Lasting Greatness?

Carol Irish Strone recently wrote an interesting article for Fine Art Connoisseur magazine entitled Will Today's Trophies be Tomorrow's Castoffs? Carol starts her article with the idea that nothing makes collectors and connoisseurs reevaluate greatness like a market correction.

Carol states As frenzied, indiscriminate consumption at record prices yields to methodical, discriminate collecting at discounted prices, the time comes to ask which of today’s trophies of art are destined to become tomorrow’s cultural castoffs.

Carol points out that as markets are rising many artists and parts of their collections are deemed worthy of greatness. But when the market reverses, and there is a re-evaluation, many are left wanting. Strone states In rising markets, the aphorism goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats,” but as Warren Buffett says, “it’s not until the tide goes out that you realize who’s swimming naked.” Indeed,there will soon be many naked swimmers in the art market, especially among hopefuls seeking the same lucrative status as superstar artist-manufacturers Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, and Takashi Murakami. These digitalera entrepreneurs have revamped what it means to be a successful artist, branding themselves as personalities and their art as luxury goods for conspicuous consumption in a celebrity-obsessed, status-symbol-seeking culture.

I also enjoyed Strone's commentary on the arbiters of greatness and the process involved in of accepting greatness in art. Strone states Canonization occurs when consensus is reached by a complex socio-economic nexus of forums and individuals comprising the “art world.” This includes museums, galleries, auction houses, exhibitions, publications, scholars, critics, curators, collectors, dealers, and consultants. When presented with an object, the group must decide to accept it as “art” worthy of consideration. As philosopher Arthur Danto argues at one extreme, a pile of dirt exhibited by Robert Morris is art only if the art world regards it as such — not visually, but philosophically. Conversely, aesthetic standards still apply as gatekeepers exclude popular representational artists like Thomas Kinkade, whose name recently made it into ArtReview’s “Power 100.” Just as bestselling authors do not always pen great literature, powerhouse artists do not always create Leonardo-quality masterworks.

A very interesting article about what is considered great art, how greatness is considered throughout contemporary and post periods, and is reassessed and evaluated based upon the culture, variables and values of the time. To read Carol Stone's Fine Art Connoisseur article, click HERE.