Page 14 - June 2018 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
P. 14
Yet Steve Lazarides still waits for “the floodgates to
The Art World’s open” as prices have stagnated for the simple reason that
Best Kept Secret none of the great works are coming to auction. This is
because no one wants to sell their Banksy, and if they do
come up for sale, it happens outside the auction market.
It is a late-summer night in the city where anything There the market is red hot. A signed screen print of Girl
is possible. Small children have difficulty sleeping in with Balloon currently costs $180,000. We are talking
the heat that makes bare arms and backs sweat. Fire about a piece of paper that 149 other people have. And
hydrants shoot water into the street-lights’ glare and 600 others, unsigned.
the city’s inhabitants have moved onto the streets. The original paintings are even more expensive.
Night has settled in the Bronx, but the lights of Currently, $1 million will get you a signed Girl with
Manhattan’s skyscrapers shimmer in the distance. At a The shredding of Girl with Balloon Balloon in the secondary market. It originally sold for
deserted subway station, a gang of teenagers climb by Banksy at Sotheby’s $300. When an original work featuring Girl with Balloon
down between the subway cars, one hand with an iron was partially shredded at Sotheby’s in one of the art world’s
grip on the railings and the other holding a can of spray most notable art performances last year, in the middle
paint. The bombing is over in a few minutes. The of the auction itself, many art experts said the value
entire subway car is covered in letters and numbers in immediately doubled. In addition, it became a coveted
a combination reminiscent of spacecraft launched to work of the future for museums, just seconds after being
the moon. Graffiti’s pioneers cover car after car with clubbed at auction.
their tags. Julio 204, Taki 183, Frank 207 and Joe 136:
artist names based on a combination of where they Selling, Collecting, and Value
grew up, where they belong, where they come from. While an increasing number of art dealers can count
Predecessors, Cornbread and Cool Earl, have already themselves as millionaires in street art, the artists them-
been spraying their turf in Philadelphia for a couple of selves continue to give their own cities art and public
years. Now it is New York’s turn. Left: Untitled 6 by Taki 183 sold for $800 decoration without asking for anything in return.
at auction in April, 2019. Why is it so? Since none of the significant works have
The Growth of a Movement – Right: Love PRIDE by Keith Haring been sold at auction, the auction houses offer reserve prices
with a New Canvas that are too low, driving collectors to sell them in other
Many more would follow in their footsteps. For ways. And so it will go on, as long as auction houses do not
some, it is an alternative to being idle or drawn guarantee sellers a relevant amount. Most people who own
inevitably to juvenile crime. For others, it is about self- a good Banksy know what they have and won’t sell unless
expression, letting their creativity flow, and developing they really have to. Or as Steve Lazarides puts it, “If some-
an artistic talent. While for others still, it is about one offered me £1.2 million for one of the better paintings,
seeking validation by having their modern rune then I’d shake my head. £2 million might get me thinking.
inscriptions seen in as many places as possible. £3‒5 million might get me to lift it off the wall.”
These street artists have formed the strongest art When I ask Steve, former gallerist for the art world’s
movement since postmodernism – a movement that We The People by Shepard Fairey, a signed and best-kept secret, about the prices, he replies that most
has transformed every city around the world. What numbered print selling for $1,099.99 at posterflip.com street artists from the generation he worked with were
began as political statements by activists aiming never sponsored, never received stipends, grants or other
The Rise of a Master
to spread their opinions soon became the artistic benefits. Most of the street artists he knows financed their
The art of the Englishman, who initially
language of the street. It became society’s most own art projects by selling their art. If it wasn’t so, most
worked mostly in Bristol, England, involves a
invisible method of communication. A powerful artists would be the children of wealthy people. The
expression of the anonymous. very simple and direct message with elements question becomes, how interesting would art be then?
