And A Collection Begins

I must say I had a pretty exciting weekend over the long Memorial day holiday. I had a chance to spend some time with the family, catch up on some reading( the old fashion way, as my computer was infected with a virus which I have seemed to have beaten for the moment, knock on wood!), and broker my very first art deal. And what a piece I have started my collection with, an original limited edition Giclee from prominent African American artist Kathleen Atkins Wilson. I acquired the piece through a family member who had bought it from a friend at a "discount" price, and she thus turned around and sold it to me in hopes that I would properly frame it and give it a good home. So just like that, I am no longer an aspiring art collector. I have graduated to amateur art collector, and I must say I really, really enjoy the sensation and feeling I get from an acquisition! But enough about me, let's talk about the work of art I have chosen to begin my collection with, a piece entitled "The Promise." I have attached a picture of the work below:

So for the modest price of $75, I have garnished a $1500 work of art. Not bad for my first acquisition! I will be looking for a proper frame to do the work justice this week and next, and hope to have the work on display in my home by mid June( in time for my birthday).
Considered one of the pioneers of restoring the Lithograph to contemporary art, Kathleen Atkins Wilson continues to make beautiful limited edition works and  sculptures for clients. Her silhouette style speaks of the African Diaspora, and reminds us of the displaced who may have lost their culture but not the spirit and essence of who they are. The Promise is a biblical reference of God's promise to Noah he would not destroy the earth, and depicts three generations of men whose duty it is to preserve and respect the planet we live on. It is vibrant with color, which is expressive of hope and illicit an inspiring response to the viewer. I look forward to having the piece in my collection for a good while to use as a reference of inspiration when times get difficult in my life.
That's all for now. I am really getting excited about the 54th annual Allentown Art Festival in two weeks. I will definitely be looking for my next acquisition there. Until next time....

The Business of Art: Why Larry Gagosian is My Hero

I can recall a while back when I informed my father I wanted to study art and become an international art dealer and shun the world of computer science, he gave me a look of disgust and said directly to me "boy, there is no money in art. Stick to computers, they are the future. Messin' with art will leave you broke and waste your potential." I can truly say with great pleasure that my dad was dead wrong, and Larry Gagosian is living proof that there is money to be made in art, SERIOUS money. How much, you might say? Well, according to the April 1st article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "The Gagosian Effect",  $1 Billion in sales annually. And with 11 galleries and over 75 world renowned artist as "clients", Larry is showing no signs of slowing down.
And what an eclectic collection he has amounted in over 30 years of buying and selling art-  works from Picasso, Basquiat, Gorsky, De Kooning, Polluck, Sherman, it's like a who's who of contemporary art. And he keeps a business like approach to his Empire of galleries, assigning portfolio managers to his perspective artists and estates of artists. He insists that his managers have a background in banking or financial sales to help maximize the earning potential while at the same time curb the risk of his artists. Like a Wall Street tycoon managing a hedge fund, Larry watches for trends in the art world and pounces when he sees opportunity. He has an uncanny ability to spot talent and get maximum leverage and compensation for that talent, and it is this approach that attracts many artists to his fold, and keeps his potential clients interested in what he deems the next great thing. He has become the E.F. Hutton of the contemporary art world, and when he talks, people listen.

                                                       Larry Gagosian, image from the Wall Street Journal

It is rumored Larry is heavily courting contemporary Chinese artists Ai Weiwei and Zeng Fanzhi, and has been seen talking with Jasper Johns. Very strategic in my opinion, as the aforementioned Chinese artists will bring fresh new works to his Hong Kong Gallery, and Jasper Johns will keep the N.Y. scene chopping at the bit to see lost works from the 80 year old pioneer abstract expressionist. While I in no way imagine I will have the commercial success Mr. Gagosian has amassed in the years, he is an inspiration to me in laying down the foundation and groundwork to establish a successful career buying and selling art.
Until next time-

Fall Into The Gap- Don & Doris Fisher And Their Wonderful Collection

It would be pretty hard to find  more significant collectors and contributors to contemporary modern art in America than Donald and Doris Fisher. The couple, founders of the iconographic Gap clothing company, have been meticulously building one of the best art collections in the world over the past thirty five plus years. Their collection includes some of the most influential artist of the 20th century, including 21 works by Andy Warhol, over a dozen pieces from Roy Lichtenstein, and contributions from Robert Rauschenburg, Agnes Martin, Alexander Calder, Chuck Close, and sculptor Richard Serra, just to name a few. Their collection is unique in that it consists of a wide range of works by a particular artist whose style they admired, making for a collection of over 1,100 works of art which encompass a wide range of stylistic development in some the artists over their careers. For an example, I have included two works of art below by famed pop artist Andy Warhol....

