsibility that auction houses have, to artists and their galleries.  

Leon Polk Smith
Selections from Miami
December 16, 2016 – January 31, 2017
Washburn Gallery

Joan has been showing a diverse array of compelling art during her 40+ years in business (and still going strong), but the exhibitions that interested me most were the historical exhibitions we mounted. I was at the gallery in the late 1990s and we had exhibitions of Jackson Pollock, Louise Nevelson and David Smith, all estates with which we had a direct relationship. Joan was a joy to work with and I learned an enormous amount from her, especially the seriousness with which she researched, curated and installed the exhibitions. I also learned from Joan the importance of humor…she has a sharp wit and a great infectious laugh. I hope to one day have half of her energy and grace.

Jackson Pollack
Works on Paper
Washburn Gallery, NY

WERE THERE SPECIFIC PERIODS OF WORK THAT ALWAYS RESONATED WITH YOU? HAVE THESE PASSIONS AND ENTHUSIASMS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? DO YOU THINK THAT AS WE ALL SEE MORE WORK, MORE EXHIBITIONS AND NEWER CONTEMPORARY WORKS, THAT OUR OWN EYE AND UNDERSTANDING EVOLVE, OR THAT PARTICULAR ARTISTS THAT ORIGINALLY RESONATE THE MOST STRONGLY CONTINUE TO DO SO?

I think our eye is always developing and our tastes change somewhat, but once you reach a certain understanding of art, it’s more like constructing a building–the things you love are like your foundation, and as you see more, you’re building more floors on top of them. I find my tastes and interests become more catholic with each year.

Manley with Mark Rothko painting

I’ve always admired the works of the Abstract Expressionists, the visual power and directness of the best of them.  The historian in me likes the story of the genesis and development of the movement, and how it is inextricably linked with contemporary world events of the time.

Bill Traylor
American Folk Art Museum, NY

I’ve also come to appreciate the work of Outsider Art. I was fortunate to work at Luise Ross Gallery, where we showed, among others, Bill Traylor, Minnie Evans and Thornton Dial. Outsider Art is a bit like the Abstract Expressionists, in the way they are very much unmediated expressions. They were trying to find something within themselves and express it to the rest of us. As I learned more about the movements that came in the wake of Abstract Expressionism, I became drawn to Minimalism and Conceptual art of the 1960’s, and the artists in their wake.

Miguel Barcelo
Muletero, 1990
Phillips London Evening Sale
March 8, 2017

IN OUR NEXT POST, ROBERT EXPANDS ON HIS GALLERY EXPERIENCE AND THE PROFESSIONAL PATH THAT LED HIM TO CHRISTIE’S AUCTION HOUSE. WE HAVE A GREAT EXPERT ON TAP, WITH A PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE OF THE ART WORLD AND MARKET AND A GENUINE PASSION FOR ART AND WELCOME ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.

The history and future of the art fair with expert Art Miami’s Nick Korniloff

Art Southampton
July 9 – 13, 2015

FROM THOSE INTERESTED IN STARTING TO COLLECT TO THOSE WHO ARE SOPHISTICATED COLLECTORS, GALLERISTS, DEALERS AND MUSEUM CURATORS, ART FAIRS SERVE BOTH THE UNINITIATED AND THE SEASONED ART CONNOISSEUR. FAIRS OFFER A CONCENTRATED VENUE IN WHICH TO SEE AN ENORMOUS DIVERSITY OF WORK AND MEDIUMS IN A MANAGEABLE AMOUNT OF TIME; THUS, THE LEGENDARY SUCCESS AND INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION OF THE ART FAIR, AS BOTH A SALES AND PROMOTIONAL SPRINGBOARD. SOME FAIRS CATER TO SPECIFIC COLLECTING PASSIONS SUCH AS PHOTOGRAPHY, PRINTS OR CUTTING-EDGE ART; OTHERS OFFER A BROADER HISTORICAL AND STYLISTIC RANGE BUT, OVERALL, ONLY THE BEST GALLERIES AND DEALERS CAN AFFORD TO PARTICIPATE AND THIS HELPS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF EACH INDIVIDUAL FAIR.

ART MIAMI LLC HAS ESTABLISHED AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MODEL TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE THE PUBLIC’S INTEREST AND ATTENDANCE OF ART FAIRS. AT THE OPENING OF ART MIAMI 2011, NICK KORNILOFF, FOUNDER AND PARTNER OF ART MIAMI LLC DESCRIBED THE FAIR AS…

“an overall cross-section of what the current contemporary art market has to offer, and we provide a platform for seasoned, cutting edge and emerging galleries to showcase their artists. Over the last four years, Art Miami has proven itself as a destination for collectors to have a first view and acquire some of the most important high quality works available in the marketplace. We are very excited about the quality of exhibitors at this year’s fair and the diverse range of disciplines and price-points that will provide a unique opportunity for collectors to pursue their interests in both primary and secondary works of art.”

Art Southampton

THE LRFA BLOG IS VERY PLEASED TO CONTINUE ITS CONVERSATION WITH NICK ON THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF ART FAIRS.

NICK, IN MAY 2013, ART MIAMI LLC LAUNCHED ITS FIRST NEW YORK FAIR, AT THE 69^TH REGIMENT ARMORY ON LEXINGTON AVNEUE AT 26^TH STREET DURING AUCTION WEEK AND THE FRIEZE ART FAIR. WHO WERE THE ROSTER OF EXHIBITORS AND HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THIS FAIR?

Participating exhibitors included: Yossi Milo Gallery, Danese/Corey, ARCHEUS/POST-MODERN, BOSI Contemporary, Coagula Curatorial, William Shearburn Gallery, HackelBury Fine Art, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, Nicholas Metivier, David Lusk Gallery, Armand Bartos Fine Art, Cynthia-Reeves, Arcature Fine Art, David Klein Gallery, Chowaiki & Co, Durham Press, Richard Levy Gallery, Mixografia, Modernism Inc., Peter Blake Gallery, Robert Mann Gallery, Wasserman Projects, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Catherine Edelman, Jerald Melberg Gallery, C. Grimaldis Gallery, Galerie von Braunbehrens, Galerie Andreas Binder, among others.

Art Silicon Valley/San Francisco

MOST RECENTLY, YOU OPENED THE NEW ART SILICON VALLEY/ART SAN FRANCISCO FAIR IN SAN MATEO COUNTY. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF ITS FIRST SEASON? I ASSUME YOU WERE INUNDATED BY ALL THE SUCCESSFUL SILICON VALLEY COLLECTORS.

The inaugural Art Silicon Valley/San Francisco (Art SV/SF) was a tremendous success. We welcomed a lively and diverse group of collectors, curators, art advisors, designers and tastemakers, presenting 70 acclaimed galleries and art institutions, representing 750 artists from 42 countries including Italy, France, Germany, England, The Netherlands, Finland, South Korea, Switzerland and Venezuela.

Art SV/SF

The fair attracted more than 12,500 attendees by offering the unique experience of viewing world-class art and exploring innovative cultural programming including on-site installations, interactive and new-media art, artist talks, book signings, and fair tours for all audiences and taste levels. In collaboration with One Art Nation, The Art Symposium brought together industry experts and opinion leaders to speak on a range of timely topics from the current structure of the art market to succession planning, protecting unusual art, and issues of art valuation. Another unique element of the fair included a partnership with Magnolia Pictures to show exclusive advanced screenings of the newly released animated film, “The Hero of Color City” for kids and families. In conjunction, the fair hosted The Hero of Color City Kids Center, a safe, on-site playroom for children ages three to 13 to participate in art explorations, games, puzzles and storytelling under the supervision of experienced staff. The Hero of Color City kids programming benefited Crayon Collection, a global initiative that aids underprivileged students.

