{"id":778,"date":"2021-06-02T08:55:48","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T00:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atelierauction.com\/globalupdates\/?p=778"},"modified":"2021-05-31T10:10:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T02:10:15","slug":"hard-truths-why-am-i-addicted-to-buying-figurative-painting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atelierauction.com\/globalupdates\/artist\/hard-truths-why-am-i-addicted-to-buying-figurative-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"HARD TRUTHS: WHY AM I ADDICTED TO BUYING FIGURATIVE PAINTING?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have an MFA<\/a>, I\u2019ve worked as an assistant to many successful artists, and my friends have modest careers. But after thirteen years of trying, I still can\u2019t get a show. Admittedly, I wasn\u2019t always happy with my work, but I\u2019ve reached a point where I feel more than ready to exhibit it. I invite people over, visit other studios, apply to every relevant grant, go to openings, etc. But no one can be bothered. Maybe once or twice a year someone with influence asks me if I make art, but they never follow up. I don\u2019t expect to be handed anything, but I am still shocked at how closed off the art world is. Once a very kind artist I worked for told her gallerist to check out my work and he laughed at us. Why isn\u2019t nepotism working for me? Isn\u2019t this how the art world works?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ouch. It seems like you\u2019ve been in the right place at the wrong time. You thought you said the right thing, but you must have used the wrong line. You\u2019ve been on the right trip, but you must have used the wrong car. Now your head is in a bad place and you are wondering: What am I good for? Feels familiar, right? Of course it does, we just paraphrased the bayou koans of Dr. John<\/a> to drive home a fundamental point: proximity isn\u2019t the same as participation.<\/p>\n

Thirteen years is an awfully long time to fan the aspirational flames of a nonstarter career. You\u2019ve stuck around long enough to witness the abhorrence of the art world\u2019s inner operations, and yet you haven\u2019t run screaming. This is either a sign of true stamina or deep stubbornness. Nepotism is a definite advantage, though hardly a guarantee, especially at a job that doesn\u2019t come with health insurance. Many blue-chip artists who started out just like you benefited from a smattering of luck and a proclivity for socially aggressive behavior. Getting all up in people\u2019s faces may just not be your style.<\/p>\n

While having connections hasn\u2019t worked in your favor, you should still appreciate the perspective gained from your job experience. Your foot has been wedged in the door for thirteen years and there are many people who would aspire to wear your unfulfilled shoes. More than anything else, you should be thrilled to have finally reached a place where you are happy with your art. Some artists never achieve this level of satisfaction in their lifetime, including the professional artists you have assisted.<\/p>\n

Since nepotism is so clearly unreliable, why not consider rebranding? Instead of keeping a close distance and observing without attracting attention, try presenting yourself as a confident artist to the power brokers of the art world. People are constantly reinventing themselves in this industry: there\u2019s always an eighth chance for a twelfth impression, especially under the art world\u2019s darting eyes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m addicted to buying figurative paintings. Lately, I\u2019ve seen a lot of second-rate work flooding the market\u2014paintings of brooms, pickles, dogs, clowns, and buttholes in dopey, trippy situations\u2014and it concerns me. I got burned collecting process-based abstraction a few years back. The value of my pieces went way up at one point, but today I\u2019m left holding a bunch of dated interior decorations by artists whose names have vanished from auction houses and the collective memory. I\u2019m getting d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu! Will the market collapse on me a second time?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sounds like you are hankering for freaky figuration precisely because you failed to capitalize on splotchy crapstraction<\/a>. You have a gambler\u2019s spirit and are consistently bringing it to the art world\u2019s $5 blackjack table. You are looking for a card so high and wild that you\u2019ll never need to be dealt another, and you want to trade the holy game you play for shelter. We are purposefully misquoting Leonard Cohen because he too recognized that, for all the fun and free cocktails at the casino, the house always wins. Buying art as an investment is chancy, and you strike us as the sort of person who loves playing Russian roulette. Why not embrace your love of risk? You may get stuck with clown butthole paintings and tie-dyed bedsheets<\/a>, but they will forever be cherished mementos of the thrills you had losing your shirt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source\uff1ahttps:\/\/www.artnews.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have an MFA, I\u2019ve worked as an assistant to many successful artists, and my friends have modest careers. But after thirteen years of trying, I still can\u2019t get a show. Admittedly, I wasn\u2019t always happy with my work, but I\u2019ve reached a point where I feel more than ready to exhibit it. I invite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,13,7,4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artist","8":"category-auction","9":"category-events","10":"category-gallery","11":"category-latest-news"},"yoast_head":"\nHARD TRUTHS: WHY AM I ADDICTED TO BUYING FIGURATIVE PAINTING? - Investable Art Auctioneer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I have an MFA, I\u2019ve worked as an assistant to many successful artists, and my friends have modest careers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atelierauction.com\/globalupdates\/artist\/hard-truths-why-am-i-addicted-to-buying-figurative-painting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HARD TRUTHS: WHY AM I ADDICTED TO BUYING FIGURATIVE PAINTING? 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