Los Angeles Art News, Art Blog

ART BLOG

ARTICLES FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2011
Contributing Bloggers: John Harbinger Jr.and David Harbrenig

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The Ups and Downs of Art Crime

The recently publicized high prices for artworks in auction houses world-wide have attracted the attention it seems, of criminals as well as law-abiding art lovers. High profile art theft is on the increase. The FBI estimates that the amount of international art crime, including fakes, forgeries and thefts, has doubled in the last decade and is now worth more than $6bn annually.

Others disagree arguing that the volume of art crime itself has not increased, but rather the media have been more willing to give it more coverage since it often entails huge sums of money –always a newsworthy subject! In today’s age of $100m+ paintings, art theft in the media has acquired a kind of Thomas Crown Affair glamour. Media stories about art heist seem be embellished with the ingredients a good story needs – powerful people, money and sex!

One common feature of many art theft stories is just how easy it is. Galleries and museums, despite sophisticated security apparatus are vulnerable and when million dollar paintings hang in office buildings and busy hotel lobbies… they’re bound to entice the nimble of hand.

According to a spokesman from the Los Angeles Department art theft division, private victims of art crime often know the perpetrator as an acquaintance, co-worker, neighbor, or as someone who has previously visited the household.

Though the theft seems relatively easy, cashing in the loot is becoming more and more difficult. An art thief is not going to try to change a work of art because that would destroy the value. Even if the thieves stay low for years before surfacing, as soon as they put the artwork out for sale –the police often hear about it and make their move. The LAPD has recovered $81 million worth of art in the past 15 years due in part to the fact that the art is often difficult to unload. If any of you have a stolen Picasso under the bed, you are stuck with it!!!

Make your blog about you –not your art

How is your blog doing? Are your visitor stats putting a smile on your face or are you beginning to wonder if it’s not a waste of time? It’s hard, isn’t it? Constantly coming up with something to say about you and your work in the hope your blog will generate interest in your art.

If the blog is just a tool to help achieve the ultimate goal –sales of your art-, how do you best use that tool? While an artist’s blog does help facilitate the work of search engines by adding ‘readable’ texts to a site which usually contains predominantly images, and helps in establishing links and provides information about the artist’s ongoing events, a good blog needs to be something more than just content.

If the average time per visitor to the MOMA or LACMA in front of a painting by greats such as Picasso and van Gogh is 7 seconds, how long do you think visitors spend looking at images on your website? How do you grab their attention? The answer is with words.

Most artists’ blogs fail to attract readers because they fail to understand the basic truth about artists’ blogs: The reader wants to read about YOU. Your blog is your chance to let strangers into your life. A blog is another vehicle on the ever expanding social networking highway. Too many artists use their blogs unwisely. They post images on their blogs of recently finished work with brief descriptions like “I worked on this piece in order to capture the amazing sunlight coming through the trees.” Let’s be honest. That little snippet of information does nothing to incite interest in you and your body of work.

The successful artists’ blogs are those where the artists write sincerely about their personal experiences as artists; write about what inspires them to create, what makes their approach to art special. When your words resonate with the readers, when they are inspired by your personality as an artist, they will then take a serious look at your art. Each of us has a story to tell; even more so, those whose mission in life is to create art. Our art is our statement about what we love or hate, or what we would like to denounce or change. It is our statement about LIFE. Though many visual artists may feel they have no gift for the written word, let me remind you of a basic truth about good writing: write about what you know and write from the heart. Because if you don’t, and it is just boring, factual information and nobody’s gonna frickin’ read it, end of story.

Affordable Art Fair – coming to L.A. in 2012

The Affordable Art Fair was founded in 1999 when Will Ramsey opened an art warehouse in London, England hoping to bridge the public interest in contemporary art and the London gallery scene. His mission was to make contemporary art accessible to everyone, and to show you don’t need to be an art expert or a millionaire to enjoy and buy art. Since then, the Affordable Art Fair has set up in various locations worldwide and attracts tens of thousands of avid art enthusiasts to every event. In Jan 2012 Los Angeles will hold its first event under that banner.

The inaugural Affordable Art Fair here will be L.A. LIVE from January 18 – Jan 22, 2012 in the heart of downtown L.A. near the Stables Center under a tented 42,000 square ft. space. Adhering to the founding mission statement, the L.A. fair will present ‘affordable’ original contemporary art with prices ranging from priced $100 - $10,000, with three quarters of the works offered at under $5,000.