of social criticism and politics. It quickly
Street art evolved. Tags became graffiti; graffiti In the beginning, keeping the identity of street art
became performance and installations. The art form appealed to a wide audience – both children masters secret was to avoid prosecution by the police and
shifted from subway cars to house walls. From cross- and the elderly. The purchasing public was other authorities, but today it is more because the public
roads to trendy art galleries and auctions around the split between various socioeconomic classes. wants it that way. When it comes to Banksy, an era has
world. Names such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith The longer Banksy’s career, the more
been built around one anonymous person. Nobody wants
expensive his work becomes in the secondary
Haring were picked up by Andy Warhol and his to reveal the secret or gains anything by it. It is like telling
market. His art has gone from costing a
entourage. Suddenly the most serious collectors of a five-year-old that Santa Claus does not exist.
contemporary painting wanted to surround themselves couple of hundred dollars to several million. Once the media hunted Banksy and Steve around the
with what most people called vandalism and special Steve Lazarides, Banksy’s former gallerist,
clock, hoping for a name or a picture. But soon they
police units tried to stop. Billions were spent fighting sold screen prints costing the equivalent of
realized that if they were to reveal the anonymous artist the
$40 unsigned and $180 signed. The prices
the strongest artistic movement of modern times; magic would be gone. And newspaper sales would drop.
but no matter how they tried, the pieces were being remained the same even though there was Even in the US, some artists have achieved the same
shuffled around the board. Graffiti artists found new already a significantly more lucrative market. cult status for a wider audience. One of them is Shepard
spaces on untrodden ground. Instead of putting their When they released new work, others were
Fairey who became world-famous for making a poster of a
tags and the increasingly artistic designs on the outside already waiting with their sales notices on
black man. That man was Barack Obama, the first black
eBay. In two minutes they were selling for
of the subway cars, they covered the inside. Rapid president of the United States. Today the work hangs in
$2,500 instead of $40.
bombings with tags returned as the conflict with the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.
the authorities escalated to a policy of zero tolerance in
several countries. Around the same time, the English Pontus Silfverstolpe is one of the founders of Barnebys, the world’s leading search aggregator for art, antiques,
School of street art received more headlines. Above all, design, and collectibles. He is an auction expert with more than 20 years of experience of fine arts and antiques.
one name in particular appeared in the media more Pontus is well-known in Sweden as the host of antiques TV shows and as an antiques expert for several Swedish
than any other: Banksy. magazines. In his blog at Barnebys he writes about the art market, trends and gives analyses.
Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
12
The Art World’s open” as prices have stagnated for the simple reason that
Best Kept Secret none of the great works are coming to auction. This is
because no one wants to sell their Banksy, and if they do
come up for sale, it happens outside the auction market.
It is a late-summer night in the city where anything There the market is red hot. A signed screen print of Girl
is possible. Small children have difficulty sleeping in with Balloon currently costs $180,000. We are talking
the heat that makes bare arms and backs sweat. Fire about a piece of paper that 149 other people have. And
hydrants shoot water into the street-lights’ glare and 600 others, unsigned.
the city’s inhabitants have moved onto the streets. The original paintings are even more expensive.
Night has settled in the Bronx, but the lights of Currently, $1 million will get you a signed Girl with
Manhattan’s skyscrapers shimmer in the distance. At a The shredding of Girl with Balloon Balloon in the secondary market. It originally sold for
deserted subway station, a gang of teenagers climb by Banksy at Sotheby’s $300. When an original work featuring Girl with Balloon
down between the subway cars, one hand with an iron was partially shredded at Sotheby’s in one of the art world’s
grip on the railings and the other holding a can of spray most notable art performances last year, in the middle
paint. The bombing is over in a few minutes. The of the auction itself, many art experts said the value
entire subway car is covered in letters and numbers in immediately doubled. In addition, it became a coveted
a combination reminiscent of spacecraft launched to work of the future for museums, just seconds after being
the moon. Graffiti’s pioneers cover car after car with clubbed at auction.
their tags. Julio 204, Taki 183, Frank 207 and Joe 136:
artist names based on a combination of where they Selling, Collecting, and Value
grew up, where they belong, where they come from. While an increasing number of art dealers can count
Predecessors, Cornbread and Cool Earl, have already themselves as millionaires in street art, the artists them-
been spraying their turf in Philadelphia for a couple of selves continue to give their own cities art and public
years. Now it is New York’s turn. Left: Untitled 6 by Taki 183 sold for $800 decoration without asking for anything in return.
