It’s supposed to be a good thing when art meets marketing, because marketing bridges the gap between a piece of art and those who appreciate it. However, it becomes almost nauseating when art actually is the marketing. An e-mail from the Kluger Agency, who represents Mariah Carey and Ludacris, proposed offering the owner of Double Happiness Jeans, a virtual sweatshop in Second Life, an opportunity to include Double Happiness Jeans, with the right price, in the lyrics of an upcoming Pussycat Dolls song. While Pussycat Dolls is not a band with too much integrity that will cause heart attacks to their fans, it’s still scary to imagine the possibility of other artists writing songs to advertise products and companies that pay them.

However, who is to blame? Digital music and file sharing have forced the musicians to scour for new revenue sources. Music itself has become less of a product, but more of marketing, branding, merchandising, and targeting rolled into one. This trend can be verified by the fact that more and more major artists such as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails offer their music for free or whatever price people want to pay. Licensing deals, brand extensions, product lines, live events, movie and TV deals are where the money really is.

What about the contemporary art industry? The sales shows that an art piece is still the product, one that can sell for millions of dollars. Sotheby’s and Christie’s, the two main auction houses, together sold an eye-popping $12.5 billion in artwork last year—an annual increase of more than 40 percent. However, who determines the value of an art piece? Artists?  Buyers? Dealers? Or galleries? My answer is the marketing. Marketing stimulates demand, marketing creates a social status of ownership, and then marketing determines the value of an art piece. The success of some of the most popular artists throughout history is often due to their performance as businessmen. Damien Hirst, undeniably the most profitable artist alive, was once accused by The New York Times of being less of an artist than “the manager of the hedge fund of Damien Hirst’s art.” And as we all know, Andy Warhol once observed: “Good business is the best art.”

Art, when it meets marketing, sells.

The winner of the 2008 Next Star Artist Competition, Herb Williams, is currently having a solo exhibition of his work at the Monsoon Gallery in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. According to the Monsoon Gallery press release “The Monsoon show will include many flowers ­ a perfect subject choice due to the intense saturation of color the crayons give Williams ­ as well as several homages to great artists throughout history. Williams’ art can be enjoyed by all, but audiences with knowledge of art history will especially enjoy seeing his take on the work of artists such as Jim Dine, Alexander Calder, Paul Cezanne, and Albrecht Durer”

Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
July 11 - September 3
Opening Friday, July 11

Location:
Monsoon Gallery
11 East 3rd Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
610.866.6600
www.monsoongalleries.com

Press Reviews:

• According to Caroline
• Museum PR News
• Montgomery Newspapers

Image Source:
“Homage To Andre Serrano”
15? x 17? x 17?
mixed media
in artist collection
©Herb Williams

About the Author
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.

A report into the questionable conduct of some of Australia’s top art dealers and auction houses by the current affairs program Four Corners has led to a formal complaint being made regarding the practices of Australia’s top art auction house. Rodney Menzies of Australia’s leading art auction house, Deutscher Menzies, has been accused of inadequate disclosure in relation to minimum price guarantees given to the owners of works being sold through the auction house. Also part of the complaint are allegations of unethical practices relating to the sale of works of art through his own auction house that Mr. Menzies either owns or has part ownership in as part of a syndicate. These unethical practices include instances in which Mr. Menzies has allegedly sold works that he owns through his auction house and then purchased that work through, or as part of, an entity that he either wholly owns or partly owns for the purposes of creating better results for his auction house.

The complaint has been made against Mr. Menzies by several rival art auction houses who are of the opinion that this lack of disclosure and misleading conduct have resulted in inflated prices and misleadingly positive perception of the performance of his auction house and the art market as a whole. Several examples of this misleading conduct are available on the Four Corners website including the example below which indicates that Mr. Menzies purchased a work outright that he had himself consigned to the auction as part of a syndicate of owners.

Arthur Boyd’s Death of a Husband

This picture was consigned to the August 2000 DM sale and sold to private buyer who consigned it to the DM September 2004 sale and was purchased by a partnership syndicate (including Mr. Menzies as a partnership member), the picture was subsequently consigned to the LM February 2007 LM sale and 100% ownership of the picture was purchased by Mr. Menzies. Mr. Menzies consigned the picture to the DM June 2008 sale and it was sold to a private buyer.”

