The following exhibition is inspired by decades of commercialism in and around the art world and a recent article on artinfo.com. In this article titled Power, the Art World People Who Matter, wealth, institutional influence, deal making and the ability to recognize the next greatest thing is recognized as power. Interestingly, the articles lists of people who inhibit these traits are comprised of auctioneers, collectors, curators, dealers and patrons instead of artists, except for the occasional mention of the artist who is represented and collected by these people. This type of branding influence brings me to question the role of the artist and the work that they make. The following is an introduction to the branding of commercialism in art and what the art world would look like if there were no longer any objects to sell. The pandemonium that will ensue if there happened to be no more art will be represented in this exhibition through these people of power that often make art possible.
Questioning Commercialism in Art
Branding is not a new concept. Marketing plans which create social desires for products are evident in all areas of business. From Target’s lifestyle products that make the common person desire the world Target creates through fashionable home goods to political campaigns selling the idea of hope which may transcend a country’s evolution into a better world, there is no escaping it. The art market does not escape these concepts either. From branding the artist genius to the major market dealers who promote and sell the works of these artists there is a common thread in all commercial business. Is being a consumer as important as obtaining the objects which are being sold? At what point is the gallery who represents the artist as important as or even more important than the artwork itself? The dealing of art continues to harness this concept which is heightened at art fairs where the who’s who of collectors, dealers and patrons revel in exchanges.
It appears obvious that there would be no reason for dealers, collectors, curators, museum directors or patrons to exist if art did not exist. The real question then is; would art continue to be made if there were no curators to place the art and no dealers, collectors or patrons to invest in art as a commercial enterprise? I believe it would, but to what extent and how would art play a role in our world without these entities? As these questions continue to arise, I find it continuously more difficult to find a concrete resolution to the problematic commercialism which the art world can’t seem to live without. This isn’t to say that the it cannot continue to strive without commercialism, it‘s just increasingly more difficult to conceptually visualize a non-commercial art world.
Commercial Pandemonium as Exhibition
The controlling of the art world is brought on by people of recognized devotion who have a history of making the right decisions at the right time. Power, as the article states, means having the ability to recognize the next big thing, whether that is a specific artist or a concept on how or who to sell to. The list of people involved in this structure continues to grow as their commercial influence develops and expands. In this realm, art works continue to take a secondary role in the dealing of art and the powerful people who constitute these dealings.
In this exhibition the artist and their work will be left out. This will offer a visual insight into an art world where dealers, collectors and patrons will be left under the microscope of the invited viewer. The invited list of participants will include some of the most influential dealers, collectors and patrons who will act as the medium. The creation of this mini-world will take place in Eli and Edythe L. Broad’s special event lobby at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and will take place the weekend before Art Basel Miami 2011. This exhibition space which exists courtesy of a donation from the Eli Broad Foundation offers 1,150 square feet of event space and is where the invited patrons will watch the most influential dealers, collectors and patrons sell themselves to each other (rather than art) through the glass and from the courtyard. The exhibition will be promoted as an exclusive opportunity for collectors and patrons to purchase works of art which will only ever be available at this fair style exhibition.
Collectors will be unaware of the fact that there will not be any art at the exhibition but will know that auctioneers have been asked to sell the work of specific dealers. The auctioneer will be aware of his role as mediator between the collector and the dealer. The dealer will stand in his artless booth waiting for the collector’s arrival with only their gallery’s name on the wall behind them. The auctioneer will escort the collector to the dealer’s booth and will begin the bidding. This action will create confusion among the collectors which will make them question what in fact they are actually buying. When they realize the auctioneer is attempting to auction off dealers one by one they will become upset that there is no actual art for sale. Patrons and museum directors will participate by watching the event through the glass but will be unable to hear conversations between acting parties. The entire event will be filmed for documentation which will be on view for the first time the following week at Art Basel Miami. This documentation however will not be for sale and instead a copy will be made which will be given to MOCA for their permanent collection.
The exhibitions ability to question the roles of its participants is critical. The most critical role being questioned is that of the curator. By staging an event left to chance and creating an ephemeral video in the process, the curator also becomes the artist. By placing the video in the museum’s collection, the curator is participating in the commoditization of object inspired art collecting. This actuality is paramount in understanding arts role and its inability to transcend the marketplace.
Auctioneers, Collectors, Dealers and Patron Viewers (The List)
The following is a list of the participants who will be invited to be in the exhibition. Their names are followed by their influential art dealings which is the direct reason for their invitation. This list of people begins with auction power houses, followed by collectors then dealers and patrons, there will be five in each category. The list is specific, as each participant has displayed a deep entanglement and lack of conviction with the commercial aspect of art dealing.
Auctioneers
Pierre Berge - Is internationally famous for the $443 million sale at of his and longtime partner Yves Saint Laurent’s art collection which took place in February of 2009 at Christies auction house in Paris. His experience as a brand builder has since helped his Brussels-based auction company; Pierre Berge & Associes take market share away from other auction house competition.
Alexandre Carel – Relatively new to the auction world, 27 year old Carel is the head of postwar and contemporary art for Christie’s New York. In his short four year tenure at Christie’s, Carel has made a name for himself by bringing in new collectors. His ability to bring in these super collectors has made him a super power in the auction world.
