Cool Your Jets!

Bull market? Ride the ride, live what suits you, buy what you want, and love is where you find it. Sometimes in an artwork.

First, second, third – a kiss before you go!

Christie’s 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale brought a total of forty-four million, six hundred ninety-one thousand, four hundred twenty British pounds, and the art market is crazy. As crazy as the people who invest and buy and love the adrenaline and especially auctions, because of its pace, its power. So it’s all about a beautiful craziness.

Art is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

Get a coffee, a coke, a cookie, in the supermarket, a restaurant, a luxury hotel. Same, but different prices.

Someone is going for the Maserati, someone else for the Ferrari, and there are people out there, I’m absolutely sure about that, who will prefer a completely different car, even if the price would be super-low, for the two Italians.

„Is important art downgraded by populism and upgraded by exclusivity?“ someone with a hundred and twenty-nine thousand followers asked today on Instagram.

Interesting question.

Art is not science, at least not in an auction.

Art is enrichment, and the art market mostly does not align with all the other markets that exist. A reason why people not familiar with the huge amount of money spent on art understand it even less because everything else is currently settling below average, and millions are paid for art.
In a past Sotheby’s auction, during a simultaneous live chat on YouTube, someone was very surprised about a Rothko painting that was around forty-four million expensive. The response was, „This is not science, but an art auction.“ And this is what it is!

Envy makes us unhappy, as Jerry Saltz once wrote. And from the bottom of my heart, I also think that we should enjoy this wonderful spectacle. I love it! Have you ever watched a live auction at the auction house? It’s an experience! It’s about enjoyment, love, history, and the spirit of the times. Zeitgeist! Buyers and observers both caught between emotion and rationality.

And now, on to today’s rarities:

The Christie’s auction started with a painting by Alvaro Barrington, the London-based, Venezuela born, artist. A kind of sunset over the sea, following the motto: „Light is Power! Color is Joy!“ with the word „Welcome“ written over it in colorful letters. This piece in the middle of the estimated range at sixty-three thousand British pounds, falling within the expected fifty thousand – seventy thousand British pounds.

Lot 2 exceeded expectations with two hundred twenty-six thousand, eight hundred British pounds. „Polyanna Wrestlers“ by Jenna Gribbon had been estimated at eighty thousand – one hundred twenty thousand British pounds.

Similarly, Lot 3, Pam Evelyn’s „Worked on Earth,“ significantly exceeded the estimated maximum value of fifty thousand British pounds, selling for one hundred thirteen thousand, four hundred British pounds.

Honor Titus, a thirty-four-year-old artist living in California, Los Angeles, also surpassed expectations with his painting of a Black tennis player playing the ball over a creative painted kind of a net.

Sarah Longe’s Party Scene reached nearly three times the upper estimate, selling for one hundred seventy-six thousand, four hundred British pounds instead of the expected forty thousand – sixty thousand British pounds.

One of my favorite paintings, „Il giorno di lampi la sera verranno le stelle,“ a super colorful, joyful artwork by Salvo, 1947-2015, reached an impressive six hundred ninety-three thousand British pounds, more than five times the upper estimate.

The auction progressed quite satisfactorily until Lot 10, which didn’t find a buyer: Yinka Shonibare’s „Flower Girl.“

Basquiat, estimated between nine – twelve million British pounds, sold for just over ten million British pounds. And the collaborative work of this artist and Andy Warhol sold for one million, six hundred thousand British pounds. Andy Warhol is a strong presence in the market. His work „Golden Nude“ went for double the expected maximum value, while „Diamond Dust Shoes“ remained unsold.

Surprisingly, Yayoi Kusama’s „Flame“ and Lucio Fontana’s „Concetto spaziale, Attesa,“ with a delicate slit on a white canvas, remained unsold, too.

