Our designer Luis invited Big N and me to a silent auction at MOCA's Geffen Center downtown. The museum is in dire straights due to a shrinking endowment. Over a hundred artists donated works to be auctioned off as part of MOCA's annual fundraiser. The auction closes Saturday.
We're in the market for a couple of pieces to complement our modern house so we decided to peruse the collection. To me modern art is a mixed bag; some works are truly beautiful, while others I simply don't get. 
Take for example this work donated by renowned LA artist Christopher Williams. The 'art' was half a picture of somebody in a shower, presumably, stuck to a green 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of regular paper with scotch tape, and valued at $7,500. 
Or this work by Rodney McMillian valued at $2000. Yes, the artist wrote "free beans" using a sharpie, that's it. So call me crazy but, while these types of pieces may qualify as 'art' in the loose sense of the word, they're not what I want to look at on a daily basis.
On the other hand there were several works that I loved, including this abstract Kandinsky-esque painting by Shell Cardon. Or this mixed media piece by Brian Wills which was made by wrapping what seems like millions of pieces of rayon thread around basswood posts. 
Or finally the piece below at left by Annie Wharton, a beautiful swirl of pinks and greens on mylar. This is the type of art that I find beautiful because I know I'll see something unique in it every time I look at it. I might try to snag at least one of these.
Of course, art is subjective, and while the pieces above did draw a reaction from me, and maybe that's the point, I don't want to spend my money on something that will draw that reaction just once. 
I want to know that in the years to come I'll still be able to look at the piece and find it interesting or beautiful. And call me crazy, but to entice me to spend thousands of dollars the piece needs to be something I can't just go out and make myself. Even I can manage wielding a sharpie to write "free beans" or taping an ordinary picture to a piece of green paper. I wonder if somebody would pay me $7500 for such a masterpiece.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Modern Art: A Mixed Bag
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2 comments:
I honestly think that a lot of artists do stuff like the "Free Beans" thing to see how many sycophantic morons will call it "genius." (and laughing about it all the way to the bank, of course).
my thought: hell yeah, in the right circles people will pay for your "art"...mylar sophistication or magic marker on paper it matters not. But buy what makes you happy.
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