DAY 1: Today is Wednesday 6/1 - An INTRODUCTIONS AND IDEAS day. Scroll down the page to view clips from two films that direct our attention to the art
market through the real life example of artist and art market entrepreneur, Jean Michel Basquiat (1960-1988). The first film, Basquiat (Julian Schnabel, dir. 1996)
is a fiction film about the artist's life starring Jeffry Wright as Basquiat, Benecio del Toro as the artist's friend and David Bowie as Andy Warhol. The second film,
Downtown 81 stars Basquiat as himself. The selected clips highlight different aspects of the art market, including how artist's market themselves, how they
'become famous,' the relationship between artists, dealers and galleries, and so on. Take note of these and other aspects you glean from these clips to write
your own definition of the art market in 250 words or less in the space next to your name provided below. Comment on each other's definition in the comment box.
On the last day of class, you will be asked to rewrite your definition of the art market based on what you have learned in this class.
Basquiat
Chapter 6: Fame, Integrity And the Beating machine
Chapter 14: A Primal Impressionist
Chapter 15: Philosophy and Caviar With Warhol
Downtown 81
Chapter 4: Eviction
Chapter 8: Mrs. Cavalcanti
Individual Contributions
Sheri Hope Boardman
Kimberly Ann Phoenix
Erica Gilbert-Levin
This glimpse into the life of Basquiat proffers substantial clues about the art market and the often-conflicting objectives of the artist in a capitalist society. In fact, the phenomenon of the "art market" itself strikes me as a contradiction in terms: Art, in the idealistic sense, consists in aesthetic quality apart from any economic motive, and "market" suggests the sorts of economic transactions in which a "pure" artist (doubtful that there ever was one) would by definition never engage. It is not surprising, then, that the many aims of the artist collide with one another. An artist like Basquiat may be compelled to compromise the quality of his work or the integrity of his lifestyle, values, and sense of self for the sake of success in the art market ("success," these clips suggest, comprising fame and fortune). He or she may experience pressure to furnish disingenuous interpretative statements about his art (see Basquiat, "A Primal Impressionist") in order to garner the publicity necessary to continue to make a living, or, in a far more extreme circumstance, he may find himself in a position of selling his body to make a sale (see Downtown 81, "Mrs. Cavalcanti"). He may not even manage to afford rent on his living as an artist (see Downtown 81, "Eviction"). Even Andy Warhol advises that "it's not about how much time you spend on [a work], it's about how much you get paid for it" (Basquiat, "Fame, Integrity, and the Beating Machine"). Yet, another driving theme of that first clip, one weighted at least as heavily as the necessity of fame and fortune, is "integrity." The artist, it seems, must somehow capture both: A life of integrity, complete with fealty to meaning and aesthetic quality, on the one hand, and financial success and fame, on the other. The concept of the "art market" seems an apt phrase to express the system that demands these competing realities.
Vincent Anthony Falkiewicz
">
Consider & comment:
What did you think of today's readings and wiki features? What issues if any did they raise for you? How did the audio visual material provided support your understanding of this topic? Comment on your classmates' posts. Leave your comments in the box below.