However, as if to reinforce the point, today (Friday 15/10/10) I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald titled "Galleries hoping that a blockbuster will be born" in which the discussion centred around "Art galleries in Sydney [hoping] to replicate the success of blockbuster shows interstate with a showcase of international art."
What poked me in the eye was a quote by the AGNSW Director Edmund Capon which referred to upcoming blockbusters by Picasso and Francis Bacon in which he said, "We are producing two products, but a lot of people would want to see both...It's like a shopping centre. A shopping centre with one shop is not attractive. A shopping centre with two shops is twice as attractive."
Reality check on Aisle 2 please.
no way... horrible
ReplyDeletewell, maybe it's a silly metaphor, but basically, Capon's right.
ReplyDeleteArt exhibitions are products! there's no need to hold onto a romantic idea that they somehow sit outside that world of commerce - blockbuster shows would not exist if they were not economically rational...
George, I do think there is room for your expose (for want of a better word) on the symbiotic workings of the museum world and the commercial gallery dealership world. Each has something to gain from interactions with the other: the value of each increases, etc.
If you could do a case study of a specific situation which demonstrated this (with evidence!), it could be a valuable contribution to concrete understanding of the economics of the art system.