Whether you’re a collector, a dealer, or just an observer, the art market can be a confusing place. Right now, since we’re in yet another art bubble, it’s a very expensive confusing place. Like most expensive confusing places, it’s full of people who want your money, and who would like you to believe that giving it to them constitutes a wise investment.
So, to commemorate the launch of artnet’s new art market index and the eruption of ill-advised bright ideas that’s sure to follow, we’re here to remind you that art will probably never make you any money.
The Avant/Garde Diaries is a digital portrait magazine that invites leading creatives to talk about the cutting edge of art, design, fashion, music and film. In each digital portrait, featured diarists are asked to introduce someone or something they consider to be ahead of their time. The result is a collection of very personal snapshots that celebrate new ways of thinking and spread inspiration. Be sure to check out the complete video portrait library at theavantgardediaries.com.
One recent video, “Taking Chances,” features Swiss pro snowboarder Nicolas Mueller and L.A. based action sports manager Circe Wallace. The two met in Muellers picturesque hometown Laax in Switzerland, went snowboarding and spoke about taking risks and the need in recognizing chances.
I guess we know why Whitney Director Adam D. Weinberg was willing to say the museum had no intention “to respond one way or the other” about Sotheby’s art handler lockout. This morning we received a tip that the Whitney is planning an auction through Sotheby’s to fund the construction of their new building.
While we support the museum’s construction efforts, we find the use of Sotheby’s unacceptable and are asking artists to refuse the Whitney’s requests for donations. The museum doesn’t have to use Sotheby’s, a company bent on exploiting its workers. It’s doing so because no one’s made it clear to them that they shouldn’t.
- A judge ruled California’s 35-year-old droit de suite law unconstitutional. [Reuters]
- Christie’s post-war and contemporary evening sale in New York made  $388 million—but only 5% came from sales by female artists. [The Economist]
- The Whitney Museum gets bigger. My bad, that’s just a shipping container. [Archinet]
- The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, in Kansas City, MO, isn’t doing too well. Its director resigned last week, after the resignation or elimination of at least four other employees. [The Kansas City Star]
- Artnet gets interviewed by “The Street,” a finance blog, about its abilities to predict art market trends. Overall, Thomas Galbraith, director of analytics at artnet, doesn’t say much that would convince a millionaire to buy art.  ”We examine particular collecting categories at the top-end then we break out those categories into its constituents,” said Galbraith. [The Street]
- According to one study, Facebook users are vain. Another one says only the ones with thousands of friends are vain. The third one says Twitter users are the real vain ones. I predict the fourth one will vainly realize that beauty is in the eye of the Facebook shareholder. [The New York Times Well Blog]
- By most accounts, the Great GoogaMooga was a disaster. The hating notably includes a few rants by The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott. [Eater]
- In Chicago, the G8 Summit has caused several museums to close their doors for the entirety of the summit. They each cited security issues, though we’ve also heard that it’s because of private tours given to government officials. [Chicago G8]
With Flesh and Concrete, Jaya Kara Brekke and Julio Salazar have organized an art exhibition with ramifications well beyond the aesthetic. The exhibition, the winner of apexart’s Franchise Program, was conceived in reaction to the construction of the Supervia, an intrusive highway being built through Mexico City. Their response is pitch-perfect, and speaks to the power of art at its best.
It’s uncommon for non-profits to sell private information about their donors and other members, but the College Art Association (CAA) doesn’t wag like everyone else: the organization sells its members’ home addresses to direct mail companies. That’s not totally okay with us.
- Roberta Smith likes the New Barnes and believes the collection should be moved around from time to time. “Blasphemy!” say Barnes purists. Tyler Green says over Twitter that the idea that the collection wasn’t important when it was in Lower Merion is dumb. He’s right, of course, but who exactly is he arguing with? Smith never said that. [NYTimes]
- Christopher Knight doesn’t like the new Barnes, but both he and Roberta believe the Matisse stairwell paintings suffer now that they’re not in a stairwell. AFC’s Will Brand noted this morning in the office that New Yorkers already have a Matisse in a stairwell. Is it really necessary to complain that much? [LATimes]
- Animal New York relaunched yesterday. Fancy! [Animal]
- An interview with Lorna Mills on the Triangulation Blog. In answer to the question of whether posting GIFs on Google Plus is promotion, Mills says, “I only think of promotion as posting exhibition info on G+ and Facebook. The rest of the time I’m making GIFs to throw in the G+ streams, so it doesn’t feel like promo, it just feels like participating in a community of GIF makers.” [Triangulation Blog]
- The New York Public Library prepares for the future in which all library materials become available through digital devices, and decides to rip the heart out of the central research collection. #longreads [N+1]
- Support El Celso’s La Luz (The Light), an installation project in Peru. He’s got under $1,500 to raise. I pledged yesterday—you can too! [Kickstarter]
- If you’re swinging by Seven this weekend (it closes Saturday), then you can also catch the tail end of the inaugural group show at the new Williamsburg gallery Reverse Space. The show features work by emerging artists, including AFC friend Armando Veve. [Reverse Space]
