Lets say you saw a piece of art you really liked, or wanted a very specific piece of art made by a local artist. Lets say, with the current amount of money you have now, you would buy it. How much would it cost? If your finances were ideal, how much would you pay for it then? Why?
I know how much a Picasso goes for, and I know how much a huge company can be charged for a piece of art - but the missing piece is: how much would the average person spend on art in 2013?
Edit: I'm not really referring to classic works of art by master painters & sculptors we know from art history. I'm talking about going to an art gallery or a farmer's market, and seeing work by a local artist that you find absolutely striking. Something contemporary.
I bought a sculpture the other day. It was $1500. It was worth it IMO, but it's the most I've ever spent on a piece.
If I saw a piece of artwork and I really liked it... more importantly, if my wife also really liked it, I would spend a good chunk of money. Why? Because it becomes part of your life, your families life, your history. The last piece that was not inexpensive (to me) was this: I just liked the way it made me feel. I feel like I'm in a boat on the ocean. It's very nautical. -It was about $1200. I have three Namiki's that were all around $1000. My wife and I loved them back when we first met and thought we'd collect them. We don't. Still like them though, but there's just so much out there we like better now. But looking at them reminds me of a time in our life together and I appreciate that. There's not a whole lot that I find to be a better investment as far as "stuff" goes. One thing that boggles the mind if you buy original paintings is how much framing costs, at least good framing. -CRAZY. But you ask "how much would I pay?" -If I have the disposable income and we like it, I'll pay it.
(sorry for the crappy photos)
Wow, those are nice woodblock prints. Yes, framing is crazy expensive - but it's worth it. A properly framed artwork lasts much longer because the changes in humidity and interior air pollution isn't affecting the artwork. I have a lot of unframed older artwork, and it makes me sad to see it aging because I couldn't afford to/didn't know how to protect it. It also makes me sad it's laying inside of a portfolio case, stuck in my closet... Now, I at least put all my artwork into a plastic sleeve or wrap it, and then store it in a portfolio in a dark, dry space. I wish I could meet more people with your level of appreciation for art.
I wish I could meet more people with your level of appreciation for art.
-My guess is that there are a number of them in the Hubski community. Actually, it's not a guess. I should say that I do not spend enough time focusing on art as I would like. I frivolously spend money on other junk...
If it was something I was absolutely in love with I would spend $1k-2k. It would need to be a very long thought process though and something that would fit with a variety of decors because I don't plan on having Ikea furniture forever. I think the most expensive one I have up right now was $50. Maybe $60. I tend to not buy things if I have to think about them and I suppose $60 is the limit for my impulse buys. My parents spent a few grand on this original gorgeous huge charcoal of seagulls on the beach with the pier in the background. I still love that thing more than ever. Something about the fact that you can see the artists strokes. It's a great and different depiction of my hometown - usually its all over saturated sunset shots. Charcoal gives it a really beautiful, intense feel.
I saw one of Wesley Willis's Dan Ryan drawings up for about $2200 way back in the day. I would have paid for that.
That's kind of the point. I've tried selling art in a public space before and you have people approach it, and give their idea of what the price should be. They don't know anything about it or how it was made (most of the time..), but they have a sense a what they want to pay anyway. I also see this strange thing happen where if the same originals and prints are shown together, people will treat them as one. They're more likely to buy a print, because the original looks so expensive in comparison and they forget that it's the original. The answer you gave it pretty good though.
I'm a poor college student at the moment, so I can't afford much. I've been buying a few figures for ~$20 each. Ideally, if I had the cash, and I wanted the thing, I'd buy it. There's some figures I've been eyeing for the past few years now, and each is $300. I'd easily go up to $1000 each if need be (and I had the cash). It all depends on how much I have. Edit: Same goes for classic art. I'd be willing to pay w/e provided I wanted it and had the funds.
I don't know what the average person would be willing to spend on art these days. If that Banksy thing the other day can be used as any indication (and I don't think that NYC is a good indicator of an average) then not very much. However, people buy art they like for lots of reasons. One could be pure enjoyment, another could be because they think that others would enjoy it, or it goes with the decor of a particular room, or it's of something significant to them in the symbology of their own lives or whatever. If I saw a piece I really liked with my current finances, I would pass on it because my finances are not great. However, if I saw a piece I really loved? I'd find a way to make it work. If my finances were ideal, it would still have to be something that I really loved because I have the unfortunate predilection of buying one thing that turns into a collection of things.
I want more than anything to have a signed piece by a great artist. Specifically, I want a Goya etching. I would be willing to lay out a bit of cash for it. I think that I would get up everyday and cry just a little bit knowing that I have a piece that was touched by the artist himself. It kind of brings his presence into the room in some way. My father has a Dali. It's cool, but I don't love Dali, so it doesn't have the same effect on me. Plus he was well known to have assistants sign stuff for him, so you can never be sure if it is authentic.
I noticed you mentioned Goya in another thread. What is it that grabs you about his work? I've always liked the "Black Paintings" for the brutal style, but honestly I haven't seen most of his work. There are a few artists whose work I would like to see on a daily basis, though I do wonder if that much exposure might render the impact of a work to be part of a new normal, if you get my meaning.
It's hard to say, really, why I like him so much. Whenever we used to travel as a family when I was a kid, my dad would always insist on visiting the art museum of whichever city we happened to be in. One particular time, and unfortunately the museum escapes me, there happened to be a special exhibit of Goya's wartime etchings. For me, it transformed the meaning of what art could be. It was the first time I can remember feeling what the artist must have been feeling. Stylistically, I think he single-handedly invented the horror genre, of which I am particularly fond. You can probably tell by the two works I've shown on Hubski, this and this, that I have a special place for the macabre in my heart. Goya is the master of that aesthetic. And in particular, his etchings that he did late in life really speak to me, as they are done in an almost proto-comic book style of drawing, with hashed lines and cartoonish stylization in some cases. It's remarkably beautiful. Anyway, the long and short of it is, who the hell knows why this taste fits me, and that taste fits you. Good thing there's enough beauty in the world to suit everyone.
It might be more interesting data to ask: how much have you paid for art? People can say whatever when conditions include "finances ideal," as people have different notions of that. The most I've ever paid for a painting was $600. I know I overpaid for it, but I still like it, so maybe not. I'm not an average person, either.