HOW MANY MORE FAIRS DO YOU THINK THE MARKET CAN SUSTAIN? HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE THE LANDSCAPE OF COLLECTING ON THE PART OF AMERICAN COLLECTORS NOW THAT WE EMBRACE A GLOBAL ART MARKET?

On average, there are 4 art fairs happening a week around the globe. While we think that there are a few more opportunities available in the states and abroad. We also feel that there will be a contraction of fairs especially in regional markets where there are multiple shows. It has been proven time and time again that the best collecting happens at the highest quality fairs. Since the art market has gone global, serious collectors have to really manage their time efficiently when it comes to travel and choosing the fairs that they attend. The main fairs such as Art Miami, Basel, Frieze. Armory NY and FIAC provide international galleries and artists and will continue to be where the majority of the serious collectors visit for their acquisitions.

Art Silicon Valley/San Francisco

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE AESTHETIC AND COLLECTING HABITS OF THE NEW MILLENIALS? DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR APPROACH TO BUYING ART?

Most importantly, new collectors realize the value in receiving accurate and informative data from reliable sources, dealers, and art advisors. Certainly, the new millennials, as opposed to traditional collectors in the past, are very aware of the increasing values of contemporary art and the investment potential that has been demonstrated over the past thirty years.

DO YOU COLLECT, AND IF SO, WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF FOCUS AND WHY?

My wife and I collect what we love, what we want to live with on a daily basis, and what we can afford. We have everything from paintings, sculpture, and photography to street art and technology-driven work in our collection.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE PLANS OF ART MIAMI LLC? WHERE DO YOU THINK THE NEXT VENUE FOR A FAIR IN THE STATES SHOULD BE AND WHY?

There are still a few remaining opportunities in the states that make sense. There are also a few markets that need consolidation and a revamping of the current fairs that exist. Though I can’t disclose specifics at this time, I can tell you there are definitely additional fairs and projects in the works.

IN THE NEXT LRFA BLOG, I AM HONORED TO INTRODUCE MARILYN KUSHNER, CURATOR AND HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF PRINTS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTIONS AT THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY.  IN NOVEMBER 2011, THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY REOPENED ITS DOORS, AFTER A 3-YEAR $70 MILLION RENOVATION OF THE CENTRAL PARK WEST BUILDING AND THE SCOPE AND SCALE OF ITS EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS. MARILYN WILL SPEAK ABOUT THE MUSEUM AND SOME OF THE STERLING EXHIBITIONS THAT SHE HAS CURATED.

PLEASE JOIN US!

COURSES, CONFERENCES AND CERTIFICATIONS AT THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

Sino-Tibetan Gilt Bronze 18th Century Figure
Courtesy Lark Mason, AAA

EVERY INDUSTRY EVOLVES AS IT ADAPTS TO NEW REGULATIONS, TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS,  INFORMATION AND CHANGES IN THE ECONOMIC CLIMATE.  STAYING CURRENT IS VITAL IN ANY PROFESSIONAL SECTOR BUT NONE IS MORE CRITICAL THAN IN THE APPRAISAL OF FINE AND DECORATIVE ARTS.  IN AN EVER CHANGING MARKET, IT IS CRUCIAL THAT QUALIFIED APPRAISERS KEEP ABREAST OF LEGAL REVISIONS AS WELL AS MARKET FLUCTUATIONS.  ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ASPECTS OF THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA’S COMMITMENT TO PROFESSIONALISM IS THE RICH ROSTER OF LECTURES, COURSES AND CONFERENCES THAT IT OFFERS ITS MEMBERS TO AID IN MAINTAINING HIGH STANDARDS OF EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE. http://www.appraisersassociation.org/

FOR EXAMPLE, NEXT MONDAY, MAY 4th, THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA OFFERS AN EVENING AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB IN NEW YORK, SPONSORED BY ACE RISK MANAGEMENT, THAT FOCUSES ON THE IMPRESSIVE ESCALATION OF VALUE THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE WORLD OF AMERICAN ILLUSTRATION. HERITAGE AUCTIONS’ ED JASTER AND AVIVA LEHMANN WILL PRESENT “BEYOND ROCKWELL: THE STATE OF TODAY’S ILLUSTRATION MARKET”.

For decades, many curators and collectors have categorized illustration art qualitatively apart from American art. Today, a Rockwell painting can sell for more than an Edward Hopper oil! As a result, more obscure illustrators are rising to stardom, and categories such as Pin-Up, Pulp and Commercial Advertisement are seeing dramatic increases in demand, and in value. Paintings that sold for just thousands might now sell in the six-figure range. Ed Jaster and Aviva Lehmann together will break down the categories of Illustration Art—discussing which artists are most sought-after, who are the up-and-coming stars, and what to look for when appraising Illustration.

For further information, click here: https://www.appraisersassociation.org/_data/n_0001/resources/live/Jaster-Lehmann_5.4.15.pdf

 

Appraisers Association of America Handbook

IN ADDITION TO LECTURES AND CONFERENCES, THE AAA HAS PUBLISHED SEVERAL IMPORTANT AND DEFINITIVE GUIDES TO APPRAISING. TODAY, THE LRFA BLOG IS PRIVILEGED TO CONTINUE OUR DIALOGUE WITH AMERICAN ART EXPERT AND AAA’S PRESIDENT, BETTY KRULIK, WHO WILL INFORM US OF THE MULTITUDE OF SERVICES AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THAT THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA OFFERS.

BETTY, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT  THE AAA’S GUIDE TO ART APPRAISAL AND SOME OF THE TOPICS INCLUDED IN THE GUIDE TO COLLECTING?

Our book, Appraising Art: The Definitive Guide to Appraising the Fine and Decorative Arts, published in 2013. It addresses everything from methodology (difficult concepts like Blockage Discount, and Hypothetical Assumptions) to establishment of an Appraisal Business; to market discussions of broad areas of specialties in which we have certified appraisers, they are written by experts: Daile Kaplan (Venacular Photography), the late Wendell Garret (furniture Styles), Debra Force (American Painting), Nancy Harrison (19^th Century European painting), Sabine Wilson (Imp/Mod Art), Renee Vara (Contemporary Art) Suzanne Smeaton (Frames), Sports Memorabilia (Lelia Dunbar), Wine, Coins, Stamps, the list goes on and on!

The first postage stamp
Issued in Great Britain on May 6, 1840. (one penny stamp)
Courtesy of Richard Colberg, AAA

BECAUSE OF THE ASSOCIATION’S AFFILIATION WITH NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THE ON-LINE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM? IS A DEGREE AVAILABLE AND WHAT KIND OF COMMITMENT IS INVOLVED?

NYU has been our educational partner for many years, we have a Certificate program with the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, with a series of courses, taught in person, and on line. The certificate program is 6 core courses in Methodology and Theory, and we offer numerous electives with hands-on connoisseurship experience, taught by experts around the nation, who come in to teach for us, they are practicing appraisers, and also very effective teachers.

The certificate program generally takes about 2 to 3 semesters to complete, NYU gives 4 years to go through the program. Many of our students are collectors with a passion and knowledge in special areas that are changing careers, others are post graduate students who are looking to round out credentials to make themselves more marketable..

We also have a Summer Intensive, three rigorous weeks, where the students live and breathe Appraisal methodology, and practice. They take classes in a variety of specialist areas, and make presentations, work very hard, and they enjoy it, and we have seen people bond very tightly through the process, and make life long colleagues.

We could not ask for a better partner than NYU!

Scott Joplin Archive
Swann Galleries, New York, NY

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE RECENT AND FUTURE EVENTS WE CAN ANTICIPATE?