Another Rembrandt that was too hot to handle

Any crook will tell you… when stolen goods are too hot to handle –the best thing is to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Don’t hold onto them - find a buyer ASAP, dump the goods or return them and hope the theft will be forgiven and forgotten.

A small pen and ink drawing by Rembrandt, valued at $250,000, was heisted on Saturday night (August 13) from a private exhibit at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey while the curator was "distracted" for about 15 minutes. When he turned back from turning his back - the pen-and-ink drawing was gone.

It looks like the thief (or thieves) must have rapidly realized just how hot the potato was…. Just how do you sell a Rembrandt that within 1 hour of being stolen was listed as such in every media, world-wide? Only two days later (Monday 15^th) the sketch was recovered at a San Fernando Valley church about 20 miles (32 km) away from the hotel after a tip from an anonymous caller. Police said no one had been arrested in connection with the theft.

The quill pen and black ink work, dating back to about 1655, has been returned to its rightful owners. All’s well that ends well.

Bronze Sculptures are becoming more expensive to produce

Like me, many of you have perhaps noticed the record prices being set for metals on the commodities market. Gold and silver are sky high. Copper prices are shooting through the roof. Although it is pretty difficult to steal gold or silver, the high copper prices are an incentive to thieves to raid construction sites and old buildings to strip them of copper wiring for their resale value. Unfortunately, the wave of metal theft has led some of the more enterprising thieves to steal outdoor sculptures in order to sell them for their metal value. The main component of bronze is copper. Works of art are being cut from their plinths in public parks and gardens and melted down for the weight of the copper.

The rising prices have also forced more and more sculptors to consider economy when planning new works. A pound of bronze now costs almost $7 in some foundries across the country, up from $1.20 a decade ago.

A growing number of sculptors are looking at cheaper alternatives in which to create their works: Aqua-Resin, concrete, Fiberglass, gypsum, terra cotta and polyurethane-based resins. Some are buying metal and mica powders that are poured into molds or applied as a patina to give a "faux finish" that resembles bronze or other metals. Some label resin sculptures as "cold cast bronze" or "bonded bronze," which leads some buyers to believe they are purchasing a traditional bronze sculpture. I hope buyers are still more interested in the mettle of the artist than the metal of the art.

Downgrading LACMA’s rating

Following in the wake of last week’s downgrade of the US Government’s credit worthiness from AAA to AA+ (and the world has not stopped turning), Moody’s Investor Service has announced a downgrade of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's bond rating from A2 to A3. Yikes! Has the LACMA reached a debt ceiling like the US government? Will the museum be selling off assets to stave off a financial crisis? The answer to both is no! In fact the fact that the LACMA is doing pretty well financially thanks to all those wonderful donations, paying visitors and municipal bonds. They have helped pay for its ongoing expansion and renovation plan, which has yielded the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the Resnick Exhibition Pavilion as well as other improvements. LACMA has raised $335 million so far towards those projects.

The museum director has spoken out against the Moody’s decision to downgrade LACMA’s rating saying it is unwarranted and is only a reflection of their (and Standard & Poor’s) tougher stance on assigning credit grades. Moody's apparently fears another financial market collapse will causes the museum's investment portfolio to lose a third of its value and trigger a default on repaying bonds.

LACMA's investment portfolio lost 23.4% of its value in 2008-09 but has bounced back in the ensuing two years with gains of 12.6% and 13.4% respectively.)

One possible consequence of the change is that LACMA will be forced to pay higher interest on bonds it has already issued. But given the recent financial data published by LACMA officials, I think we can all sleep tight and that there’ll be no default.

Tony Curtis fans can buy some of his artworks at Julien’s Auctions Sept 2011

If you were a fan of the late Tony Curtis, (who died last year 85 yrs old), you might be interested in the upcoming auction of his estate at Julien’s Auctions, Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills on September 17.

After a very successful acting career during the 1950’s and 60’s Curtis had more than a 100 movies in his resume before withdrawing from the world of cinema to spend some of his time painting and collecting art. Now avid fans and collectors will have the opportunity to purchase some of his impressive art collection along with personal items from his Hollywood days. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit Shiloh Horse Rescue, a charitable organization founded by Tony Curtis and his wife Jill, dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abused, neglected and slaughter-bound horses.

