I posted this on Linked in today, might as well, paste it here too.
We were all once "the kid" in our business. You work and work and then one day you wake up and all your cohorts have died or retired or ended up doing something else and you find yourself the old man on the block.
I got a call today from a man who I did shows with about thirty five years ago and he told me that he was thinking of opening up a shop with a one year lease and what did I think?
Because he said I had the longest running gallery of anybody he knew. And I was taken aback and had to think about that. Really? I know Trotter and Karges and Stern have been at it longer but that is strictly art, not art and antiques.
So maybe I am one of the last dinosaurs? Over fifty years selling art and a shop open since 1996. Of course it is only open by appointment and rarely even then, since most of my biz is done at shows and if I'm not open I don't have to unbox between them.
It is weird. I have seen so many movements come and go. Great movements. Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Arts and Crafts, Mexican Silver, Oriental carpets, 17th through 19th century, the Persian taste, Hudson River, California landscape, California style, many movements now deader than a doornail.
A friend did a print show this weekend in a city I shall not name and said that he sold nothing from the 30's, my favorite decade along with the 60's. And I think the writing is on the wall for WPA and depression era stuff, which I absolutely adore. It is not catching fire with today's younger generation, who have never known the struggle the time represented.
Things don't resonate forever, especially in a world where less and less art history is taught and where therapy groups are being started to help free our erstwhile muggles from clutter.
So what have we to look forward to again, great 80's Ikea style? Cork, paper lamps, faux Melania jackets?
Please turn the light off when you (we) exit.
No comments:
Post a Comment