This month, we held our annual luncheon honoring a figure that has made significant contributions to the art world. Our past honorees include Agnes Gund, Arne Marty Margulies, Ai WeiWei, and last year, Peter Schjeldahl. This year on April 15 we were pleased to be honoring Emelia and Ilya Kabakov.

The annual luncheon provides an opportunity for those in related industries, banking, insurance and legal, to participate.

A RUSSIAN DEISIS ICON WITH THE VIRGIN MARY JOHN THE BAPTIST AND CHRIST
17th Century
​Courtesy Gene Shapiro, AAA​

Art Law Day, in November is done in conjunction with our Advisory Council, is always a fascinating day. Our Advisory Council is made of the most highly regarded professionals in Allied industries, Banking, Insurance (traditional and title), Family Offices, and Law. We work with them to program this event which is held at NYU at the same time as our conference. We hit on hot button topics in the field with those in the center commenting. Last November it was Endangered Species legislation, The Detroit Bankruptcy (the very day the verdict came down!), 1031 exchanges, and the American Royalties Too (ART) Act, also known as Droit de suite.

Our annual conference held in November addresses topics of interest primarily to our membership, we present and learn about important issues in our ever-changing industry, two days of panels and specialist sessions, there is always and IRS component, and an opportunity for our members to network over lunch, and at the annual meeting which is a mixture of business and social.

BETTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTRIBUTING THIS INFORMATIVE BLOG ON A CRUCIAL ASPECT OF ART COLLECTION MANAGEMENT.

IN MAY, NEW YORK IS THE MIGRATORY DESTINATION FOR DEALERS, COLLECTORS, AND CURATORS WHO DESCEND ON THE CITY FOR THE AUCTIONS AND ART FAIRS. THE IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN, POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY SALES HAVE REMARKABLE WORKS THIS SEASON IN EACH OF THE THREE HOUSES AND, IF THAT ISN’T ENOUGH TO ABSORB AND CONSIDER, NEW YORK ALSO WELCOMES SEVERAL ART FAIRS THAT COINCIDE WITH THE AUCTION TIMETABLE.

IN THE NEXT LRFA BLOG, I AM VERY PLEASED TO INTRODUCE NICK KORNILOFF, FOUNDER AND PARTNER OF ART MIAMI LLC, THE PARENT COMPANY OF FLORIDA’S LONGEST RUNNING CONTEMPORARY AND MODERN ART FAIR AND PRODUCER OF FIVE WELL-ATTENDED AND POPULAR ART FAIRS THROUGHOUT AMERICA.  NICK WILL OPEN HIS INTERVIEW WITH DETAILS ON ART MIAMI/NEW YORK THAT RUNS FROM MAY-14-17 AT PIER 94 AND THEN GO ON TO DISCUSS THE IMPRESSIVE ROSTER OF FAIRS AND ACTIVITIES THAT ART MIAMI LLC PROVIDES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

PLEASE JOIN US!

The Art of Appraising Art, with Betty Krulik, President of the Appraisers Association of America

 

Betty Krulik
President, Board of Directors
Appraisers Association of America

WHETHER IT IS A WORK OF ART, A FINE WINE OR BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ANTIQUE FURNITURE, FINE ART APPRAISALS ARE AN INTEGRAL ASPECT OF THE BUYING, SELLING AND OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY OF VALUE.  APPRAISALS ARE NECESSARY FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES OR AS REQUIRED BY FEDERAL INCOME, ESTATE AND GIFT TAX CASES TO SUPPORT THE FAIR MARKET VALUE CLAIMED FOR WORKS OF ART. AN APPRAISAL FROM A QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED EXPERT ALSO PROVIDES CRUCIAL INFORMATION TO BANKS, LAW FIRMS, TRUST AND ESTATE PROFESSIONALS, HEIRS, AND, OF COURSE, COLLECTORS.

WHETHER COLLECTING IS A PERSONAL OBSESSION OR VIEWED MORE IN INVESTMENT TERMS, IT IS ALWAYS PRUDENT TO KEEP TRACK OF THE VALUE OF YOUR COLLECTION. FINDING AN EXPERT WHO IS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND QUALIFIED IN THE AREA OF SPECIALIZATION OF A COLLECTION IS ESSENTIAL WHEN ESTABLISHING CORRECT AND ACCEPTED EVALUATIONS. TODAY, THE LRFA BLOG IS PRIVILEGED TO HAVE BETTY KRULIK, A HIGHLY RESPECTED EXPERT IN AMERICAN ART AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, TO SPEAK ON THE SPECIALIZED ART OF APPRAISAL. http://www.appraisersassociation.org/

Rare 1854 Dollar coin
The only three dollar gold coin struck at the Dahlonega Mint
Courtesy of Mitchell A Battino AAA (Hudson Rare Coins, Inc.)

BETTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR NEW CONTRIBUTION TO THE LRFA BLOG. LET’S START WITH THE BASICS.

Thank you, Leslie, for having me back. I so much enjoy reading your blog, you address so many interesting aspects of the art world, and it is an honor for me to participate.

WHAT IS AN APPRAISER?

An appraiser is a qualified professional, that adheres to a high standard of methodology and code of ethics, the appraiser produces a thoroughly researched document that values an object based on the objective of the client (that is insurance, donation, equitable distribution, or estate). The Appraiser MUST be an unbiased and independent, that is in no way related to the transaction.

As one of only three organizations that offer certified appraisal services, who and what are the entities that require formal appraisals?

Appraisals are required by Insurance companies to list the inventory of a high valued collections, they provide a baseline, in the cases of a loss or damage (diminution of value or total loss). Attorneys need appraisals for IRS Estate Tax Filing, transfers to Trusts, Equitable distribution to heirs or in matrimonial disputes. Donors and Museums need appraisals for Non Cash Charitable Deductions for Income Tax Filing. And often collectors will ask for appraisals just so they have a sense of the current value of an object.

WHAT ARE THE CATEGORIES OF SPECIALIZATION AND WHAT ARE THE DOMINANT AREAS OF EXPERTISE OF THE AAA MEMBERS?

The Appraisers Association is so fortunate to have some of the best experts in the industry! Many of our members had been long-standing specialists at the major Auction houses. American Art, American Furniture and Decorative Arts, Impressionist and Modern Art, Post War and Contemporary; American and European furniture, Wine; Stamps; Numismatics; Tapestries; Musical Instruments; Porcelain; Silver…. We have appraisers that specialize in almost every type of personal property. Virtually any type of personal property except business valuation, Real Estate, or machinery, and livestock… there are highly credentialed appraisers in those areas, but not with our Association.

Appraiser’s Loupe

ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15th, THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA WILL HOST ITS ANNUAL LUNCHEON. THIS YEAR, THE ASSOCIATION HONORS CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS ILYA AND EMILIA KABAKOV.  THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER IS THE CELEBRATED SCHOLAR, ROBERT STORR, FORMER CURATOR OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART AND PROFESSOR AT NYU’S INSTITUTE OF ART, CURRENTLY DEAN OF THE YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ART.

HERE IS ALL THE INFO YOU’LL NEED IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND:

http://www.appraisersassociation.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&pageId=919

IN THE NEXT LRFA BLOG, BETTY KRULIK WILL DOCUMENT THE HISTORY OF THE APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, THE OLDEST NONPROFIT ASSOCIATION FOR THE APPRAISAL OF PERSONAL PROPERTY AND SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ITS ACTIVITIES. PLEASE JOIN US THEN!