Fine art highlights coming to the block include the Andy Warhol “Some Like it Hot Shoe”, which the artist gifted to Curtis (estimate: $20,000/30,000), three drawings by Balthus (estimate: $25,000 -$40,000), ceramics and prints by Picasso, Braque, and Chagall and a fine collection of 20th century American, British, and European paintings. There will also be a number of Curtis’ own artworks, including paintings, drawings, prints, ceramic vases, mixed-media works and a tapestry up for sale.

A full list of items for auction can be viewed at the Julien’s Auctions website.

Blog August 10 2011

Traffic Control at the Art walk following last month’s tragedy

Following the tragic accident at last month’s downtown Art Walk, when a 2 month old child was killed on the sidewalk by a vehicle, Los Angeles City Council has created a task force to deal with traffic problems, crowd control and other safety issues at this ever-increasingly popular monthly event.

The incident prompted downtown residents and city officials to call for additional safety precautions to manage the large crowds that jam sidewalks during the Art Walk. Some critics have called for those streets to be closed to traffic at the same time in order to reduce the danger of accidents.

Though the city-approved task force has yet to make any long term recommendations, some short term solutions will be adopted for the next Art Walk, scheduled for August 11. One of the proposed solutions is to limit non-art-focused operations –- such as live music, vending services and food trucks -– in an effort to reduce the size of the crowds. The Bureau of Street services, overseeing the committee, has called for input from law enforcement and transportation agencies, the fire department and public works before making any firm decisions.

Is this art?

Blog August 5 2011

THIS is a work of art
because:

I say it is.

It’s hanging on the wall for you to look at…

You can’t prove it is not.

Art Galleries are finding new marketing alternatives

According to the International Federation of Art Dealers (CINOA), the traditional model of an art gallery is in decline.

Those ubiquitous signs on the doors “by appointment only”- indicative of the declining number of visitors to galleries,- are forcing the art market to seek marketing alternatives and relocate to new international centers which are better served by fairs or electronic media. Art fairs and online business are becoming the main sources of revenue.

The fairs have done very well in exploiting a structural weakness of the present gallery system which deals mostly with clients within a local market. With the diminution of those markets during the recent economic downturn dealers must expand their horizons if they wish to survive and flourish.

In 2011 the Asia-Pacific region has overtaken the west in terms of the number of individuals with investable assets worth $1m or more. It is no coincidence that the Hong Kong art fair, Art HK, in which Art Basel bought a 60% stake in May, attracted such a stellar line-up of western dealers this year.

To stay in the game, art dealers are now facing additional pressures to fund travel, pay fair rents, find staff and find the right material. Time will tell if this new operational model is sustainable.

In the meantime only a very few galleries worldwide are sufficiently successful to compete with the expanding auction house business, the increasing number of art fairs and the online market. The rest, it seems, must adapt or die.

Not everyone agrees with the findings of the CINOA report. Some believe the rapid proliferation of fairs will lead to them to strangle each other and the situation will turn a full circle. The stable, fixed galleries offer services that itinerant ones will find difficult to accomplish such as taking care of shipping, hanging works, advising on exhibition loans, reframing or insurance. Those who refute CINOA’s findings believe serious collectors will realize this.

A few online ventures have recently emerged as market alternatives however, many dealers are skeptical that web-based business will work for expensive art. Their thinking is that there’s a lot of potential for cheaper work – up to $20,000 - but nobody will be prepared to spend large amount on an artwork without seeing it first-hand.

It all goes to show our idea at Art-LA-Now to group our members by one specific region is a good one. The artists’ work is exhibited online to attract interest, and their studios are easily accessible. Collectors do want to see art works before they buy them. There is plenty of serious money in Los Angeles and plenty of serious art collectors here who will want to visit the studios and galleries of our members before committing to a purchase.

Appreciating Interactive Art

Interactive art is relatively new in the world of the fine arts and some critics continue to discuss whether it has a place alongside painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media work. Interactive art is art in which the viewer or audience interacts with the artist/performer or with the work of art itself. This interaction can modify, affect or determine the outcome of the artwork itself.

The question often asked is whether an interactive piece can be considered true art if another person than the original artist, has “interfered” with it? Why not call it theater, or a game, an exercise or an experiment? Can it be defined as fine art?

Well, probably not by those people define art only as that which has been created by an expert artist. There are other people however who define art as that which we all create collectively. Perhaps both definitions are true, for it takes not only an artist, but also the society, in which he/she lives to create the final product we call Art.