Misleading conduct by art auction houses and art dealers is a very serious matter that is putting the future of the art market at risk for what can only be considered as opportunistic greed. If these art dealers and auction houses participating in questionable practices had any brains they would be trying to ensure the longevity of the art market boom instead of using inflationary tactics to make more money faster.

View program on Australian art market.

Image Source: Owner of Menzies Art Brands, Rod Menzies, with a painting by Brett Whiteley titled “Olgas”

About the Author
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.

The more information you have about artists and the art market, the better your chances of being a successful art investor.  Check out the full post to see my top ten sources for videos

American artist Herb Williams has been announced as the winner of the 2008 Next Star Artist competition, the global search for the visual artist with the highest potential for success in the art market. The winner of the competition was chosen by a panel of fifteen judges that consisted of influential people from various sectors of the art world.

Herb Williams is a Nashville, Tennessee based sculptor whose innovative use of crayons to construct highly tactile and engaging sculptures are impressive to say the least and attracted plenty of attention from the Next Star Artist judges. According to his website (www.herbwilliamsart.com), Williams is the “only individual in the world with an account with Crayola”. As the winner of the competition, Williams will receive an amazing promotion and PR package that includes, amongst other things, a solo online exhibition, an online media blitz, and three months of mentoring, advice and promotion by art consultant and art market analyst Nicholas Forrest.

“The reason that I created the Next Star Artist competition is that I come across so many fantastic artists who either do not have the skills to promote themselves or are just not in a position to take advantage of the promotional opportunities that are available. I would like to congratulate Herb Williams for winning the first Next Star Artist competition and would also like to thank all the artist’s who entered the competition and wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavors” Nicholas Forrest (founder of Next Star Artist competition)

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For more information visit the Next Star Website or email Nicholas Forrest

Sydney, Australia – The search for the world’s Next Star Artist heated up on Sunday night (June when the ten finalists of the Next Star Artist competition for visual artists were announced. Artists from all over the world took part in the competition which aims to identify a visual artist who has the potential for success but needs guidance and direction to succeed.

The winning entry will be chosen from the ten finalists by an esteemed panel of judges all of whom have the knowledge and experience to determine which of the finalists has the greatest potential for art market success. The winner will be announced on the 27^th of June and will receive three months of mentoring by art critic, art market analyst and art consultant Nicholas Forrest as well as an extensive online publicity and promotion package.

More than 250 visual artists from all over the world submitted their work to the controversial competition that was started by Sydney, Australia based art market analyst and art critic Nicholas Forrest. Frustrated with the large number of talented visual artists that go unrecognized, Mr. Forrest took on the challenge of finding and mentoring an artist who had the potential for future stardom and a hunger for success which resulted in the creation of the Next Star Artist competition.

In announcing the finalists Mr. Forrest said “Although I am unable to assist anywhere near as many of the talented but unrecognized visual artists as I would like, the Next Star Artist competition will at least provide one more source of encouragement for the world’s visual artists.”

The ten Next Star Artist competition finalists are:

• Eunice Lieveld
• Zoe Crosse
• Elizabeth Wallace
• Simon Wright
• Hou Chien Cheng
• Seamus Nolan
• Herb Williams
• Volkan Diyaroglu
• Heidi Taillefer
• Monika Bielskyte

For more information visit the Next Star Artist website.

Nicholas Forrest
Artmarketblog.com
+61 2 94777130 phone
+61 0422699730 mobile
artmarketblog@gmail.com

With the world famous art fair Art Basel opening tomorrow, June 4 2008, there is plenty of speculation about who will be buying what and for how much but I would like to avert your attention for a moment to another major art event that you may not be aware of. I am particularly excited about this event because it is being held in my home town of Sydney, Australia and also because I am one of the official reporters which means that I will be keeping all the visitors up to date with everything that is happening and informing those that won’t be attending what they are missing out on. The 2008 Sydney Biennale may not be as high profile as many of the other major art events but it is considered to be one of the most important contemporary art events today and promises to be a landmark event. First held at the exhibition hall of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, the Sydney Biennale is one of the longest running biennales eclipsed only by the Venice Biennale (1895), São Paulo Art Biennial (1951) and the Biennale de Paris (1959).

