This latest sale at Sotheby´s in New York made headline news around the world and sparked numerous chat show discussions.

You may or may not have heard that on 18th May a painting by a well known modern artist just sold for millions of dollars. The controversial artist Jean-Michel Basquiat has become the latest artist for the super rich to invest their millions and he and his work are the hottest thing in the art world right now.
As an artist who has dedicated my life to making art one would think I thought this was a good thing for art.
I don´t, and here´s why?

Let´s face it, the truth of the matter is that the only reason why anyone is actually looking and talking about this painting is because of the price.
When we hear a record selling price it gets out attention and we suddenly find ourselves staring at the said painting and asking ourselves certain questions ; "Why is it so valuable?" - or "My child could do that, modern art is a scam".

Before I even get into my argument I can almost hear the backlash from people saying;
"Well I like the painting"  - "People can do what they like with their money" .

However, this is not my point but I will answer such responses in advance.
On the first ; Yes there will be those who will genuinely like the picture, however it is easy to say you like something when you are not paying for it. If you had to put your hand in your pocket and fork out a few million I would gamble the same people would run a mile.
Secondly, there is a subtle underlining pressure to say you like the painting because of the high price it fetched. Someone paid millions for it so it must be good right? Thus if I say it is not good then it means I must not understand such art. So in order to appear cool or intelligent I should say I like it. People can deny this all they want but we all know this is the truth. But as I say this s not my point.

To the second critical response ;"People can do what they like with their money" .
I agree, but I am not arguing against this. People are free to buy what they want and if they want to spend millions on a painting then I have nothing against that.

So what´s my point then?

My point has two levels.

First; The Fame.
OK, fame has always been part of the art world. When an artist gained notoriety then it brought their name to the wider attention and so helped their career. Getting commissions and being able to sell their work more and for better prices. And admittedly some artists quite like being known. But those artists are usually those who are naturally extroverts anyway. Like Salvador Dali for example. Even Caravaggio liked his fame. But even so, their work had to stand up to their fame and fame was not what drove them and fame is not what made them.

There are thousands of artists who hate or reject fame and prefer to use all their creative energy in their actual artwork. Lucian Freud for example. An astounding artist who only gave two interviews in his entire life which is why very few know what he looked like.
My point here is that in modern times, fame has become the name of the game to get to the top of the ladder fast.
It is said that the pop singer Madonna is partly responsible for this.
Before Madonna, stars tried to avoid publicity unless it was carefully arranged. The Hollywood stars of the 50s, like Clarke Gable for example, actually paid people to keep their name out of the newspapers.
However, Madonna was the first to see that fame could be a quick way to the top. She actually paid people to get her name IN to the newspapers.

She apparently said:  "I want my name in every newspaper, every magazine and on every TV channel. It does not matter what the story is, good or bad, just get my name out there". 

It might seem quite normal today, but back in the early 1980s this was totally new, and it led to the whole celebrity A list status game we have today.
Madonna paved the way and it went into every corner of the creative business. Music, art and films.
Of course you have to have some talent in the first place, but today a little talent can go a long way with the help of clever marketing. Whereas in the 1950s your talent had to be huge and was the main driving force of your career.
I believe the same has happened in the art world.

And so I am not particularly saying against the art of  Jean-Michel Basquiat. It is not for my taste but as an artist I can see the skill and the meaning. But $110 million dollars? I don´t think so.
I personally don´t think any art is worth that.
But of course the price of something is what someone is willing to pay for it.
However, here is the crux of the matter.
Fame and money blinds us from the seeing the truth.
For fame has come to mean something has more value.

SHORT STORY:
A guy goes to a wedding party. At the party he see a young beautiful girl and he fancies her. He decides to introduce himself to the young girl with the intention of asking her out on a date.
He asks some other guests if they know who this young pretty girl is.
It turns out that the young girl is heiress to a large fortune.
Suddenly the guy looks at the girl in an entirely different way.
He no longer sees just the girl but the girl and her money.

This what happens with art that fetches high prices.
We no longer look at the painting but instead its price tag.
Honestly, who can really look at a Van Gogh painting without wondering how valuable it is.


Secondly, put a real Van Gogh among the work of an amateur artist selling their work on the street and I bet no one would even notice it.

High prices and fame have gradually brain washed us all from being able to look at a painting for what it really means or stands for.
Art has become a commodity for the rich.

Art was never meant for that. But as long as we are all so obsessed and fascinated by the value of art, we will never re-learn how to look a work of the art as it was meant to be viewed.

When Jacques Louis David displayed "The Oath of the Horatii" in 1784.. the queue to see the painting was over a mile long.
People wanted to see it not because David was famous or the price of the painting was high, but because people were so emotionally moved by the image. It touched them deeply and moved them to tears.
When I saw this painting back in 1989 all I heard people talk about was how valuable the painting must be.

IGNORE THE FAME; IGNORE THE PRICE.
LEARN TO SEE THE ART NOT THE HYPE.

Thank you for reading and visiting my blog and a warm welcome back next time.