A painting by Amoako Boafo, born in 1984, a Black artist currently exhibiting at the Denver Art Museum in Colorado, previously at the SAM (Seattle Art Museum in Washington state), titled „Soul of Black Folks,“ was sold closer to the lower estimate. Cy Twombly’s „Untitled“ (Lot 35) fell well below expectations, and Mark Bradford, represented by the mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth, also fell just short of expectations. Lucien Freud (1922-2011), on the other hand, slightly exceeded expectations with a self-portrait. Georg Condo’s bluish work, „In the Brothel,“ exceeded expectations, too. It’s Georgy’s girls, and it is his time!

Regarding the paintings presented in this auction, it can be said that the younger contemporary artists generally fetched more than expected, often doubling, sometimes tripling, or even quadrupling the estimates. In contrast, bidders were more cautious when purchasing the established and high-priced stars of the modern art generation, or earlier and older contemporaries.

It was fun and it is about – something.

Art has a soul.

Art carries a message.

Art is the sweetest escape of all.
Maybe. Because art can be wonderfully elevated and tenderly close. Grounded as well. All of this can be found in painting, photography, sculpture, or in your own – and the life of the others art of life.

The Quiet Girls

A sunset in the desert . Artist: Cassidy Finn . At „The Gallery“ / „Grand Circle Arts Alliance“ . Page/Arizona.

Nature is both innocence and great power. A sunset becomes even more vibrant with its bright yellow, red, and purple hues, appearing perfect, when pollution is more pronounced. 

This is something I learned yesterday. 

And we were treated to a stunning sunset due to the low-hanging, heavy clouds that allowed for a more concentrated and intense color palette. It was truly beautiful.

And every sunset is unique. 

And every physical touch, too.

Some sunsets are soft and pastel-colored, romantic at its best. Others are intense, taking your breath away, and everyone thinks you’ve used Photoshop or applied a filter, but you haven’t. Everything is real!

And sometimes human touch is about passion and pace.

And sometimes it is about gentle innocence. 

White, like a swan’s feather, majestic and graceful yet fragile but resolute. This is reminiscent of the subjects in Devra Fox’s artworks. „The Quiet Girl ..“ (2022 . Did you see this movie? A favorite!)

With precision, she combines elements of the human body with natural elements like trees, roots, and leaves.

There is the huge contrast between black and white.

There is these calmness as soon as you enter the exhibition space.

It’s flowers and fertility. It’s pureness. It is love and letting go.

In love.

With love.

But you, you can hold on to it, keep it, it is, as unromantic it may appear, for sale. But then it isn’t unromantic at all. Instead it is the most delicate dance you can own and display on your walls. It’s the dance between the most contrasting colors, between delicacy and strength, between plants and people. 

Stories to tell.

Thank you, Devra!

Devra Fox . „Wish, Bone“ . at Nicodim Gallery . Los Angeles . until Oct. 28, 2023.

Joy & Apples

It’s not about Pain-apples. It’s about Joy-Apples!

& it’s about April in September ..

April Bey, (*1987) her art, and I met for the first time in New York City at the Armory Show this early autumn. Her work is pure joy, carries a funny, heartwarming humor, and has its roots in her Bahamian childhood.

She lives and works in L.A. now, California, the state called the „land of milk and honey.“ And pineapples are a symbol of luck.

These pineapples appear in her body of work frequently and in ever-new ways. One with two fruit bodies stacked on top of each other, the lower one large and stately, the smaller one demonstrating the upper body, cute silver balls that are meant to represent arms and legs, or just hands and feet.

A female pineapple with the shape of breasts, another one with sunglasses. And a lady holding two pineapples in the shape of pufferfish in her hand, like the pom-poms of a cheerleader.

Mind you, everything is not painted but made from fabrics, stitched, quilted, flat, and invitingly hilly.

Pineapples with three body parts like a snowman, with a metallic body like a cocktail shaker, and the exotic fruit with eyes, and these cute bellies.
Touch it, stroke it, squeeze it!

Of course, there’s more to see. Have a look at April’s IG.

But what is more wonderful than luck?

And luck for you is that you now know about it and about April, too, who creates textile art and enriches you with joy, even more than in the fairy tale of Golden Marie.

Golden pineapples!

Joy-apples!


All photographs taken from April Bey’s Instagram.

Be tempted

I want what I want.

For whatever reason.