The "Triple Elvis" silkscreen print dates circa 1963, while the "Nine Multicolored Marylins dates circa 1976-1986, which encompasses more than 20 years of artist development by 1 artist. I could go on for pages to discuss the stylist differences between the two, but I will return my focus back to their patrons.
The fact that the Fishers have their own gallery, the Gap Gallery in San Francisco, begins my fascination with money and  the collection of fine art. It is no secret the Gap has a valuation of roughly $3.3 billion dollars, which allows plenty of available cash for funding and patronizing the arts. This however, I believe begins the discussion of the ripple effect a powerful art collector can have on the modern art world. The notion that the Fishers were willing to pay top dollar collecting certain artists they appreciated probably has inflated the auction prices of those same artists because they have become "sought after" by prestigious collectors with large pockets. To add to the exclusivity of the collection, it is only viewable to Gap employees, art historians of merit, and the "who's who" in art curating and brokering. The Gap gallery is accessible only by swipe card, which suggests a sense of prominence and importance to not only the collected, but to the people who have access to the gallery. IT is a VIP collection suited for viewing by VIP clientele. An interesting concept on art, viewer, and patron in the 21st century.
That's all for now..... Until next time.

- S.Marty McLaughlin

Still A Man's World in Modern Art

I find it amazing and disturbing the disparity between what modern art created by men garnishes on the open market opposed to what women working in similar genres collects in the same market. The monetary gap is so disparate it makes me ponder what it says about modern society and a woman's place in that society. Let us not forget the struggle and plight women have had to endure in America alone with the suffrage movement. Male chauvinistic attitudes appear to be prevalent in terms of art collecting as well, and the notion of women as being contemplative, talented and diverse as their male counterparts I believe is still widely unacceptable to some men in Western thought. If you don't want to take my word for it, let's take a look at the numbers. I will do a simple comparison and background of similar artist both male and female, and let you decide for yourself.
First up is Irene Zevon, 1918-2006, an American born painter from Ukrainian decent who was heavily influenced by the works of the Cubist Movement and in particular, Fernand Leger, who work with her mentor in the genre in the early 20th Century. Zevon went on to become a famous established artist, mastering mixed media to to work within an abstract figurative style which can be found on display at the Dallas and San Francisco Museums of Fine Art. A look at her "Centrifugal Composition" from 1958 below, shows her mastery of the acrylic medium to create a semi large canvas of vibrant color that plays with lighting and shadows in it's interpreted meaning to the viewer.

Zevon's panting is currently available for purchase at The Benjamin Gallery in Buffalo, NY. The anticipated acquisition price is somewhere between $2,500 and $5,000. At most it will garnish double the maximum acquisition price if a collector is "zealous" about the artist and her work.
Now, let's look at Fernand Leger, 1881-1955, a French artist considered to be one of the pioneers of the cubism movement, who knew of Zevon and could be considered a mentor to her. Leger was more concerned with the rise of industrialism and it's effects on society. His abstract style was symbolic of the everyday busy nature of mass production, and attempted to reference this through abstract depictions of symbols of industrialism such as railroads, trains, buildings, skyscrapers, etc. His "Les Usines" of 1918, shown below, was completed the same year Zevon was born. The piece is beautifully constructed in the traditional medium oil on canvas,  and gives a sense of fragmented industrialism through mastery of color and light . The shiny metallic looking flutes, the robotic hand imagery, all place the viewer in the mindset of a factory, which is the loose translation of Les Usines( the factories; interconnected factories,like a stamping and assembly plant in the auto industry, for instance).

