 |
| Che Guevara - Andy Warhol 1968 |
On yesterday's walk I listened to this podcast:
Andy Warhol's Factory of Truth | Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Pushkin Industries
The story is basically that Andy Warhol didn't have anything to do with creating the Che Guevara poster, it was done by a long time collaborator. All Andy did was apply his name to it so it would be 'authentic'. Andy was basically a grifter who had wormed his way into high society and found a way to entice rich people into giving him money, and they gave him a lot of money.
 |
| Andy Warhol Coffee Mug |
I have one of these Andy Warhol Coffee Mugs. It's hideous. I have no idea where it came from. I use it because it is big enough so that when I pour a normal size amount of coffee in it, it does not slosh over the edge when I am walking around the house. My wife hates it when I spill coffee on the carpet. I kind of like it because it is so outlandish. There's an inscription written in the bottom of the cup:
"ART IS WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH." Andy Warhol
Art is anything anyone claims to be art. There are some things most people find attractive, and those can be typically be reproduced for a cost that is next to nothing. Then there are the whims of rich people which I can only explain as a bit of crazy. And then there are scads of followers who are fascinated by anything the rich do. They're crazy too.
Here's a bit of reality. I watched a short video the other day. It looked like a clip from TV show. A fashionably dressed woman walks into a high end store carrying a bunch of boxes. She tells the salesman that she needs to return all these because she has suffered a reversal and can no longer afford these items. Evidently she has been a long time customer because the salesman is happy to accommodate her. Having dropped off her packages, she turns to go, but the salesman asks her to stay. She is confused. Why? She asks, didn't you hear me tell you I don't have any money? He doesn't care, she has a sense of style. He tells her 'I have people coming in here everyday, people with all the money in the world, and they have no idea what to buy. You can show them / tell them / help them decide what to buy'. It was the perfect little clip. I am kicking myself for not making a note of it. I just spent a long time looking through my history and could not find it.
Prices for items carried by stores on Rodeo Drive are out of this world, but for the people who are shopping there, price is of no concern. It's the personal service, the stylish environment and the freedom from the press of the poors.
A while back I read The Heist by Daniel Sylva. It's about the high end art world in Europe and how it is rife with criminals.
Silva explores the practices of rich criminals hoarding stolen artworks as assets, and has Allon visit the Geneva Freeport. - Wikipedia
 |
| Geneva Freeport |
Fine story about the Freeport:
The Geneva Freeport & Natural le Coultre: the largest store of art that can’t be seen
No comments:
Post a Comment