And I reject the rest. Always.

Well, go for it!

Buy it, or let yourself be bought. Provocative, like the statement made this morning by the National Gallery in London: „If it’s not a Watteau, we don’t want it“ with an Instagram post. But what is considered provocative these days anyway?

The museum is making a joke, showcasing great artworks by the most famous artists ever, and Watteau is „only“ one of them. Perhaps „only“, but unique. And as a private individual, you’re free to choose regardless.

And sometimes, yes, sometimes, there might be a longing for Watteau.

Sometimes!

Because Watteau has truly fallen out of time. Too sweet. Too romantic. Too overblown. Too extravagant. Ruffles everywhere, terribly adorned! Too mismatched for everything and in general, and precisely why it’s the most enticing for certain moments.

It’s best to hang it in the bedroom for that reason. Evoking sensuality and meaning, wanting to understand art history, with this horribly – too often scorned by academia – Rococo. A risqué Boucher next to it, perhaps Leda and the Swan, and even Correggio, whatever.

What else could Watteau want, amidst all the zeitgeist-representing, vibrant, modern artists, full of color, freedom, and self-assured dominance?

Watteau. Faded pastels. Gentleness in gesture and gaze. Storytelling from another era.

Heaven, that it still exists.

A Flamingo Sky for the museum!

So, National Gallery, it should be a Watteau .. – You are representative. What do the collectors and buyers in the auction house say about that .. – Here, the market is ticking.

Rising stars.

Rolling heads.

In between, this dreamy nonsense from the 18th century. Yuck!

Well, I’m in big-big love with Watteau, the Rococo, too, and one, two, three, other artists or men as well.

Be tempted!

Be seduced!

Why just Watteau?

Again: Be tempted! Alone. Together. And in the best case, by art on the wall, a fast horse, and happy cattle in your pastures. And, oh my gee, don’t forget bull riding, and all the adrenaline at art auctions, and the satisfaction in galleries or in nature.

Watteau. Nature. And the (life)stock market.

Everything you can imagine is possible.

Every dream comes true. And I want me, you – yes, not „you“ and then „me“ – all of us, to have it all!

To have an Antoine Watteau, *1684 in Valenciennes, France, too.

Chapeau!

…

..

.

my video linked to it on IG: Salt Lake City in Utah. Kiss!

Open your Eyes

There’s this saying by Dostoevsky that beauty will save the world. And these are big words in a super-optimistic way I’m not used to when it comes to Dostoevsky at all. His literature is marked by the typical, albeit clichéd, attention to detail of the Russians, but always permeated by melancholy and concern, which is so classical and undeniable, among all the great Russian writers of the 19th century.

Childlike joy and powers of observation, but in between, this heaviness, this subdued pleasure in the beautiful life because one has experienced it differently, because one knows more, at least for oneself. And then he speaks for the world, Dostoevsky, that it can be saved, in all its beauty, in all its ugliness, by a beauty that gently drapes over it,

soothing, caring, healing,

successful!

Our world, which, despite all its wonderful magic in it, is also permeated by the opposite, which I now don’t want to delve into, something I rarely do anyway.

We humans are wonderfully diverse. We have our demons and are equally capable of doing bad, being mean, and we all know that, can see it all the time, if we choose to. But what if we consciously shift our focus away from all the negativity, gossip, and things we have become so accustomed to that we no longer see the beauty around us?

What if we focus on the beauty, want to see it, and learn to see it? And no, wanting to see and learn to see doesn’t mean we have to look at something for so long that it becomes boring.

Not even pictures.

Not even art.

Just let’s have fun in your own way!

We can only look for seconds, capture a detail, move on, and let that detail linger on our tongues, in our minds, and play up and down in our hearts for minutes, hours, days, glancing at it, feeling it, from different angles, and eventually revisiting the image a second time, as a whole, or extracting another detail, whatever we want, what does us good.

When we are treated well, we are also much more able to relax, and willing treat others well, too. So, what if, for once, we don’t want to understand but simply surrender?

What if we allow ourselves to believe that we are worthy of experiencing pure joy, super-pure joy, of being entertained, even in the most – official – superficial way sometimes ?