 

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery: contemporary art in the global marketplace

Mark DION
Trichechus manatus latirostris
2013
plastic skeleton, tar, found objects in steel and glass case
72 x 40 x 176 inches

 

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE IS CRUCIAL FOR ARTISTS IN OUR GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY ART MARKET. MANY GALLERIES NOW SUPPORT MULTIPLE VENUES, MAINTAINING SPACES WITH STAFF AND YEAR ROUND EXHIBITION SCHEDULES NOT ONLY IN NEW YORK BUT ALSO IN LONDON, HONG KONG, BEIJING,  PARIS AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL CITIES TO REACH THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF GLOBE-TROTTING CONTEMPORARY COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE , TO EDUCATE THE ART COLLECTING PUBLIC AND TO INTRODUCE THEM TO THE WORK OF NEW AS WELL AS ESTABLISHED ARTISTS.

TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY, WHILE LOCATED IN CHELSEA IN AN EXPANSIVE DUPLEX GALLERY SPACE AT 521 West 21st STREET, HAS ESTABLISHED, IN ITS TWENTY YEAR HISTORY, AN IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD FOR BRINGING THE WORK OF THEIR ARTISTS TO INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES AND INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE WORLD. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/

FOR EXAMPLE, ERNESTO NETO WAS SELECTED TO REPRESENT BRAZIL AT THE 49^th VENICE BIENNALE IN 2001, SARAH SZE’S TRIPLE POINT INSTALLATION DOMINATED THE U.S. PAVILION AT THE 2013 55th VENICE BIENNALE, TOMAS SARACENO PRESENTED A MAJOR INSTALLATION AT THE 53^rd VENICE BIENNALE IN 2009 AS PART OF THE GROUP EXHIBITION, Fari Mondi/Making Worlds, AND MORE RECENTLY CREATED A SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION FOR THE ROOF OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, WHILE OLAFUR ELIASSON CREATED THE NEW YORK CITY WATERFALLS IN 2008, A MAJOR PUBLIC ART PROJECT THAT TRANSFORMED THE BRIDGES THAT SURROUND THE CITY.  THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY INTERNATIONAL HONORS AND AWARDS THAT THE GALLERY ARTISTS RECEIVES.

Sarah Sze
360 (Portable Planetarium)
2010
mixed media, wood, paper, string, jeans, rocks
162 x 136 x 185 inches; 411.5 x 345.4 x 469.9 cm
Gallery Installation

TODAY, GALLERY DIRECTOR, RENEE COPPOLA, SHARES HER PERSPECTIVE ON THE GALLERY’S INTERNATIONAL SCOPE AND INFORMS US OF A WONDERFUL NEW EDUCATIONAL VENTURE THAT TANYA BONAKDAR INITIATED THIS YEAR.

RENEE, HOW DOES THE GALLERY SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN SUCH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ATTENTION FOR THEIR ARTISTS WITH A RELATIVELY SMALL STAFF THAT INSTALLS AND OVERSEES TEN EXHIBITIONS A YEAR IN NEW YORK WHILE EXHIBITING AT THE NUMEROUS ART FAIRS THAT PROVIDE PIVOTAL EXPOSURE FOR THE GALLERY ARTISTS IN THE CURRENT ART MARKET?

Although we have many very active artists who show internationally, as mentioned the 35 artists are divided between four gallery directors.  This helps to lighten the load when dealing with major exhibitions.  Plus, most of these very significant shows like the Venice Biennale or the rooftop installation at the Metropolitan are years in the making so the planning is slower than that of a gallery exhibition or art fair.  But the great strength of the gallery’s staff is its collaborative nature and teamwork.  All of us, from our Preparators and Registrar to our Archivist and the Gallery Assistant work on the art fairs and the exhibitions together, so if one director is particularly focused on a major exhibition, the others help to balance out the workload.  This flexibility is a plus.  Not to mention, after 20 years, Tanya has a very streamlined system at work.  The yearly schedule is generally understood in advance and well considered. 

CHARLES LONG
UP LAND
Gallery 1
September 11 – October 18, 2014

THE GALLERY RECENTLY INITIATED A SERIES OF DISCUSSIONS TO COINCIDE WITH ITS EXHIBITION SCHEDULE WITH THE GOAL OF EDUCATIONAL AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT. TELL US ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, HOW IT CAME INTO BEING AND WHAT IS INVOLVED?

E/I: Saturday Discussions is a year long series of talks between gallery artists, curators, critics, artists, writers, and intellectuals.  The series takes its title from communications industry parlance, in which E/I stands for “educational and informative.” On Saturday mornings, the Federal Communications Commission mandates that commercial broadcast stations meet a quota of E/I programming, with the goal of educational audience enrichment.  Like their namesake, the E/I talks at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery provides the public with an opportunity to hear more from the artist whose show is currently on view as they discuss and debate the ideas behind their new work.  In general, the artist lectures are held on the first (and sometimes second) Saturday morning after the opening. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/talks/

Charles LONG
Aue
2014
patina on bronze
78 x 23 x 23 inches

IN REVIEWING THE GALLERY NEWS ON THE WEBSITE, AT LEAST 15 OF THE 30+ ARTISTS YOU REPRESENT ARE CURRENTLY EXHIBITING AT MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES AROUND THE WORLD. THIS ALSO ENTAILS A GREAT DEAL OF COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING WITH MUSEUM CURATORS AND REGISTRARS. HOW IS THE GALLERY STRUCTURED IN TERMS OF HANDLING THE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS AS WELL AS ALL THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS THAT ARE ALSO TAKING PLACE. WHAT IS THE EXHIBITION SCHEDULE FOR THE YEAR AHEAD?

As mentioned, it is helpful that museum exhibitions have a long planning schedule, which provides a lot of room for discussion and research about the best artwork for the show. Our upcoming gallery exhibitions include:

Tomas Saraceno [Galleries 1 & 2]

March 26 – May 2, 2015 

Rivane Neuenschwander [Galleries 1 & 2]

May 9 – June 20, 2015

IN WHICH FAIRS DOES THE GALLERY PARTICIPATE? HOW DOES THE GALLERY DECIDE WHAT TO EXHIBIT IN AN INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR BOOTH AS OPPOSED TO A SOLO GALLERY EXHIBITION?

Because of the number of artists that the gallery represents, we generally mount a solo exhibition of an artist’s work roughly every 2 years.  Within that time, the artists are naturally working on other projects, starting new bodies of work, exploring new ideas.  Art fairs give us the opportunity to show the most recent work by these artists, whether or not they have had an exhibition at our gallery that year.  

RENEE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE LRFA BLOG AND SHARING THE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE GALLERY ARTISTS WITH US.

PROFESSIONAL APPRAISAL OF FINE ART AND DECORATIVE ART IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT IN SO MANY ASPECTS OF COLLECTING AND DONATING ART. APPRAISERS WORK WITH PRIVATE AND CORPORATE ART COLLECTIONS AND PARTNER WITH COLLECTORS, ATTORNEYS, ACCOUNTANTS, MUSEUMS, FAMILY FOUNDATIONS AND INSURANCE CARRIER TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AND EVALUATION OF ARTWORKS THAT SPAN CENTURIES AND MEDIUMS.

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG, I AM VERY PLEASED TO INTRODUCE BETTY KRULIK IN HER CAPACITY AS PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION.  BETTY IS A SEASONED DEALER WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED HER EXPERTISE ON AMERICAN ART IN AN EARLIER LRFA BLOG AND NOW HAS GENEROUSLY AGREED TO DISCUSS THE ART OF ART APPRAISAL.

WE WELCOME ALL COMMENTS AND INQUIRIES. I LOOK FORWARD TO POSTING THE AAA BLOGS AND TO HEARING FROM YOU.

MANY THANKS!

