My (art world) BFFs
Art news + my thoughts on the "art market"
I am very lucky to have many talented friends. I’m even luckier when they collaborate— as is the case with Marlowe Granados writing the exhibition text for Jennifer Carvalho’s exhibition.
Notably, Jennifer is one of the best painters I know and Marlowe one of the best writers. They were also both bridesmaids in my wedding. I really am so lucky to have both of them in my life.
Jennifer Carvalho
Ghost
September 13 - October 12, 2024
Opening reception at Franz Kaka: Thursday September 12, 5:00 - 8:00pm
From Marlowe’s exhibition text:
There are great human achievements where no instructions have been left. Did they think we would discover an innate sense of know-how? The pyramids are still a mystery, and not without trying. When we squint and strain to read handwritten notes from centuries ago, there is a sense of loss—and someday our schoolgirl cursive will look like ornate glyphs to the modern eye.
In the Middle Ages, people used memory as a set of principles and techniques to pass down and preserve customs for the future. Men and women came together to patch together their remembrances. It was considered an art, ars memoria.
When I first read the text, it immediately felt like a companion to the paintings. I write a lot of exhibition texts and have a formula for how I write them (even if I try to eschew it, it often creeps back in). It was so refreshing to read Marlowe, who doesn’t usually write about art, and how she took on the task of writing for an exhibition. For one, she never mentions the paintings. I thought it was so odd! But it works perfectly. I feel like the text has given me permission to push my own exhibition writing in different directions.
The opening for Ghost is tonight at Franz Kaka in Toronto—I hope to see all of you there!
Art World News, briefly
All I’ve been reading are articles about the art market. Is it worse than we can imagine? Or should we be cautiously optimistic? Despite my keen interest in the art market, these articles bore me. (Kenny Schachter feels similarly).
People will always buy art for two reasons: 1) They love art and discover a piece that they have to live with. Or 2) They remain incredibly wealthy, and these conversations about recessions and downturns of markets don’t impact them in the same way. Or a mix of both. Either way, the art market will always be doing “okay” because not everyone buys art as part of some convoluted investment plan.
Peter Doig is curating an exhibition at Gagosian. The verdict is still out on what that means about representation.
Speaking of Doig, this article in The Guardian is very illuminating about his current market—and how little he makes from his success.
“The 65-year-old artist estimates that, since 2007, his paintings have achieved combined sales of almost £380m. But he has now revealed that he has made barely £230,000 for himself from selling them.”
If you read one thing this week, make it this. This is the first reporting I’ve seen on Wanda Nanibush leaving the AGO (by Jason McBride for The Walrus). Reporting around what we can assume is a NDA, the article is illuminating in many ways.
For years, I felt gaslit by the art world, where everyone seemed to love Gina Beavers, and I really didn’t get it. I found the lips so…gauche. Thankfully, she’s pivoted to a new subject (fabric and cushions) that I like SO much better.
Anne Geddes has a TikTok account. For all your 90s nostalgia.
My first thought when reading this headline from The Art Newspaper was…of course, gallerists have poor work-life balance. You only need to meet a gallery worker or owner once to know that. The problem and pleasure about working in the arts is that your work is your passion. How do you enjoy art outside a professional context? This is a question I’ve talked a lot about with friends in the industry.
See you tonight at Jennifer Carvalho’s opening!! I am still working on an article on France highlights (Art-O-Rama) and the Armory Fair in NYC. Maybe this weekend for paid subscribers xx.
Further Art Forecast Reading:
A studio visit with Jennifer Carvalho
Every inch of Jennifer Carvalho’s paintings are rendered with the same amount of detail. The paint is applied thickly but uniformly. This consistency greatly affects the viewer: it encourages a slow pan of the artwork, carefully considering the entire surface area of the work. When I visited Carvalho’s studio at the end of Summer, right before the paint…
Marlowe Granados on her collection
Marlowe Granados is the author of the critically acclaimed book, Happy Hour. You might have also seen her write for publications such as Interview Magazine, the Cut, and Airmail. As well as being profiled and reviewed in the likes of The New Yorker, the New York Times, and New York Magazine.
The Anne Geddes TikTok - omg dead! 🩷