The great Art Exodus

Basquait: it’s worth how much?

Time line Los Angeles 2010 and three great art collectors are dead. Actor Dennis Hopper, gallery director Robert Shapazian and computer pioneer Max Palevsky. The result a multi million dollar art sale bonanza at Christie’s, where paintings by Basquait, Lichtenstein, Warhol and host of other famous names will re-enter the art market. The ensuing greed fest has caused much wringing of hands amongst West coast art lovers, who are looking on teary eyed at the inevitable dispersal of these great artists works to private collections throughout the world. If only these paintings could remain in LA…

Why? 

Would the people of LA want to spend $28million for Jasper Johns (iconic though it may be) American flag? Would they want to spend $106.5 million on yet another Picasso? No. And quite right too.

Basquait, Lichtenstein, and Warhol are all as East coast as it is possible to be, what do they have to do with Los Angeles? Who cares if Palevsky’s collection of Roman artifacts goes to the four corners of the world? He has already donated over 500 objects d’art to LACMA in the past 20 years. Isn’t that enough?

Art collectors, public galleries and museums are the same the world over. They worry when big ticket masterpieces are sold outside their artistic jurisdiction. Such ‘losses’ as they are often called, are frequently interpreted as an economic and cultural snub by the forces of international fine art capitalism. Fighting the tide of fine art economics will always be a loosing battle for cultural institutions. For every overpriced work of art that is ‘saved’ for cultural posterity, dozens will be lost to the bank vault obscurity of art investors and billionaire dilettantes.

Far better for cultural institutions to buy work of cultural importance when prices are still sensible. Why no Rbt Williams at the LACMA? Why no Rick Griffin? Why no Mouse & Kelly? All artists with a world wide cultural impact. All artists that define the very essence of Californian culture and the West coast dream. Why are they not represented? Is it because art institutions cannot realize arts true value until they cannot afford it?