From the 18th of June to the 7th of September the work of than 180 artists from all over the world will be exhibited in what promises to be one of the most exciting art exhibitions of the year which will include a diverse range of works, 50 of which will be newly created for the Biennale. The artistic director of the 2008 Sydney Biennale is Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev who is currently the Chief Curator at the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art in Italy and has previously organised exhibitions throughout Europe as well as at MOMA’s P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre in New York. The theme for the Biennale is “Revolutions – Forms That Turn” which according to Christov-Bakargiev “articulates the agency embedded in forms that express our desire for change”.

Having seen some of the featured artworks and the plans for some of the events I can honestly say that the 2008 Sydney Biennale is going to be an extraordinary celebration of art that will be sure to excite and entertain any art lover. I know that Sydney, Australia is rather a long way for many people to travel but if are able to attend I urge you to make the trip because if you don’t, I can guarantee you will be sorry. If the Biennale isn’t one of the prime events on your calendar then you are missing out on what will be an amazing opportunity to reflect on past artistic talent and marvel at the work of some of the world’s best contemporary artists. I am so excited about this years Sydney Biennale that I could go on all day but instead I will leave it to you to found out more information.

For more information check out the 2008 Sydney Biennale website here:
http://www.bos2008.com/app/biennale

and the online venue here:
http://www.bos2008.com/revolutionsonline/

About the Author
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.

I have become more and more interested in photography both as an artistic medium and as an investment primarily because photography relatively inexpensive compared to other mediums and has excellent investment potential. I used to struggle with fine art photography and often found myself rather bewildered and dissatisfied with many of the photographic works that I come across until I really made an effort to learn more about the medium. When I began investing in contemporary photographic works of art I started to really question what it was that constituted a good photograph and what it was that differentiated a work of contemporary photographic art from, say, a picture of a sunset in a tourist souvenir calendar. As I soon discovered, the problem with my original approach to photography was that I was expecting immediate gratification and instant understanding just as you get from most of the photographs that one is exposed to whether it be from the family album or in the newspaper.

A photograph is essentially the result of a moment captured in time which usually involves some level of spontaniety so to fully understand and appreciate a photographic work of art one will often need to understand things such as: the story behind the photo, the circumstances in which it the photo taken, the context in which it was taken and the reason it was taken. Once I actually began to take the time to truly understand fine art photography I really began to appreciate and enjoy the challenging nature of the medium. My reason for telling you all this is to encourage you to spend time to understand and appreciate contemporary fine art photography, you won’t be disapointed.

Now that I have encouraged you all to start investing in, or collecting, contemporary fine art photography I suppose I should tell you where you can purchase museum quality photographs that won’t break the bank. San Franciso Camerwork was founded in 1974 as a non-profit organisation to encourage emerging and mid-career artists to “explore new directions in photography and related media by fostering creative forms of expressions that push existing boundaries. SF Camerwork holds regular exhibitions, lectures, mentoring programs and other other events as well as producing the highly regarded publication CAMERAWORK: A JOURNAL OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS. One way the organisation raises funds is through their membership program which offers various different levels of membership that provide varying levels of benefits and services. Each member who joins at the collector member (US$350) or above can select a signed, limited edition photograph by some of the amazing artists who have contributed work to SF Camerwork such as Debra Bloomfield, J.John Priola, A. Leo Nash, Andrea Modica and others. Not only does membership get you a fantastic museum quality photographic print at way below market value but you also get:

• Free subscription to their award-winning publication, Camerawork: A Journal of Photographic Arts
• Free admission to Camerawork’s groundbreaking exhibitions, lectures, workshops, performances, screenings, and other events
• Discounts on SF Camerawork gallery rentals, the annual Portrait Party, Auction, and all books sold at SF Camerawork and Foto-Grafix Books
• Free admission and discounts at photography museums across the country
• Invitations to exclusive members-only parties, events, critiques, and portfolio reviews

If you are in the market for museum quality photographs with extremely good investment potential then visit the SF Camerwork website and become a member. As well as getting a great deal you are also helping to encourage the emerging and mid-career artists that SF Camerawork supports. If you are an art investor or collector you would have to be crazy not to take advantage of this opportunity, regardless of whether you like photography or not.

Membership:
http://www.sfcamerawork.org/membership.html

Available Prints:
http://www.sfcamerawork.org/prints.html

Image: “Boy” from the the series Saved by J. John Priola

About the Author
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.