Indeed we are allowed to canter through museums, galleries, art fairs, fall in love with pictures, paintings, out of the blue, it takes just one look sometimes, praise beauty over the top, and feel good about it.

If we allow it, every form of art moves us, I’m convinced of that, in its own important way, – be it music, literature, poetry, dance, painting, photography, sculpture, even architecture. But what if it’s beautiful art, beauty itself, that softens us, that can do what Dostoevsky meant? And perhaps when we’re able to see and appreciate beauty, we’re capable and willing to discover so much more behind it.

Just like Dostoevsky, the detail-oriented, the lover, the somewhat tormented, and the gambler.

Good guy!

And I don’t know, just guessing, feeling, and loving – beauty in art, and everything that comes with it.

Injustice

https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/shirin-neshat-the-fury-review-gladstone-gallery-new-york

https://amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/oct/02/iranian-exile-shirin-neshat-fury-film-veils-prison-rape

„Subjected to torture, sexual assult, and rape while imprisoned, many of these women commit suicid after being released.“

SHIRIN NESHAT . based in New York City, emigrated 1974 from Iran . current exhibition : The Fury . at Goodman Gallery London . Okt. 7 – Nov. 8

pictures : taken from the article .

about liaison

Read yesterday that Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of four artists who recently won the MacArthur „Genius“ Fellowship, and I wanted to write about her and the type of art and love she creates. 

Maria Magdalena has been living in Nashville, Tennessee, for five years, which is a hub for the (country) music scene in the USA. She was born in 1955 in Cuba and grew up in La Vega, a town famous for its sugar plantation, and arrived in the U.S. when she was 27.

I fell in love with the reel on IG that the Brooklyn Museum provided regarding the artists current exhibition there. If you have the opportunity, please take a look at the Instagram, if not, create one!

Maria Magdalena showcases an explosion of creativity encompassing all colors, or rather, different genres. She is a painter, a photographer, a sculptor, a performance artist, and a creator of audiovisual media. Her art is a fabulous celebration, and a courageously one, filled with profound meaning.

When you experience her work, you can sense the pleasures of life, the sensations it evokes, sexuality, Cuban culture, multicultural identity—embracing Cuban, Nigerian, Chinese influences—and issues related to gender. She delves into the shadow sides of each of these themes—the struggles, the pain, the lessons of life, tears, and, again, the opposite: tears of joy.

She also addresses the struggles of women in society, their place in it, and her own sexuality. The MOMA wrote in an interview with the artist in October 2022, „Pains and power of Black women.“

Maria Magdalena has had and continues to have exhibitions in some of the most impressive American museums. She is represented by Gallery Wendi Norris in San Francisco, Barbara Thumm in Berlin, and Bernice Steinbaum Gallery in Florida.

USA . Germany . USA .

And there may be other galleries interested in showcasing her work, especially after her recent success. In 2013, she represented her home country, Cuba, at the Venice Biennale.

When asked about her work, Maria Magdalena emphasizes that her art is always connected to geography and explores themes related to nature and countries. She finds ways to link these themes together, much more she believes that they belong together.

For her, the connection between the human body and nature is captivating. She talks about the idea that nature can express itself through the human body.

You as you are, with your soul and body.

She can also speak in pure amazement about the beauty of magnolia trees, and be happy that owls are feminine in Spanish, called „La Lechuza,“ not just „Lechuza.“ Feminin and free. And the opposite again: Birdcages are an aspect of her work, including their creation, production, different shapes and types.

So freedom is a main subject.

Maybe the most important one.

Free to be yourself.

Free to speak up.

Free to laugh, and love, and live.

Her work also explores the idea of truth. So freedom again. One of her artworks is titled „The Truth Doesn’t Kill You.“ And it is undoubtedly a truth when she speaks of no other group of women exposing themselves to so much suffering and pain while giving so much love and care in return. 

Wunderbar, isn’t it?

Frei, isn’t it?

Mannigfaltig, isn’t it?

Congratulations on winning the prize!

Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. Current exhibition at Brooklyn Museum . 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238 . September, 15th, 2023 – January, 14th, 2024.

Photos:

Life in Venice

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/arts/design/maria-magdalena-campos-pons-and-neil-leonard.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

A Story about Cattle & Kunst

The patriarch might tell you, especially if you’re a woman, that you have to make a decision, that you have to fully commit to one career, one job. He is, after all, a wonderful, wise, experienced individual who has achieved a great deal in his life, and he deserves respect and a certain kind of admiration. He chose to go all-in with his one career, his one family with kids, and dogs, and houses, his one golf club membership, and perhaps the occasional mistress. So one thing.

However, don’t let him dictate your choices. First of all, your energy levels might differ, especially when you’re pursuing something you’re truly passionate about. And secondly, your life might not involve a full-time family, perhaps a part-time lover, and a time-consuming golf club membership, not to mention a yacht club subscription. 

For you, it’s about art and cattle. 

He may insist it won’t work, but remember, it’s your life, your personality, your energy level, and your decisions.

When it comes to Western art, there’s no doubt that it’s a singular pursuit, and that’s what I want to discuss today. In the first place.

In the American countryside, there are numerous artists who focus on the themes of cowboy work and ranch life. This is an integral part of the United States, particularly in states like Wyoming, often referred to as the „cowboy state,“ where traditional ranches and ranch work thrive. Other states may share a similar story. 

In Los Angeles, you can explore the Autry Museum of the American West, where you’ll find a wealth of history and information about cowboys.

I loved slogans presented in a video there:

„Indian is not a costume, and Cherokee is not a car.“ 

The content of the Autry was highly entertaining, fresh, informative, and carried a powerful message. A museum may not be Disneyland, but visiting one in the United States is often a unique experience compared to Europe. I love that. I’m that type, always was, always will be.

The cowboy theme also appeals to Europeans. Did you watch „Fury“ during your childhood? Do you remember whether you were the cowboy or the Indian during costume parties at kindergarten or school? 

What makes it even more appealing is the fact that the life of a cowboy is rugged and demanding.

At the Autry Museum, you’ll discover that cowboys came from diverse cultural backgrounds, as evidenced by photographs of cowboys in Denver from the early 20th century, around 1905. After leaving the museum, you’ll understand that it all began with the cattle that Spanish settlers brought to New Mexico in the early 17th century. 

Because the cattle thrived in the North American environment, ranching began to flourish across the United States.

In California, the Gold Rush brought an influx of people seeking their fortune, leading to a significant demand for meat. 

However, the ranching system in California collapsed around 1860. In Texas, ranching experienced immense growth in the 1870s but eventually faced challenges as well.

In the 20th century, U.S. ranchers adopted a new approach that remains successful to this day. They fenced their land, bred and raised their own cattle, and started growing feed crops, hay, and alfalfa alongside their livestock. These ranchers were either cowboys themselves or employed them. The image of the solitary rider was complemented by teamwork, including roping, branding, and fixing fences. They were at home outdoors, in all weather conditions, had a knack for handling horses, riding, and a trained eye for livestock.

Living the American dream, embodying American clichés that are not clichés at all. They still do move cattle with horses, fix fences, do the branding, castration, ear tagging, shipping to the South, on ranches so large that it takes you three days to circumnavigate them. 

Can you imagine having a painting of a cowboy on his horse next to your de Kooning, Rothko, or Richter? It’s undeniably American, so, why not? 

Have you discussed taking horseback riding lessons on the golf course?

A cowboy can also find a place on the wall of your office. They represent determination, unwavering commitment, and a relentless pursuit of their life’s goal. 

Perhaps you could gift such a painting to your mistress. She may love it, identify with you even more, and see you as a true hero. Or perhaps she’ll simply say „Thank you,“ give you one last kiss, take the cowboy (from the wall), and leave the patriarch behind. 

Kunst and Cattle can be one and the same or two different things. You decide.

Photos: taken at the Autry Museum of the American West. Griffith Park. 4700 Western Heritage Way. Los Angeles. CA 90027 – and private.