The aforementioned Leger painting sold at auction at Sotheby's last year to a private collector for $14,320,000 USD. It opened at a modest bid of $5,000,000 USD. Amazing! A master artist and a master understudy, and the understudy garnishes a sale price less than 1% of the master's commission. If you do not feel there is a large disparity in the art world due to sex you are sadly mistaken. I feel it will take years of established women artists such as Cindy Sherman opening doors for their female counterparts to change the habits and perceptions of a woman's worth in the art world. Until next time-

S. Marty McLaughlin

Jacob Lawrence and the Obama Effect

As I have mentioned, this blog exists to explore the significance of art in terms of artist and perspective collector. With that being said, I would venture to say no African American artist has benefited more from the Obama presidency then Jacob Lawrence. Although world renowned and respected prior to anyone ever hearing the name Barrack Obama, it wasn't until a 2007 purchase by the White House of a 1947 painting entitled "Builders" did his collection status elevate to elite. Prior to the sale, the largest auction bid for a Lawrence painting was around the mid to high 800 thousand range, according to a source at Christie's auction house. The White House Acquisition Trust paid a cool $2.5MM for the piece, drastically overpricing the work and dramatically shifting the price of ownership of a Jacob Lawrence painting. So I would venture to say becoming an elite artist is not only about what is said about your work, but who appreciates your work. The painting now sits in the White House Green Room.

If you don't know anything about Lawrence's style and mission statement, the work is meant to be a testament to the unity and power of African Americans building, not necessarily a building or structure, but a cultural presence or identity. It is meant to be a celebration of collaboration and cooperation amongst a culture so diversified sharing a common goal- the task at hand of building. The depictions of abstract characters across a plain identify with a "I am every man" attitude of the scene, and the satisfaction and contempt of accomplishment through compromise of one's own self serving reservations and beliefs.

My only problem with this is that the Trust bought this piece in 2007, well before Obama ascended to the presidency. So, I am inclined to ask myself what a president like George W. Bush and the Historical Association was thinking when they signed off on the purchase? I find it odd two years removed from hurricane Katrina and the media frenzy created by African Americans that this work found it's place in the most significant house in America, at a highly exaggerated and publicized price of 300% over norm for a Lawrence painting. Interesting indeed.

In any event, the Obamas have petitioned to have more Lawrence works hanging in the White House walls..... and you can believe that now the word is out that the artist is an "American Icon", and the auction houses at Christie's and Sotherby's will address their opening bids accordingly.

Artist to Collect Now: Bryan Pickens

For art collectors and enthusiast, Bryan Pickens is a red hot artist who's work should be purchased now while it is still affordable. I simply love is pop surrealist style. Fresh off the C.A.V.E. exhibition in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, Bryan's unique style of painting on birch using mixed media and acrylic in a jig saw style fashion( the birch is NOT in one piece, and each individual piece is painstakingly put together to form his works) is refreshing and revolutionary. I love the way the models stare right off the page at you, so inviting!

Approximately seven months ago Bryan started to create a buzz with his article in Lifestyle Magazine. I predict he is well on his way to bigger and better things... see more at his website by clicking the title above, or visiting http//:bryanpickens.com.

Figurative Abstraction works by George Afedzi Hughes

I recently had a chance to visit the "Fragments" exhibition at the Buffalo Art Studio and caught the paintings of Ghana born artist George Afedzi Hughes. To my delight I was able to meet George during the showing, and had a 40 minute frank conversation with him on his art as social commentary on post colonial African society, and the interdependency that now exist between Western traditional art and African art. Geroge's art is not about commercial commerce, it is about making a statement on the atrocities of colonialism in Africa, and how his art serves as both hope for the future while relaying a warning of the past. His large overpowering  canvases with vibrant colors of mixed media are a testiment of the skill in media used by George, and give his subliminal subject matter a sense of purpose. He attempts to convey a hidden mask of human subconscoiusness of violence by juxtaposing everyday social imagery with images of disfigured human and animal body parts. This style plays on the notion of a "hidden" or dual persona under the everyday common image of people we see and relate to in our social lives, which also symbolizes an ancient African belief in social societies which practice masquerades, where dancers become the living embodiment of the animal or diety they are portraying.

It will be interesting to see if George's art works gather a major exhibition following. I truly feel he has powerful imagery that warrants attention. If you are in the Buffalo, NY area and would like to see the exhibition, it will be on display at the Buffalo Art  Studio until May 21, 2011.