 

Renee Coppola, Director of Tanya Bonakdar, introduces the newest gallery artists

 

Agnieszka Kurant
Untitled , 2014
Conveyor belt and mirror

IN 2oo6, TANYA BONAKDAR GALLERY UNDERWENT A MAJOR RENOVATION, DOUBLING ITS SIZE  AND SCALE, ADDING 5,000 SQUARE FEET OF GROUND FLOOR SPACE.  THE GALLERY HAS ALWAYS ENJOYED A STELLAR REPUTATION FOR SUPPORTING THE MORE THAN THIRTY ARTISTS IT REPRESENTS WORLDWIDE SUCH AS SARAH SZE, WHO REPRESENTED THE UNITED STATES AT THE LAST 55th VENICE BIENNALE  WITH AN LARGE-SCALED, SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION, TRIPLE POINT.  THE GALLERY CONTINUALLY MAKES AN IMPRESSIVE COMMITMENT TO PRESENTING WORKS IN ALL MEDIA, HOWEVER DEMANDING THE SCALE, SCOPE AND AMBITION OF THE WORK. THE PHYSICAL EXPANSION ONLY SERVED TO UNDERLINE ITS DEDICATION TO THEIR CONTEMPORARY PROGRAM AND EXHIBITION CAPABILITIES. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/gallery

I A M DELIGHTED TO HAVE GALLERY DIRECTOR, RENEE COPPOLA, DISCUSS THE CURRENT PROGRAM AT THE GALLERY  AND SOME OF THE NEWER ARTISTS IT REPRESENTS. THE CURRENT SOLO EXHIBITION BY ANALIA SABAN IS A GREAT PLACE TO START! PRESENTED ON BOTH FLOORS OF THE GALLERY, SABAN INVITES US INTO A METAPHORICAL BACKYARD IN WHICH THE OBJECTS AND PAINTINGS SHE HAS CREATED DISRUPT OUR TRADITIONAL IDEAS ABOUT THE PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS SUCH AS WOOD, MARBLE, PIGMENTS AND ENCAUSTIC. http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/exhibitions/analia-saban-backyard

Meschac GABA
Bureau d’échange [Exchange Office]: Cotton, 2014
wood table, metal umbrella frame, assorted banknotes, clothespins, cotton stocks

RENEE, WHO ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE ART WORLD BY THE GALLERY AND WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THEIR WORK?

Some of our newest artists include Agneiszka Kurant, Meschac Gaba, and Analia Saban.  Agnieszka’s first exhibition at the gallery was in September 2014, and she is an artist whose work is very technological and future-minded.  Kurant weaves together ideas about collective intelligence, hybrid authorship, immaterial labor, and virtual capital in stunning installations and sculptures.  Her show was fascinating, as it touched on the complex relationships between value, authorship, production, and circulation. African artist Meschac Gaba is another new artist whose work also addresses capital by looking at constructions of identity in relation to systems of trade, notably between Africa and Western countries.

Meschac GABA
Bankivi: Agriculture Bank
2014
Wood, plexiglas, assorted coins

Also, Analia Saban is one of our new artists.  

Born in Argentina and living in New York, her work has a subtle and playful irony, as she challenges perceived boundaries between artistic disciplines.  Her work responds to art historical tropes by experimenting with materials and exploring the link between art and domestic space.  

Analia Saban
Bathroom Sink Template (Jade Marble)
2014
marble
74 5/8 x 44 inches

Saban’s newest work is currently on view at the gallery and was recently shown at the New Orleans biennial “Prospect 3” at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center.

 

Analia Saban
Bulge #4
2014
Encaustic on walnut stretcher bars

THE GALLERY SHOWS WORK OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF ARTISTS WITH, THANKS TO THE GALLERY SUPPORT, INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION. IN MY VIEW, THE WORK IS EXTREMELY DIVERSE, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF MEDIUM, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF AESTHETIC. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE UNDERLYING CONNECTION BETWEEN THEM, IF THERE IS ONE?

If there is an underlying connection, it is that the artists in Tanya’s roster are visionaries, continually exploring new ground, while actively participating in the contemporary dialogue of art, as well as other disciplines like ecology, politics, psychology, etc.  Some of this is most apparent in the work of artists who are interested in literal ideas about the future, and how our growing population will organize and relate to each other, as well as the environment, in the years ahead.  Tomas Saraceno is one of those artists.  His work explores the possibility of a future airborne existence, a literal city in the clouds, and is informed by natural sciences, architecture, engineering, and art.  His sculptures adapt geometries of the natural world in order to envision new ways of living.  In this way, he is connected to other visionary thinkers like Buckminster Fuller, architect Yona Friedman, and other inventors and explorers.

Tomas SARACENO
Cosmos 1
2013
inkjet print
set of 6 prints mounted and framed in white wooden frame

Other artists at the gallery who I would group in this particular category are Ernesto Neto, Olafur Eliasson, Mark Dion, and Charles Long to name a few.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF GALLERY MANAGEMENT? IS THERE A PARTICULAR MEDIUM OR AESTHETIC TO WHICH YOU RESPOND THE MOST STRONGLY?

My favorite part of gallery management happens on the last day of an installation, when the work is polished, placed, and ready for opening day.  I think of this day as an important transitional moment, as the artist essentially hands over months, maybe years, of work to the gallery – entrusting us to take it to the next level and present these pieces to the world.  I find this to be a very positive moment and appreciate our role in shaping the understanding of new artwork in the eyes of the public, collectors, curators, and other arts enthusiasts.

OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG WILL RECAP SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TWENTY YEAR HISTORY OF THE GALLERY.  WE WELCOME QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS!

I APPRECIATE YOUR READERSHIP AND SUPPORT.

The legacy of Duchamp’s Readymade, selections from the Vanmoerkerke Collection curated by Jason Ysenburg

The Vanmoerkerke Collection, Ostend, Belgium

POP ART,  A TRULY AMERICAN VISUAL VERNACULAR, REFLECTS WARHOL AND LICHTENSTEIN’S INITIAL TRAINING AS COMMERCIAL ARTISTS AND ULTIMATE ACERBIC COMMENTARY ON OUR SOCIETY, ITS VALUES, FLAWS AND TRIUMPHS, GREATLY INFLUENCED AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE ART OF THE SEVENTIES. ED RUSCHA, BARBARA KRUGER AND JENNY HOLZER, A FEW OF THE CONCEPTUALLY BASED LUMINARIES OF THE POST-POP GENERATION, EXPANDED POP’S IMAGES AND ICONS BY INCORPORATING WORDS AND PHRASES INTO THEIR WORK. THE VANMOERKERKE COLLECTION IS A STRONGHOLD OF WORKS BY WORD AND LANGUAGE ARTISTS, INCLUDING NOT ONLY KRUGER AND RUSCHA BUT ALSO ON KAWARA AND CHRISTOPHER WOOL.   THE COLLECTION HAS EVOLVED OVER THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS, ITS FOUNDER, MARK VANMOERKERKE, INSPIRED BY AN EARLIER GENERATION OF BELGIAN PRIVATE COLLECTORS WHO ROSE TO PROMINENCE AS BELGIUM’S ECONOMY INDUSTRIALIZED IN THE 1960s.

