collecting

Squiggly, psychedelic Victorian illustrations of mystical auras from the 1901 book Thought-Forms. Writer Benjamin Breen connects “thought-forms” to modernism, corporate branding, and 1960s idealism. [Public Domain Review, h/t Paris Review]
The type of sculptures that make you want to masturbate. [The Onion]
A proposed bill would finally give artists resale rights for work sold at auction, and of course, auction houses are trying to smother it. Their lobbying efforts against the bill are, as Patricia Cohen puts it, like a “drone firing on a beetle.” [New York Times]
Another proposed bill could help out writers in New York State. The bill would add local writers’ fees to the tax credits for New York-based TV shows. [Capital New York, h/t @drmabuse]
Who wants to hear more information about Hans-Ulrich Obrist, his life, influences, and in-depth description of what makes him such a groundbreaking curator? The man is never away from a microphone, and always accompanied by an A-list of artist names. [The Guardian]
Is New York’s art scene overly specialized? Cincinnati Art Museum Associate Curator of Photography Brian Sholis, formerly of Aperture and Artforum, talks about the difference between the city’s art scenes. “There’s a tradition of corporate and individual philanthropy that has supported very strong arts organizations,” Sholis says. “And in New York, I feel almost like I had blinders on. I could only do visual art.”[Cincinatti.com]
“[M]uch of academic writing prides itself on being as inaccessible as possible.” Writer Anne Helen Petersen talks about why she’s leaving the ivory towers for a position at Buzzfeed. [The Hairpin]
An interview with Ann Hirsch on her e-book Twelve and a review of her “low-key comedic theater.” [Eros Mortis]
A survey of which U.S. cities have the most segregation, and therefore disparity in resources, between rich and poor. [Atlantic, h/t @drmabuse]
A ridiculous article from Art Media Agency reports on a AXA survey on collector buying habits. According to 1,000 people surveyed, “10% of collectors have a collection exceeding a million dollars in value, whilst 15% have one inferior to $100,000.” Inferior? We also learn that 42 percent of collectors still don’t buy art online “as a matter of principle.” That will change. [Art Media Agency via: The Art Market Monitor]

Video artists are a troubled breed; nobody knows how to sell or collect their work. But heck, even MoMA has a ton of video in their collection, so maybe there’s a model out there that works. I sat down with Dara Birnbaum, the rare video artist who has both a gallery (Marian Goodman Gallery) and a distributor (Electronic Arts Intermix). That double life hasn’t deterred museums and collectors from taking an interest in her work. But, as I gleaned from a lengthy interview with Birnbaum, institutions don’t have a clue about fair compensation—not when MoMA only needs to pay $1,200 for one of her videos.

What follows are parts taken from a longer interview with Birnbaum. She’s grand in her ambitions, which include a steadfast commitment to unlimited editions, sticking with EAI, and stealing images. Oh, and we talk about Hennessy Youngman.

collecting

Get Our Newsletter!

Like Us On Facebook!

Follow Art F City

What is Art F City?

collecting

What We Can Learn From Leo Castelli: Art Belongs in Universities, Museums, Even Montana

Monday Links: Auras and the A-list

Carlos A. Rivera on the Rise of ArtRank (Formerly Known as Sell You Later)

Interview: Dara Birnbaum on MoMA, EAI, and Wonder Woman

Get Our Newsletter!

Like Us On Facebook!

Follow Art F City

What is Art F City?