Just before I embark on a small trip to Amsterdam, to get absolutely doped up on contemporary art, here is something I have posted over at the Independent Collectors discussion forum and have meant to share over here for ages. So here goes:

“The Great Contemporary Art Bubble” by Ben Lewis, created in 2008 and 2009 is subtitled “The Film The Art World Doesn’t Want You To See”. Let me answer three questions swiftly, to give you an overview:

Is the film worth watching? Yes, I think so. At least I enjoyed it.

What’s good about it? Is is humourous, investigative and demystifying.

What’s bad about it? If you have been in the art business for some time, you may not be surprised. And the movie could do with about 30 minutes less.

Having said that, I will try and keep this concise.

Ben Lewis Trailer on Youtube.

The idea is an interesting one. Ben Lewis set out to investigate what actually is (or was) behind the contemporary art boom that catapulted it into the realms of tabloid interest. Naturally, his investigation has to concentrate on the peak of an iceberg most collectors will not even feel part of.

Lewis collects statements from art professionals and billionaire collectors, who saw a bright future for the art market despite the economy’s downturn. It is actually quite amusing to see how their tone gets more subdued and how they try to avoid the filmmaker altogether as soon as the disaster really strikes. I say amusing because A) they probably haven’t lost that much money in their art speculation and B) because it clearly shows what they are after. How could they be so devastated, just because an artwork they claim to have bought for the love of it, fails to sell at a good price?

The downside of the film is that is seems to be based on the assumption that the art business would function differently than any other billion dollar business. It’s almost as if Ben expected it to less riddled with manipulation and greed. Somehow I fail to see the reason why that should be the case.

Many facts that Lewis and his interview partners reveal could be dismissed with a shrug: “Sure that’s the way it goes. What’s the news?” Of course one expects gallery owners and dealers, and especially the owners of the art works to try and protect and develop the price. Everything else would be foolish, surely. And it is commonly known that many billionaires buy works and sell them again shortly thereafter without even having unpacked the item once. It is also obvious that some people who happen to have a lot of money buy art not because they’re passionate about it, but because it’s a status symbol. Who would have thought?

What is interesting, however, is why the protagonists of this circus chose to express such a dislike in Lewis capturing the fact on film that the financial development of the art market was helped along quite deliberately, if it is a commonly known fact, at least among most participants. Maybe that is also just part of their PR strategy.

After showing that contemporary art can be a lot of fun (even in the realm of million dollar works) in his “Art Safari” episodes, Ben Lewis dismantles the contemporary art bubble and shows how the that burst had worked. And it is fun to watch. (Go to Ben Lewis, if you like: → link)

I’m just glad that the part of the circus I thrive in remains extraordinarily unaffected by this.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 12:33 pm and is filed under The Circus.