HOUSED IN A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING FROM 1942, IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD OF OSTEND, BELGIUM, MARK VANMOERKERKE CONTINUALLY REFINES AND  ADDS TO HIS COLLECTION OF POST-CONCEPTUAL WORKS. PRIMARILY EUROPEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN ARTISTS, A CORE BODY OF WORKS REPRESENT MAJOR ARTISTS AS WELL AS YOUNG OR NEWLY EMERGING ARTISTS WHILE ALWAYS MAINTAINING A VERY HIGH CRITICAL STANDARD. http://www.artcollection.be/

JASON YSENBURG,  DIRECTOR OF GAGOSIAN GALLERY, AND GUEST CURATOR  OF  THE CURRENT EXHIBITION AT THE VANMOERKERKE COLLECTION, SHARES HIS ASTUTE AND IDIOSYNCRATIC SELECTION FROM THE COLLECTION IN TODAY’S LRFA BLOG.  JASON HAD A WEALTH OF MATERIAL FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE AND IT IS A REFLECTION OF HIS DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, PHOTOGRAPHY IN PARTICULAR, THAT IS THE INSPIRATION BOTH FOR HIS PERCEPTIVE CHOICES AND ANALYSIS OF THE WORKS IN HIS ACCOMPANYING ESSAY,  “THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT”. http://www.artcollection.be/shows?show=593

Building One: The Seduction of Excess, continued…

Words and Pictures

Longo does, however, leave one thing out of his piece: words. From Barbara Kruger’s perspective, that may not amount to much at all, if indeed “A Picture is worth more than a thousand words”. Her often used palate of black, white, and red, alongside a retro found image evocative of commercial advertising posters, almost goes overboard illustrating the point of this rephrased cliché.

Alighiero Boetti

The massive display of Alighiero Boetti tapestries goes a step further. For Boetti, words are not just secondary to images; words practically disappear and become meaningless, consumed by the bold colour blocking that tends to turn each letter into an abstract part of a pattern. Most excessively, Philippe Parreno’s “speech bubble” balloons empty out all actual speech from the bubble. The viewer is simply mesmerized by the shiny gold material.

Mark Vanmoerkerke
Installation by Philippe Parreno

Works of art and commodities

Significantly, Parreno’s gold balloons wouldn’t be the same, in say, blue. The gold bespeaks a certain luxury and appropriates Andy Warhol’s floating silver pillows, upping the ante in the precious metal sweepstakes. In the process, Parreno’s piece becomes a riff on the commodification art. Warhol understood the role of art in the market place all too well, and Parreno follows in his footsteps.

The same could be said of Andreas Gursky. His work here addresses the duel role of art as a luxury commodity and art as the representation of luxury commodities. We desire the beautiful objects Gursky photographs in the Prada stores, and then we desire his photographic representation of those same objects. Desire and commodification multiplied.

 

Jeff Koons
Hennessey ad

Jeff Koons takes the commodification of art to a self-conscious extreme with his reproduction of a Hennessey advertisement, turning the advertisement itself into an art object. “Hennessey, The Civilized Way to Lay Down the Law” is a clear effort to show that luxury is a brand, albeit one embedded in the cultural laws of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Koon’s piece strips away all pretensions from art as somehow excluded from the luxury brand market. Just as LVMH uses an appeal to civility, exclusivity, and luxury branding to sell a mass market cognac, the art object has entered into a luxury market place that will even pay a premium price for a re- contextualized advertisement, irony included at no extra charge.

If we find the excessive commodification of art something of a sin, Elmgreen and Dragset’s “The Unholy Trinity” provides separate confessionals for artist, gallerist, and collector, each of whom plays a different but mutually dependent role. But of course, the notion of confession is merely an illusion: there is no one behind the curtain to confess to. The viewer is merely imaging that the participants in the market place would like to rid themselves of their consumerist sins. Art will potentially continue to be fetishized, ordered, and displayed in the capitalist market place, whether anyone confesses or not.

And yet the work of art is not a mere capitulation to capitalist commodification. This installation repeatedly questions whether collecting is the celebration or the critique of the commodification of the work of art

Formal originality and appropriations

While Steinbach and Bickerton appropriate Duchamp’s notion of the Readymade for their own purposes, Louise Lawler goes a step further and makes Duchamp’s Readymade the very subject of her photograph. While On Kawara incessantly frames temporal moments, Lawler frames On Kawara’s temporal framing.

Louise Lawler

Lawler’s project is not Sherrie Levine’s or even Richard Prince’s, where the appropriation of the work of art is a rather straightforward reproduction of the image. They simply challenge the way in which we privilege the uniqueness of the art object and hold onto notions of attribution. Lawler’s more complex mode of appropriation both captures works of art in context and submits them to formal framing. On the one hand, we may see the “original” art object in its specific context and interpret it as such. This can even include a reminder of the commodification of art, in the case of photographing Duchamp’s shovel in the Phillips auction gallery. On the other hand, there is an abstract beauty in the composition of her photographs, where the art object becomes part of the abstracted formalism of Lawler’s composition.

Lawler also provides us with an appropriate transition to Building 2. Her work, shown in the context of “Things I Can’t Live Without” most directly breaks down the opposition between Maximalism and Minimalism. She confronts the neat division between the two desires that drive collecting by confusing our interest in the excessive serial re-contextualization of works of art with the careful edit that frames the “original’ work of art into another, singular piece.

IN OUR NEXT BLOG, ON TO BUILDING 2: MINIMALISM.

YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED AND APPRECIATED.

FIRE AWAY – AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

“my child could do that” – art psychologist Ellen Winner refutes that premise!

Arts and Mind Lab

 

 

THE ARTS AND MIND LAB, BASED IN BOSTON, STUDIES THE PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENTS OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE ARTS AS WELL AS OTHER ASPECTS OF CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT. IN ESTABLISHING THIS UNIQUE RESEARCH CENTER, DIRECTOR DR. ELLEN WINNER, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT BOSTON COLLEGE, HAS COMBINED HER EARLY PASSION TO BECOME AN ARTIST AND STUDY AT THE PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IN BOSTON WITH HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE FIELD OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY. ONE OF ELLEN’S PRIMARY AREAS OF CONCENTRATION FOCUSES ON THE CREATIVE PROCESS IN THE VISUAL ARTS THAT INCLUDES INVESTIGATION OF WHAT BROAD THINKING DISPOSITIONS ARE ACQUIRED BY STUDYING THE ARTS, HOW STUDENTS MAKE SENSE OF THE ARTS AND THE ROLE OF THE ARTS IN THEIR LIVES. https://www2.bc.edu/~winner/lab.html

I AM FASCINATED BY RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND ADVANCES IN NEUROSCIENCE AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE. WE NOW HAVE SUCH A RICH IN-DEPTH LANDSCAPE OF HOW OUR BRAINS AND OUR EMOTIONAL LIVES FUNCTION AND INTERACT. MANY SCHOLARS IN AESTHETICS AGREE THAT THE “COGNITIVE REVOLUTION” HAS GREAT CONSEQUENCES FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CREATION, INTERPRETATION AND APPRECIATION OF ARTWORKS. NEW STUDIES ENLIGHTEN US ON THE WORKINGS OF THE MIND, PERCEPTION, AND THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT THAT THE INVESTIGATION OF ART AND AESTHETICS PROVIDES. THUS, IT IS A UNIQUE PRIVILEGE TO POST ELLEN’S COMPELLING ARTICLE ON OUR RESPONSE TO ART PRODUCED BY EITHER MASTERS OF PAINTINGS OR BY CHILDREN OR ANIMALS.

TO CONTINUE…

Here is the striking finding:

If people could not tell the difference, they should choose the artist images about 50% of the time (since there are only two choices for each item).

However, this is not what happened. Both art students and non-art students chose the artist images significantly more than chance in response to both questions.

So you don’t have to have any specialized arts knowledge to prefer the images by the artists and to recognize these are the better works in the pairs. And the fact that people value the artist works more tells us that they can tell the difference between the works by the artists and those by the outsider artists (children and animals).

