One artist who Thornton noted meeting in the reading and who also had a prominent exhibition at the Art Basel 42 in Switzerland is John Baldessari. Baldesarri is a well-known American artist whose work uses found or appropriated photography combined with painting and text. He was represented at the event by several galleries including Marianne Goodman and Margo Leavin. Notably, Alejandro Cesarco is a young artist who was mentored by Baldessari and exhibited at Art Basel 42 in the Art Statements section of the fair where he won the Baloise Art Prize. When Baldessari began as an artist, the art market was not what it is today; the art and money were not yet so interconnected. As described in the reading, while he was initially wary of collectors and tried to avoid them, he eventually realized the value/advantage that the artist-collector relationship could have for the value and promotion of an artist’s work.
Photo of Baldessari mentoring Cesarco
A work by John Baldessari
A work by Alejandro Cesarco
While the art fair scene started out much smaller, there are currently art fairs around the world throughout the entire year as seen on the Art Fair Calendar. The different marketing strategies of the dealers at these events, particularly at Art Basel, as described by Thornton are very interesting. The different exhibition styles through the careful selection of how much art to display and where, changes with each dealer and is an attempt to draw attention to the art and artists they represent. The way the art is sold through the building of relationships between dealers and collectors is equally fascinating. Collectors must promote and prove themselves to be serious and knowledgeable and owners of reputable collections in order to be chosen by dealers to purchase pieces that they want over other interested collectors. These relationships can greatly influence the value and success of an artist’s work.
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist whose political criticisms of China resulted in his detention. In the weeks and months following his detention, protests for his release took place around the world and Art Basel 42 was no exception. The event was a large and visible venue in which to draw attention to the plight of Ai Weiwei, current issues in China, and also his art and that of other Chinese artists. Weiwei was released days after the Art Basel 42 concluded. While perhaps the intention of the Chinese government was to prevent him from attending such events and expressing his opinions, the result was contrary in that it increased Weiwei’s visibility and international interest in him. I think large international events such as the Art Basel are ideal venues for artists or protesters to voice their complaints about political issues in order to garner widespread attention for the issues, and whether intended or not, the attention also highlights the event and its participants.
Ai Weiwei's self portrait entitled "Grass Mud Horse" which in Chinese sounds similar to "Fuck your mother" which has been interpreted as an insult to the Chinese government.