POST BY PADDY JOHNSON
Robert Crumb’s Genesis at David Zwirner
My latest piece is up at The L Magazine. This week I talk about contemporary art and the art market.
Some dealers have failed to benefit from the market transparency brought on by the Internet. In particular, gallerists in the business of buying and selling previously owned work aren’t doing so well now that even the rich have figured out how to plug search terms into Artnet‘s auction results database. Now, with the stroke of a key, anyone can find out how much all the Pablo Picassos in the world sold for last month. Prior to this, simply shopping out of town was enough to enable a smart dealer to double the resale price, as most collectors wouldn’t know the original purchase price.
But these days every art world cloud has a lining fabricated by some up-and-coming artist. “All roads lead to the contemporary art market,” a prospective emerging art dealer told me casually over dinner the other week, while explaining the rules of supply and demand. “Slimmer profit margins and fewer available art works within the secondary market increases the number of dealers, buyers, and art making within the field of contemporary art.”
To read the full piece click here.
{ 19 comments }
Very good article; it’s interesting what lack of info allowed sellers to do when it came to pricing, before.
Small thing: You allude to the Zwigoff documentary “Crumb” as “his 1995 biography”, which sounds like a book not a film, and iMDB says it came out in 1994. Unless you were indeed referring to a 1995 book? Just unclear.
Very good article; it’s interesting what lack of info allowed sellers to do when it came to pricing, before.
Small thing: You allude to the Zwigoff documentary “Crumb” as “his 1995 biography”, which sounds like a book not a film, and iMDB says it came out in 1994. Unless you were indeed referring to a 1995 book? Just unclear.
Very good article; it’s interesting what lack of info allowed sellers to do when it came to pricing, before.
Small thing: You allude to the Zwigoff documentary “Crumb” as “his 1995 biography”, which sounds like a book not a film, and iMDB says it came out in 1994. Unless you were indeed referring to a 1995 book? Just unclear.
I agree with what you said in the article. However, what do we gain from seeing the r crumb exhibit in zwirner? his cartoons work better in printed form rather than viewed as art on a wall;and especially for this project it perhaps detracts from the work’s power and communicability over all. I’m glad to see crumb receive the accolades he’s due and see these changes as positive as well, but certain mediums react better within the rarefied world of the galleries. If crumb made art specifically for that space rather than just have the space as a hall to provide for the sale of the drawings, there would be a more worthwhile experience to be had.
I agree with what you said in the article. However, what do we gain from seeing the r crumb exhibit in zwirner? his cartoons work better in printed form rather than viewed as art on a wall;and especially for this project it perhaps detracts from the work’s power and communicability over all. I’m glad to see crumb receive the accolades he’s due and see these changes as positive as well, but certain mediums react better within the rarefied world of the galleries. If crumb made art specifically for that space rather than just have the space as a hall to provide for the sale of the drawings, there would be a more worthwhile experience to be had.
I agree with what you said in the article. However, what do we gain from seeing the r crumb exhibit in zwirner? his cartoons work better in printed form rather than viewed as art on a wall;and especially for this project it perhaps detracts from the work’s power and communicability over all. I’m glad to see crumb receive the accolades he’s due and see these changes as positive as well, but certain mediums react better within the rarefied world of the galleries. If crumb made art specifically for that space rather than just have the space as a hall to provide for the sale of the drawings, there would be a more worthwhile experience to be had.
Hey Marc,
I meant the movie, thanks for pointing that error out!
Sven: I see your point, but I think there’s some use in the show. For example, it’s hard to see that God’s painted all in white out from the book. It’s nice to see that in person. There’s stuff like that that make it worth the while.
Also, I’d don’t know if this is implied but Crumb’s receipt of art accolades don’t mean much more than a new market he can sell his work in. He’s received accolades from virtually everywhere else already.
Hey Marc,
I meant the movie, thanks for pointing that error out!