But I haven’t told you the whole story. We actually made the task a bit more difficult. The first ten pairs people saw were presented unlabelled. Of course we never said that one of the images was by a famous artist and one by a child or animal. We just showed the images and asked our questions.

Then we tricked people. The next 20 pairs were labelled as “artist” and either “animal” or “child.” But in half the cases, we reversed the labels! The first pair below is what people saw in the correct label condition; the second pair below is what they saw in the reversed label condition. (No one saw the same painting in more than one labeling condition, but everyone saw the same 30 pairs of images.

 

Child Artist

 

Artist Child

 

What about judging how good the works were? For the art students, knowing whether it was by an artist or a child or animal made absolutely no difference. They judged the works by artists better and equally so in all three conditions, as you can see in by looking at the right hand side of this graph. All three bars are of equal height.

Charting the influence of a label

The story for non-art students was a little different. They were indeed influenced by the correct label. So they chose the Hans Hoffman more when it was labelled artist than when it was labelled child.

But they were not influenced by the wrong label! Look at the left side of the graph. Note that the gray bar for the non-art students is just as high as the white bar (the unlabelled condition). This means that when the Hoffman was labelled “child,” it had no influence on them. They still judged it better. The label could not override the perceived quality of the work.

IN OUR NEXT POSTING, ELLEN WILL DOCUMENT ADDITIONAL ASPECTS OF HER RESEARCH STUDY –  THE REASONS PEOPLE GIVE FOR WHAT THEY CHOSE. EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE ART WORLD, WHETHER A COLLECTOR, DEALER OR CURATOR, IS ALWAYS CONTEMPLATING THE HOW AND WHY PEOPLE THINK AND RESPOND TO VARIOUS WORKS OF ART – THANK YOU, ELLEN,FOR YOUR INVALUABLE INSIGHT INTO THIS PROCESS.

AND THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR READING AND FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS!

 

Luhring Augustine’s Lauren Wittels on the gallery’s future plans and the future of the art market

Charles Atlas, 2014
Digital Print
37 x 60 inches

 

LUHRING AUGUSTINE GALLERY HAS AN EXTRAORDINARY CURATORIAL HISTORY. IT HAS PROVIDED THE PUBLIC WITH MUSEUM QUALITY OVERVIEWS OF ARTISTS WHO HAVE GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF 20th AND 21st CENTURY ART AND WHO HAVE PROVIDED AN ENORMOUS INSPIRATIONAL SPRINGBOARD FOR THOSE WORKING TODAY. SOLO EXHIBITIONS ACCOMPANIED BY SCHOLARLY CATALOGUES INCLUDE MARCEL DUCHAMP, GERHARD RICHTER, MARTIN KIPPENBERGER, AND MOST RECENTLY MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO.  THESE EXHIBITIONS SET A HIGH STANDARD FOR THE CURRENT GALLERY PROGRAM THAT IS REFLECTED IN THE UNIQUE VISION AND CREATIVE INTENSITY OF THE ARTISTS THE GALLERY REPRESENTS TODAY.

http://www.luhringaugustine.com/

THIS MONTH’S GALLERY NEWSLETTER SERVES TO CONVEY THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF CURRENT INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS OF LUHRING AUGUSTINE ARTISTS. TO NAME A FEW, GUIDO VAN DER WERVE’S “CULTURAL CARTOGRAPHIES: MAPPING” OPENS IN DECEMBER AT THE UTAH MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, JANET CARDIFF AND GEORGE BURES MILLER AT ARoS AARHUS KUNSTMUSEUM IN DENMARK, AND THE ICELANDIC ARTIST RAGNAR KJARTANNSSON’S “S.S. HANGOVER”, SHOWN AT THE 55th VENICE BIENNALE,  WILL ‘NAVIGATE THE WATERS’ OF THE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN LATER THIS MONTH.

http://www.luhringaugustine.com/news/

Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors
February – March 2013

 

ONE OF THE MOST DEDICATED AND IMPASSIONED GALLERISTS WITH WHOM I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WORKING IS LAUREN WITTELS, SENIOR DIRECTOR AT LUHRING AUGUSTINE. TODAY LAUREN WILL INFORM US OF THE GALLERY’S CURRENT AND FUTURE PLANS.

LAUREN, WELCOME BACK! WHO ARE SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO THE GALLERY? WHAT IS IT THAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THEIR WORK? DO YOU SEE A CONTINUUM OF AESTHETIC SENSIBILITY BETWEEN SOME OF THE MORE ESTABLISHED ARTISTS THAT THE GALLERY REPRESENTS AND THE YOUNGER ONES AND, IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS?

THE ART WORLD, THE WHOLE WORLD, HAS BEEN GLOBALIZED. IN WHAT WAYS HAS IT AFFECTED THE BUSINESS OF THE GALLERY? DO YOU EXHIBIT IN MORE INTERNATIONAL FAIRS, IN ASIA FOR EXAMPLE, OR THE MIDDLE EAST?

Since I started in the art world in 1989, the expansion is head-spinning –in terms of scope, geography, and sheer numbers. This is a much bigger question than can be addressed here, but yes, the globalization is astounding and exists in a number of different forms: our clients are far more global; the art fair proliferation carries inventory to all corners of the world; the international Biennial phenomenon – the countless biennials in practically every country and continent. It’s unbelievable how big the art world’s footprint is today.

It also has to be acknowledged that the technology developments since I started working here in 1989 have made this all possible. When I first started, you would shoot the show after the opening; slides and transparencies would come in a week’s time; then you would mail out offers. People would call you and say they were interested in a piece and they would be in New York in three weeks, and you would reserve that work for them. These days, works are digitally shot and instantly emailed all over the world; clients now often make decisions about purchases from digital images alone. Sales happen in a tiny fraction of the time it used to take.

Richard Mucha: Hidden Tracks
November 2013 – January 2014

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HONORS AND EXHIBITION EVENTS THAT THE GALLERY ANTICIPATES FOR ITS ROSTER OF ARTISTS IN THE SEASON AHEAD? WHAT EXHIBITIONS CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO AT THE GALLERY ITSELF?

In September we gave Roger Hiorns his first solo exhibition in New York; he has shown all over Europe and in Los Angeles before, but we are honored to be able to introduce him to a New York audience. That will be followed by a solo show by Zarina Hashmi, her first exhibition since her touring retrospective, Paper Like Skin.

THE GALLERY HAS ACQUIRED AN EXHIBITION SPACE IN BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LARGE-SCALED INSTALLATIONS AND PROJECTS SCHEDULED THERE?

Bushwick is unbelievably exciting. We opened in February 2012 with a show of new work by Charles Atlas, the perfect person to show in a neighborhood full of artists – he has a cult following for sure. Most recently, we just closed a show of Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Minus Objects from the mid-1960s, an exhibition that was unanimously hailed as being museum-quality in every way (the catalogue will be out in 2015). September will see a large-scale video projection by Ragnar Kjartansson, and then Philip Taaffe will show monumentally-sized paintings in January 2015.

HOW DO YOU PROJECT THE FUTURE OF THE GALLERY AS THE WORLD HAS OPENED ITSELF TO THE ENORMITY OF INFLUENCES FROM OTHER CULTURES AND REGIONS? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE INCLUDED AT LUHRING AUGUSTINE IN THE YEARS AHEAD?

Luhring Augustine has always been involved with an international roster of artists, and I am sure this will continue in the future. As for what I’d like to see included in the years ahead, I would love to see the gallery foster another generation of younger, less established artists. That mix of the new with their predecessors, and the connections that cross between them, always makes for a rich and developed program.