Great works of art always are, to some extent, interactive works. They have been formed not only by the impulse or feelings of the artist, but also by society's influences on the artist as a person, and by society's acceptance, rejection, and expectation of the artist and his or her works of art.

The way we perceive present forms of art will pre-condition our minds for future ideological battles about future art forms. What we accept or reject now will open or close our minds to great works of art we are not yet able to imagine.

This has little to do with art. I just like it.

"A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." - Oscar Wilde

“When a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with the experience winds up with the money and the person with the money winds up with the experience” - Harvey MacKay

Ways to Price your Art

Sometimes, putting the right price on a finished work can be a mind-rattling challenge. If you under-price yourself, you may make your art look worthless, as well as not make any profit. No profit means you’ll have no money to allow you to continue creating more. Put your prices too high, and you risk never selling anything. I fervently wish you success with whatever method you use, but it seems to me there are basically 7 approaches:

Let the Market guide you: Visit galleries and studios in your area to see what similar type of art is selling for. Price your art to compete based on your assessment of the competition.

The price is determined by overall size: All paintings of the same size have the same price tag, no matter the subject, the medium, how long it took you to finish it, or how much you happen to like it personally.

Similar to this strategy is ‘Price by square inch’: Give each individual painting a price per sq. inch or sq. cm, then do the mathematics for each work.

Think like an accountant: Calculate the cost of everything that went into making a painting then add a percentage mark-up. That’s your selling price. The costs will include materials and labor and, if you really wish to be pedantic, you can factor in studio costs such as rent and lighting etc.

The on-the spur-of-the-moment strategy: You price your work according your reading of the person who is interested in buying. (Not recommended as a long-term approach – but sometimes it works.)

The Collector’s Angle: Increase Your Prices Every Year. I suggest this one is only if you are selling regularly. It will encourage your pool of collectors.

The Creative Approach: Have a good tale to go with every painting. Say it, or write it out so that potential buyers feel they’re getting a background story to the creative process you went through to get the finished product. Print your prices small print. You want to give the impression that it is an unimportant detail to you -it's so uncreative to talk about money!

Selected Picks from Juried Art Competitions – Deadlines August 2011

The California Art Show: Californians are beach babes and businessmen, farmers and filmmakers. The state has beaches, mountains, forests, and deserts; from small counties to vast cities. So what about this diverse and eclectic setting screams California? Whether your impressions are rural or urban, your canvas for this show should ‘ooze’ the Golden State. The possibilities are truly infinite. $25 for 5 entries. All details at www.CaliforniaArtShow.com. Questions? Contact director@californiaartshow.com DEADLINE: August 8, 2011.

The Santa Cruz Art League calls artists to participate in a juried art exhibition “Works on Paper” October 22 - November 20, 2011 in Santa Cruz, CA. $500 "Best of Show" plus $600 additional awards. Juror: Preston Metcalf, Chief Curator, Triton Museum of Art. Open to United States residents. Submissions include Printmaking, drawing, painting, bookmaking, collage, photography, and 3D construction. There’s a $40 fee for up to 3 entries (jpegs.) Visit website for prospectus, or send a SASE to: SCAL, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Inquiries? Please contact Cindy at cindy@scal.org or call 831-426-5787. DEADLINE: August 12, 2011

The American Artists Professional League has a call out to artists for its 83^rd Grand National Annual Exhibition annual exhibition, November 1-11, 2011 at the Salmagundi Club in New York, NY. They’re offering over $16,000 in awards. Jurors: Joe Hing Lowe (Instructor at the Ridgewood Art Institute), Mark Mitchell (Assistant Curator at Philadelphia Museum of Art). Open to all artists 18 or older. One or two works may be submitted for selection in the same media only; only one entry per artist may be accepted. Works only in Representational or Traditional Realism will be considered. Original oil, acrylic, watercolors, pastels, graphics and sculpture not previously exhibited with the American Artists Professional League. Photo-Lithographs and Oil Pastels are not eligible. Paintings and graphics must not exceed 42" overall in either direction. This includes the frame. All work must be framed, no wrap-around. Sculptures must not exceed 24" at the base in either direction. Submissions must be for living artists only, please. Fees: $40.00 for 1^st entry; $25 for 2^nd entry. Visit website for prospectus. Questions to: Email;- aaplinc@gmail.com or call 212-645-1345 DEADLINE: August 13, 2011