Sven: I see your point, but I think there’s some use in the show. For example, it’s hard to see that God’s painted all in white out from the book. It’s nice to see that in person. There’s stuff like that that make it worth the while.
Also, I’d don’t know if this is implied but Crumb’s receipt of art accolades don’t mean much more than a new market he can sell his work in. He’s received accolades from virtually everywhere else already.
Hey Marc,
I meant the movie, thanks for pointing that error out!
Sven: I see your point, but I think there’s some use in the show. For example, it’s hard to see that God’s painted all in white out from the book. It’s nice to see that in person. There’s stuff like that that make it worth the while.
Also, I’d don’t know if this is implied but Crumb’s receipt of art accolades don’t mean much more than a new market he can sell his work in. He’s received accolades from virtually everywhere else already.
Hey Marc,
I meant the movie, thanks for pointing that error out!
Sven: I see your point, but I think there’s some use in the show. For example, it’s hard to see that God’s painted all in white out from the book. It’s nice to see that in person. There’s stuff like that that make it worth the while.
Also, I’d don’t know if this is implied but Crumb’s receipt of art accolades don’t mean much more than a new market he can sell his work in. He’s received accolades from virtually everywhere else already.
Ironically, Crumb actually began showing in galleries and museums regularly about ten years ago.
One of his earliest shows at Paul Morris was alongside Guston and Barry McGee. And like McGee and Raymond Pettibon, Crumbs are usually small, plentiful, and modestly priced, which makes them easy to sell and collect.
Ironically, Crumb actually began showing in galleries and museums regularly about ten years ago.
One of his earliest shows at Paul Morris was alongside Guston and Barry McGee. And like McGee and Raymond Pettibon, Crumbs are usually small, plentiful, and modestly priced, which makes them easy to sell and collect.
That makes sense – the 1994 documentary shows the burgeoning market – he sells his sketch book at auction and moves to France. I assume from that point on his fine art market must have been growing, though there’s certainly been significant movement over the last 10 years.
That makes sense – the 1994 documentary shows the burgeoning market – he sells his sketch book at auction and moves to France. I assume from that point on his fine art market must have been growing, though there’s certainly been significant movement over the last 10 years.
That makes sense – the 1994 documentary shows the burgeoning market – he sells his sketch book at auction and moves to France. I assume from that point on his fine art market must have been growing, though there’s certainly been significant movement over the last 10 years.
Relative to the market, and other recent discussions about its relation to the world of museums, I think it’s salient to note that the Zwirner show is basically the exact same show that the Hammer Museum organized last year, and is circulating as a touring show with a fairly substantive fee for such a small and simple show. I guess it just slid right into Zwirner before it heads to the Portland Art Museum. I’m sure Zwirner paid no fee, but this all seems a little bit strange.
Relative to the market, and other recent discussions about its relation to the world of museums, I think it’s salient to note that the Zwirner show is basically the exact same show that the Hammer Museum organized last year, and is circulating as a touring show with a fairly substantive fee for such a small and simple show. I guess it just slid right into Zwirner before it heads to the Portland Art Museum. I’m sure Zwirner paid no fee, but this all seems a little bit strange.
Relative to the market, and other recent discussions about its relation to the world of museums, I think it’s salient to note that the Zwirner show is basically the exact same show that the Hammer Museum organized last year, and is circulating as a touring show with a fairly substantive fee for such a small and simple show. I guess it just slid right into Zwirner before it heads to the Portland Art Museum. I’m sure Zwirner paid no fee, but this all seems a little bit strange.
Relative to the market, and other recent discussions about its relation to the world of museums, I think it’s salient to note that the Zwirner show is basically the exact same show that the Hammer Museum organized last year, and is circulating as a touring show with a fairly substantive fee for such a small and simple show. I guess it just slid right into Zwirner before it heads to the Portland Art Museum. I’m sure Zwirner paid no fee, but this all seems a little bit strange.
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