IN THE NEXT LRFA BLOG, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE ELLEN WINNER, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AT BOSTON COLLEGE AND DIRECTOR OF THE ARTS AND MIND LAB DEDICATED TO BRINGING THE STUDY OF THE ARTS INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH. ELLEN IS ALSO AN ON-GOING SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE ON PROJECT ZERO AT THE HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION.

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SITTING NEXT TO ELLEN AT THE ANNUAL BENEFACTOR’S LUNCH AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART LAST SPRING AND THE TIME FLEW! HER STUDY AND INSIGHT INTO OUR PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT ART AND OUR PERCEPTION OF AESTHETIC ENDEAVORS FASCINATED ME AND I AM DELIGHTED THAT SHE HAS AGREED TO POST AN EXAMPLE OF HER RESEARCH ON THE LRFA BLOG, A PAPER ON DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN WORKS BY ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISTS AND “SUPERFICIALLY SIMILAR” ONES BY PRESCHOOLERS, CHIMPS AND ELEPHANTS” PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO “SEEING THE MIND BEHIND THE ART”.

UNTIL THEN, THANKS FOR READING!

 

Lauren Wittels expands on the distinguished history of Luhring Augustine Gallery

 

Philip Taaffe, Foraminifera, 2014
Mixed media on canvas
51 x 97 inches

SINCE ITS FOUNDING, LUHRING AUGUSTINE GALLERY HAS SUPPORTED A DIVERSE AND INVENTIVE ROSTER OF ARTISTS  WHO INVESTIGATE THE VISUAL AND INTELLECTUAL LANGUAGE OF CONTEMPORARY ART. THE GALLERY IS ALSO DISTINGUISHED BY ITS STRONG AND SUCCESSFUL PRESENCE IN THE SECONDARY MARKET. ITS FOUNDERS, ROLAND AUGUSTINE AND LAWRENCE LUHRING, SPECIALIZE IN THE RESALE OF SELECT WORKS OF ART OF 20th CENTURY MODERN MASTERS AS PICASSO, JACKSON POLLOCK, ANDY WARHOL, GERHARD RICHTER AND SIGMAR POLKE.  MEMBERS OF THE ART DEALERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (ADAA), THE GALLERY SUBSCRIBES TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF CONNOISSEURSHIP, SCHOLARSHIP AND ETHICAL PRACTICE. ROLAND AUGUSTINE SERVED AS ADAA’S PRESIDENT FROM 2006 to 2009. http://www.luhringaugustine.com

IN TODAY’S LRFA BLOG WITH SENIOR DIRECTOR, LAUREN WITTELS, WE WILL LOOK AT THE UNIQUE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS THAT THE GALLERY STAFF MAINTAINS WITH ITS ARTISTS AND EXPLORE ITS NOTEWORTHY HISTORY IN THE SECONDARY MARKET.

HI, LAUREN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPERT INPUT. LUHRING AUGUSTINE IS STRUCTURED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY THAN MANY OF THE GALLERIES WITH WHOM I WORK.  IN OTHER GALLERIES, THE RELATIONSHIP I HAVE IS WITH ONE DIRECTOR WHO HANDLES ALL OF MY INQUIRIES ABOUT GALLERY ARTISTS.

We are not the only gallery that is structured this way; however, it is definitely not the norm. Roland and Lawrence have a firm belief that the conventional structure of a sales team combined with distinct artists’ liaisons doesn’t work for them for two reasons. First of all, they don’t feel that a commission-based sales team situation foments the same kind of teamwork, and I have to agree. But secondly, and more importantly, by working with inventory instead of directly with artists, the sales director doesn’t develop personal one-on-one relationships with the artists, and we feel that this kind of intimate relationship is communicated to the client or the curator when you are discussing the work.

Since each director is assigned specific artists, often a client or advisor will work with numerous directors in the gallery. However, when a strong professional relationship arises, one director will manage that relationship and the offers to that client – we just make sure to keep each other informed. There are however a few artists who are very difficult to handle this way, because their available work is in such demand, but we manage to all cooperate with each other very well.

IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, AT LUHRING AUGUSTINE, EACH OF THE DIRECTORS IS ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH SPECIFIC ARTISTS IN THE GALLERY ROSTER. DOES THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP INCLUDE ARRANGING EXHIBITIONS IN OTHER GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS OR IT IS EXCLUSIVELY FOCUSED ON THE EXHIBITIONS AT LUHRING AUGUSTINE?

We have divided the list of artists amongst the directors and associate directors; if one works with an artist, one manages everything for them, from their list of upcoming exhibitions all the way through private and institutional sales. The gallery has been working like this since about 1992, when a colleague and I split the artist list between ourselves – interestingly enough, the staff at that time was only two full-time employees, a part-time preparator and a part-time bookkeeper. In all this time, through all of the growth and expansion of both the gallery staff and artists’ roster, we have kept this structure intact, and it works very well for us.

Charles Atlas: The Illusion of Democracy
Luhring Augustine Bushwick
February – July 2012

THE GALLERY HAS A VERY STRONG SECONDARY MARKET PRESENCE AND OFFERS AN EFFECTIVE AND DISCRETE ALTERNATIVE TO AUCTIONS AND PRIVATE SALES. DOES THE GALLERY HAVE A FOCUS IN TERMS OF ITS SECONDARY MARKET WORKS?

Roland and Lawrence have placed a great deal of significant works on the secondary market over the past three decades, often by (but not limited to) a handful of important artists: Richter, Polke, Warhol, Kippenberger, many others. I would say their discretion, expertise, and impartiality really define their presence in the secondary market.

I WOULD DESCRIBE THE LUHRING AUGUSTINE ARTIST’S WORK AS INTELLECTUALLY RICH AND CHALLENGING, OFTEN MORE CONCEPTUAL IN NATURE PERHAPS THAN IN SOME OTHER VENUES. DO YOU AGREE AND DO YOU SEE AN UNDERLYING AESTHETIC OR CEREBRAL LINK EVEN IN THE CONTEXT OF A DIVERSITY OF MEDIUMS?

The gallery has a long history of working with a wide swath of artists, some much more conceptual in their ambitions than others. Often there is a level of craft that is extraordinary, but that is not always the primary goal. So I would have to say that what really is the glue between the artists in our stable is the level of seriousness and dedication they each commit to their work.

WHAT ARTISTS DID YOU RESPOND TO WHEN YOU FIRST DISCOVERED AN INTEREST IN ART? WHAT ARE THE GALLERY ARTISTS THAT RESONATE WITH YOU, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, THE MOST FERVENTLY AND WHY?

Ironically, I had no interest in contemporary art when I got my job at Luhring Augustine in 1989 – my only real brush with it was seeing the David Salle show at the ICA Philadelphia in 1986, and it really made an impression on me. But as I said before, this job was a means to an end for me – getting back to graduate school. My true love was Northern Renaissance painting, and I was completely unprepared for the meteor I was about to be hit with.

Like most people, I was able to start looking at what I would consider to be the most understandable and accessible form of art: representational painting. I had no idea what conceptual art was – when my colleague at Luhring Augustine told me in 1989 that Jeff Koons couldn’t draw, I was dumbfounded. What could that possibly mean, if an artist couldn’t draw? I am not proud of this naivete, but it’s honest. Anyway, my learning curve ramped up super-fast, I can tell you.

IN OUR NEXT POST  WITH LAUREN, THE LRFA BLOG WILL EXPLORE THE GALLERY’S EXHIBITION PROGRAM, BOTH PRESENT AND FUTURE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO A CALENDAR OF SHOWS THAT ARE ALWAYS PROVOCATIVE, BEAUTIFULLY INSTALLED AND DEDICATED TO REPRESENTING THE ARTISTS TO THEIR FULLEST CREATIVE INTENT.

UNTIL THEN!