Married to Art

Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce S2 Ep8

Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce is a tamer Sex in the City. LA instead of NYC. Bravo instead of HBO. Still painfully skinny, lots of money and great shoes. Not my reality, but in S2 E7 Phoebe meets an artist. Legit, since LA's art scene is vibrant. He takes her to sort of a rave art thing. She's hooked. She's a former fashion model so he gets her to pose for him. Only it's not him who does the drawing. An overworked pathetic looking man with some serious eye baggage draws her image. It's as wonderfully sad as the executioner himself. He explains that he does the drawing, then the artist photoshops it for the end product. Phoebe asks if the entire art world is this terrible? The former brush cleaner, now first assistant says "not at all" commenting his arrangement isn't that unusual. The scene at the preview opening of the work is pretty on point. The bullshit language the artist uses to make the work sound more important than it is. The collector who's looking for something in the 40x60 range for his super snotty walk-in. The artist spots Jeff Koons in the fray and disappears into a schmooze haze.

Art is similar to stock in that it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Art is particularly tricky because very few actually know what's worth all that money. Marketing and perception. Blue chip artists' messages get lost, if not completely obliterated, in the pursuit of recognition. Justin Giarla took advantage of that ambition combined with new money's insatiable appetite for just the right bling to cement their status. His Geary Street scam made him rich and the artists he made promises to broke.

So what's a true art lover to do? I'm happy to report integrity in the arts is alive and well. Painters, sculptors and photographers are genuinely trying to show you a different way to look at our world. Every piece I've been given, made or acquired makes me happy. GG2D S2 E8 "One of our buyers has a Picasso displayed with a black light to bring out the colors. Another one has his Basquiat hung upside down."  For the love of god, black lights went out with the '70's. If you don't know what your looking at, find someone you trust to help you. I only buy work I have a visceral reaction to. I still get that sensation when I look at any one piece. I'm perilously close to running out of wall space. I got 99 problems, but my art collection ain't one.