Lisa Dennison – A museum professional for twenty nine years which includes two years as director at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Dennison has become indispensible to Sotheby’s auction house by developing client oriented exhibitions at the firms New York headquarters.
Tobias Meyer – Known as the “James Bond” of the art market, Meyer is the worldwide head of contemporary art for the auction house Sotheby’s. Meyer is the public face for the firm which he joined in 1992. Meyer is in charge of picking out works to sell and persuading the owners of these works to part with them. His most notable is sale is of Picasso’s Boy with Pipe which brought in $104 million in 2004. Some say that unrivaled auctioneer eventually wants to run the company.
Simon de Pury – After a successful career as Chairman of Sotheby’s Switzerland, de Pury has continued his rise to fame in the global art marketplace. Renowned for his legendary performances on the auction podium, de Pury is now Chairman and Chief Auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company which recently opened a lavish new sales room on Park Avenue in New York.
Collectors
Roman Abramovich – One of the best know Russian billionaires who made it rich by purchasing and selling oil. Abramovich is now the owner of investment company Millhouse Capital and the English Premiership Chelsea Football Club. Abramovich regularly adds to his contemporary collection of art, including the impressive $86.3 million he spent on Francis Bacon’s Triptych at Sotheby’s in 2008.
Alice Cheng – A Hong Kong based business woman, Cheng is well known for her connoisseur’s eye. Her recent record breaking $32.4 million purchase of a Qianlong-period vase put her at the forefront of Chinese collectors.
Farhad Farjam – The leading Dubai based arts patron rotates selections from his collections at his exhibition space, the Farjam Collection. These items range from Islamic art to contemporary works by Arab superstar artists such as Mahmoud Said and Youssef Nabil.
Lily Safra – The socialite and philanthropist is known for never denying herself the best that money can buy. Safra is speculated to have spent $103.7 million on Alberto Giacometti’s Homme qui marche I at Sotheby’s London in February of 2010. Safra obtained her wealth through four marriages including her late husband Edmond Safra, a billionaire banker who was murdered in a fire.
Anita & Chaim “Poju” Zabludowicz – The London based billionaire couple have a reputation of being forward-looking connoisseurs. Together, they run their very own private museum, 176, in North London. The pair collects globally and donates locally in London where they award an annual grant to an emerging artist.
Dealers
Ivor Braka – The Londoner who plays by his own rules is known for his record trading deals of Francis Bacon. Braka makes his deals via private appointment in his Chelsea residence rather than selling at an exhibition space. Braka’s reputation is catalyst in raising the value on works made by emerging talent.
Sadie Coles – The London dealer of Mathew Barney, John Currin and Elizabeth Peyton recently opened a second larger space. Her discerning vision brought her booth a best in show ribbon at the recent Frieze art fair. The thirteen year veteran sells work to museums and enjoys the adventure of being involved with artists.
Larry Gagosian – The Los Angeles expansionist dealer operates ten galleries worldwide and shows no sign of slowing down. Gagosian’s eleventh Hong Kong location is due to open this January. He is also now the exclusive dealer of Robert Rauschenberg, having won the coveted estate this fall.
Marian Goodman – Goodman focuses on her Paris and New York galleries where she has been a mainstay since the 1970’s. Her stable consists of blue-chip superstars such as Gehard Richter and Los Angeles artist John Baldessari. Representations such as these coupled with rising talent will bring Goodman continued success for years to come.
David Zwirner – Zwirner opened his doors in 1993 and has since moved and expanded throughout New York multiple times. His recent purchase of a 27,000 square foot building around the corner from his current digs represents his desire to rise to the top even through a bearish art market. Either way this will be a terrific place to show off his inventory of Donald Judd.
Patrons and Viewers
Eli Broad – Los Angeles’s biggest benefactor calls his generous donations to the local arts community and museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) “venture philanthropy.” The one hundred and forty million dollars over the past thirty years come at a price; Broad believes he is owed favors for his generosity. He is now in the process of creating his own museum, the Broad Collection, which will house his two thousand plus works of contemporary art and possibly MOCA’s collection, if MOCA decides to share.
Jeffrey Deitch – His New York gallery, Deitch Projects went unrivaled in its ability in finding the best talent money can buy. His resume boasts an MBA from Harvard from where Deitch went on to be the Vice President of Citibank where he developed and pioneered the bank’s art advisory and finance business. The one time dealer of modern and contemporary art was recently appointed as director at MOCA.
The Lee Family – With the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art brought to fruition in 2004 the Lee family continues its commitment in presenting open-ended exploration. The family now has their sights set on international institutions such as the Guggenheim where they have rumored to committing $1 million annually for the next five years.
Lynda & Stewart Resnick – The Resnick’s have supported arts in Los Angeles for a few decades where Lynda is on the Board of Trustees at LACMA. The couple owns and manages such companies as POM Wonderful and Fiji Water and is actively involved in improving communities where their employees live and work. The Resnick’s $45 million gift funded LACMA’s new exhibition pavilion designed by Renzo Piano. The pair has promised to fill the new pavilion with a portion of their own collection.
Glenn D. Lowry – The Museum of Modern Art in New York pays Lowry more than any other museum director in the entire country. A pay cut reduced Lowry’s salary from $1.95 million in 2008 to $1.32 million in 2009. However, with landmark exhibitions such as Marina Abramovic’s retrospective, MoMA continues to receive critical praise.
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