at auction in April, 2019. Why is it so? Since none of the significant works have
The Growth of a Movement – Right: Love PRIDE by Keith Haring been sold at auction, the auction houses offer reserve prices
with a New Canvas that are too low, driving collectors to sell them in other
Many more would follow in their footsteps. For ways. And so it will go on, as long as auction houses do not
some, it is an alternative to being idle or drawn guarantee sellers a relevant amount. Most people who own
inevitably to juvenile crime. For others, it is about self- a good Banksy know what they have and won’t sell unless
expression, letting their creativity flow, and developing they really have to. Or as Steve Lazarides puts it, “If some-
an artistic talent. While for others still, it is about one offered me £1.2 million for one of the better paintings,
seeking validation by having their modern rune then I’d shake my head. £2 million might get me thinking.
inscriptions seen in as many places as possible. £3‒5 million might get me to lift it off the wall.”
These street artists have formed the strongest art When I ask Steve, former gallerist for the art world’s
movement since postmodernism – a movement that We The People by Shepard Fairey, a signed and best-kept secret, about the prices, he replies that most
has transformed every city around the world. What numbered print selling for $1,099.99 at posterflip.com street artists from the generation he worked with were
began as political statements by activists aiming never sponsored, never received stipends, grants or other
The Rise of a Master
to spread their opinions soon became the artistic benefits. Most of the street artists he knows financed their
The art of the Englishman, who initially
language of the street. It became society’s most own art projects by selling their art. If it wasn’t so, most
worked mostly in Bristol, England, involves a
invisible method of communication. A powerful artists would be the children of wealthy people. The
expression of the anonymous. very simple and direct message with elements question becomes, how interesting would art be then?
of social criticism and politics. It quickly
Street art evolved. Tags became graffiti; graffiti In the beginning, keeping the identity of street art
became performance and installations. The art form appealed to a wide audience – both children masters secret was to avoid prosecution by the police and
shifted from subway cars to house walls. From cross- and the elderly. The purchasing public was other authorities, but today it is more because the public
roads to trendy art galleries and auctions around the split between various socioeconomic classes. wants it that way. When it comes to Banksy, an era has
world. Names such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith The longer Banksy’s career, the more
been built around one anonymous person. Nobody wants
expensive his work becomes in the secondary
Haring were picked up by Andy Warhol and his to reveal the secret or gains anything by it. It is like telling
market. His art has gone from costing a
entourage. Suddenly the most serious collectors of a five-year-old that Santa Claus does not exist.
contemporary painting wanted to surround themselves couple of hundred dollars to several million. Once the media hunted Banksy and Steve around the
with what most people called vandalism and special Steve Lazarides, Banksy’s former gallerist,
clock, hoping for a name or a picture. But soon they
police units tried to stop. Billions were spent fighting sold screen prints costing the equivalent of
realized that if they were to reveal the anonymous artist the
$40 unsigned and $180 signed. The prices
the strongest artistic movement of modern times; magic would be gone. And newspaper sales would drop.
but no matter how they tried, the pieces were being remained the same even though there was Even in the US, some artists have achieved the same
shuffled around the board. Graffiti artists found new already a significantly more lucrative market. cult status for a wider audience. One of them is Shepard
spaces on untrodden ground. Instead of putting their When they released new work, others were
Fairey who became world-famous for making a poster of a
tags and the increasingly artistic designs on the outside already waiting with their sales notices on
black man. That man was Barack Obama, the first black
eBay. In two minutes they were selling for
of the subway cars, they covered the inside. Rapid president of the United States. Today the work hangs in
$2,500 instead of $40.
bombings with tags returned as the conflict with the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.
the authorities escalated to a policy of zero tolerance in
several countries. Around the same time, the English Pontus Silfverstolpe is one of the founders of Barnebys, the world’s leading search aggregator for art, antiques,
School of street art received more headlines. Above all, design, and collectibles. He is an auction expert with more than 20 years of experience of fine arts and antiques.
one name in particular appeared in the media more Pontus is well-known in Sweden as the host of antiques TV shows and as an antiques expert for several Swedish
than any other: Banksy. magazines. In his blog at Barnebys he writes about the art market, trends and gives analyses.
Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
12
