Reading the Art World episode thirteen: a conversation with Michael Findlay, Director of Acquavella Galleries in New York City. A private art dealer for more than four decades, and previously the International Director of Fine Arts at Christie’s auction house. Michael draws on his several decades of experience and shares his insights on art and his work with artists and with collectors in the new edition of his book The Value of Art.
“What we've seen, of course, is that the growth of the art market in NFTs is celebrated with zeroes. It is not celebrated because the advent of the NFT has produced great art — it actually hasn’t. And the advent of many, many more well-deserving artists of color now being given a more central position on the art market stage, by museums and by galleries, is often celebrated by the commercial value of the works that are achieving. The barometer is not quality. The barometer is the highest auction price for this or that artist — or this or that NFT, for that matter."— