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Art Value vs. Price

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Are the prices attached to art works, be they painting/sculpture etc. mean that they are exceptional examples of the highest standard of quality?   It looks that greed, accumulation and gain, in other words the classic ‘capital’ formula, has in many scraped the enamel from the teeth of taste. Maybe the prioritization of price as the singular measure of quality, as in the top end auction market, has wrecked aesthetic judgement.   Recent years have proved that if money is the measure of value, then trivial and stupid things like duct-taped bananas can be bought and sold at art fairs for tens of thousands of dollars as it were jokes by people who have Monopoly money to play with. No joke, a base and brazen golden toilet can be gauged as a work of greatness and historical significance, and non-fungible token digital doodles can be traded in an unregulated art market as brazen gambling chips of financial exchange with almost no interest in the quality or significance of the image.   If only

Jazz Art

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Jazz art is a genre of art that combines elements of jazz music and visual art. It is often characterized by its use of improvisation, syncopation, and blue notes. Jazz art can be found in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, and film. One example of jazz art is the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat was a Haitian-American artist who rose to prominence in the 1980s. His work often explored themes of race, poverty, and urban life. Basquiat was a master of improvisation, and his paintings are full of energy and movement. Thomas Biggers, born in 1924 produced works critical of racial and econominc injustice. He studied African myths and legends and was drawn to the creation stories of a matriarchal deistic system, contrasting with the patriarchal images of the European world. A founding chairman of the Texas Southern University he painted murals in African-American communities, many are located in Houston, TX. Romare Bearden is another prominent figure in th

"See Yourself" an excerpt from The Berni Experience

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  “Have you ever looked at a painting or a photograph that made you feel something deep inside? It was like that artwork was speaking directly to your heart and soul. Well, that’s what people mean when they say that art, the gazing upon it or the creation itself can provide a ‘window to the soul.’ Individuals can use their creativity to capture emotions, thoughts, and the essence of who they are. When they create images, be it painting, sculptures, photos or whatever they can express themselves with, it’s like they’re opening a window into their own souls and sharing their unique perspectives with the world. Just like when writers write stories and express themselves through words, artists use colors, shapes, and other elements to express their own feelings and thoughts. They pour their emotions into their creations, and when we look at those images, we can feel what they felt. It’s almost like having a conversation with their soul. Art has a magical way of connecting people and making

How I Became an Art Dealer as Well as a Collector

I’ve been involved with art since childhood when I began to ‘Draw the Pirate’ in the Grit Newspaper. My appreciation for form and beauty and the rendering of ideas and visions into media have always been active to some degree. Forays into art sales in my twenties initially were based on profit motive. These ventures into selling works on paper ultimately were unsuccessful, but not spectacularly so … luckily. I broke even. The pieces which I collected that had personal significance I would never sell, or so I told myself. Then I began collecting Sacred Art, primarily bronzes from India and Tibet. Spending time with these pieces with hundreds of years of age to them altered my perception of my role over time. I began to see that these pieces had been here long before me and would be here long after me. Instead of Ownership, I began to recognize Steward as my role. My pride in ownership reduced to responsibility for preservation. There also took place a recognition of why I purchased some

Mobile Gallery Apps

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Bring your collection to your clients anytime, anywhere with a mobile app. They work great on iPad. There are a number of mobile apps available and each has different features. I have tested these apps on an iPhone/iPad. I have not tested apps for Android or Windows. Download chart file pdf - Mike McDonnell

L'art adoucit l'âme

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Art is important because it is a fundamental expression of human creativity. It brings people together through the sharing of ideas and emotions. It helps us grow as individuals, communities, and societies by encouraging us to think creatively and explore new ideas. Art is important because of its ability to bring people together. Art helps us grow as individuals, communities, and societies by encouraging us to think creatively and explore new ideas. Art is unusual. It helps us understand our world in ways that would be difficult otherwise. "Art is dangerous, in the end, because it brings to consciousness the reality of the fiction of reality – that what we take to be reality is a work of art: the finest of the fine arts; the supreme fiction."                                                                                                           - Donald Preziosi, Professor of Art History, UCLA - Mike McDonnell *  L'art adoucit l'âme. – Art softens the soul.

¿ES EL ARTE UN NUEVO PARAÍSO SEGURO?

Mientras que en estos días la economía global está en crisis: la guerra en Ucrania, el Covid  que reaparece en China, la inflación  mundial, los movimientos cambiantes de las acciones y las monedas tradicionales y criptográficas, y las materias primas que suben y bajan, el mercado del arte, mientras tanto, parece estar en su mejor momento. Si uno analizara exclusivamente lo que está sucediendo en ese pequeño nicho y viera que los $ 2.7 + mil millones en arte se venden en una semana y media, uno pensaría que el mundo está loco. ¿Está el mercado del arte en medio de un auge sin precedentes? ¿Es el arte el nuevo refugio seguro? Quizás. Pero, ¿qué debe tener en cuenta un amante del arte, coleccionista o hombre de negocios en estos tiempos inciertos? ¿Debería volverse loco y comenzar a comprar cualquier obra de arte que tenga a mano? ¿Hay alguna diferencia entre comprar arte y coleccionar arte? ¿Qué pasa con la inversión? Parece que comprar arte es más una actividad aleatoria basada en gust

Art As Investment

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Art is a thing of beauty. It can be a piece of furniture, paintings, sculptures, jewelry, or even something as small as a vase. Investing in art is a great way to diversify your portfolio and add some flair to your home or office space. The value of art typically increases over time so it’s an easy thing to leave in an estate for future generations.

Welcome to the IFAC Blog

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Welcome! I'd like to welcome all art lovers, lovers of beauty, and those who simply sigh when struck by the awe which crosses our path in our daily lives.  Here, you will find stimulating and thought provoking ideas, useful information and an open line of communication regarding how art is a vital necessity in human life.