You have probably all heard or read something about the controversial works of Australian photographer Bill Henson that have been confiscated by police due to the use of naked underage girls in his work. I would not normally get involved in a debate that has already been commented on by everyone and anyone but since I have already written on a similar issue involving the work of Nan Goldin, and I am an Australian, I am going to say my piece.

Considering that Bill Henson has been producing similar works for more than 15 years it is unfortunate that he has basically been led to believe that what he is doing would not result in any serious negative consequences. I have no doubt that Henson has been treated unfairly and has been falsely portrayed as some sort of child abuse promoting monster. However, now that the works have come under scrutiny there is no way that action can’t be taken. By not taking action after questions have been raised I believe that the police or who ever else is responsible for investigating such complaints would be seen as advocating eroticised images of children (whether or not they were). I have heard compelling arguments from both sides of the fence and would like to be able to support Bill Henson (who is a fantastic artist) and his work but as a Christian I am compelled to look beyond my opinion as an art critic.

I do believe that there are two main factors in this whole saga that should be considered above all others and they are consent and consequence. I am aware that there have been comments from one of Henson’s former child models that supports his work but the opinion of one or even a few of the former models cannot be taken as I doubt that the children in Henson’s photos were able to fully understand the gravity of the situation or fully comprehend the possible issues and consequences of being photographed naked. Because the children in the photographs were not able to make a decision with the same understanding and awareness that an adult would, they should really not have been allowed to consent to being photographed or have consent given for them by their parents. The second issue of the consequences of not taking some action, as I mentioned earlier, could be used as an excuse for more sinister activities which just can’t happen. I think it is also important to remember that Bill Henson is the only person who really has any choice in this situation in that he can choose to change the subject of his future work but the children in his photographs can’t choose to be taken out of his past work.

I do actually agree with those that are of the opinion that Bill Henson’s work is art and not pornography but as far as I am concerned the question of whether or not Henson’s work is art or not is not the primary issue. I also genuinely believe that Henson’s motives were genuinely artistic and that in no way is Bill Henson a pedophile. Having said this, the life of a child is far more important than anything related to art and artistic freedom.

Photo of Bill Henson and one of his works by: Jon Reid

About the Author
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.

The art market is generally considered to be an unregulated market which basically means that it is not controlled or governed according to rule or principle or law. Another term for an unregulated market is a free market the definition of which is, according to the Farlex financial dictionary, “A market economy based on supply and demand with little or no government control” (ie. taxes, subsidies or regulation).

The reasons that people are calling for the art market to be regulated are:

1. To prevent or control insider trading (insider trading is where someone who has access to non-public information through their position in a business or organisation and uses that information as the basis for conducting a market trade with the intention of benefiting from the use of the information)

2. To prevent monopolisation

3. To prevent price gouging (where sellers ask for a price that is much higher than what would be deemed fair under the circumstances)

4. To police the existence of questionable practices such as the inclusion of “right of first refusal” clauses in sales documents

Although the art market is technically unregulated there is one piece of legislation that acts as a sort of regulation and that piece of legislation is the resale royalty (droit de suite). For those of you no familiar with the resale royalty, a very broad definition is “the right of artists to receive royalties from the resale of their works”. In countries where the resale royalty has been implemented art dealers (basically anyone who sells art that attracts a resale royalty) is required to provide a report of eligible sales to the governing body of the resale royalty. According to the UK legislation artists are able to demand that any “art market professional’ (sellers, buyers, intermediaries, sale rooms, art galleries and art dealers) provide information needed to secure payment of royalties. By requiring that an art market professional provide such a report the resale royalty promotes transparency, accuracy, ethical practice and is basically a form of regulation.

Although some level of regulation would seem to be a requirement in a global market estimated to be worth 30-40 billion dollars a year, there are some compelling reasons that too much regulation could be bad for the art market. History has shown that there is very little correlation between the art market and other investment markets such as the stock market and real estate market. One of the main reasons that people are currently moving into art investment is because the art market has shown to be relatively immune to the factors that cause the other investment markets to be highly volatile or to perform badly. It would seem that one of the reasons for the lack of correlation is the lack of regulation of the art market which would suggest that if the art market were to be regulated to the same extent as other investment markets that the art market would then become susceptible to the same factors that affect other investment markets.

So, do you think that the art market should be more regulated and if so, how?

About the Author
Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.