jrdsctt
02-07-2012, 10:42 AM
I recently had my senior show for my undergrad, and for it I made pixel versions of the top ten most expensive paintings ever sold. Here (http://imgur.com/a/7UgmF#0) is a link to the images, and here is my artist statement, I hope you enjoy:
One of the first big steps one must take to become an artist is to realize that art is a business, just like everything else. Many artists travel through their higher education feeling overjoyed that they get to do something creative and subjective as their career, but to continue that train of thought in the real world will certainly bring them to a crashing halt. Art is business. Artists must market, network, and sell themselves if they want to sustain a stable life. The art world is just as dirty and cold as everyone else’s worlds. Dreams of glorious art are fleeting and the Sotheby and Christie’s Auction Houses are where these dreams come to die.
Famous works of art are being bought and sold in these auction houses all the time for incredible amounts of money. Art collectors, museums, and private buyers live in a world that most cannot even fathom, trading art for millions and millions of dollars. The rate at which some of these pieces go from owner to owner is quite alarming. It makes one almost wonder if those making the purchases are really enjoying the pieces they buy, or if they are purchasing bragging rights. Who would not like to brag about the Picasso or the van Gogh they picked up last week?
Worth is an in-depth look into how people value art. Would these famous artists be happy that their pieces are being sold for millions of dollars or disgusted that their work is being traded like a business contract? Worth takes the top ten most expensive paintings ever sold in the auction houses and replaces them with pixilated versions. The purpose of the pixilation is to create a systematic approach of determining the value of a piece, which is one dollar per pixel. The title cards next to each piece will list the original price and the pixel price. Compare and contrast these prices. The show is not advocating assigning value to each piece in a systematic way, but to show the absurdity of selling art in such a disinterested and unemotional way. How much is it worth to you?
One of the first big steps one must take to become an artist is to realize that art is a business, just like everything else. Many artists travel through their higher education feeling overjoyed that they get to do something creative and subjective as their career, but to continue that train of thought in the real world will certainly bring them to a crashing halt. Art is business. Artists must market, network, and sell themselves if they want to sustain a stable life. The art world is just as dirty and cold as everyone else’s worlds. Dreams of glorious art are fleeting and the Sotheby and Christie’s Auction Houses are where these dreams come to die.
Famous works of art are being bought and sold in these auction houses all the time for incredible amounts of money. Art collectors, museums, and private buyers live in a world that most cannot even fathom, trading art for millions and millions of dollars. The rate at which some of these pieces go from owner to owner is quite alarming. It makes one almost wonder if those making the purchases are really enjoying the pieces they buy, or if they are purchasing bragging rights. Who would not like to brag about the Picasso or the van Gogh they picked up last week?
Worth is an in-depth look into how people value art. Would these famous artists be happy that their pieces are being sold for millions of dollars or disgusted that their work is being traded like a business contract? Worth takes the top ten most expensive paintings ever sold in the auction houses and replaces them with pixilated versions. The purpose of the pixilation is to create a systematic approach of determining the value of a piece, which is one dollar per pixel. The title cards next to each piece will list the original price and the pixel price. Compare and contrast these prices. The show is not advocating assigning value to each piece in a systematic way, but to show the absurdity of selling art in such a disinterested and unemotional way. How much is it worth to you?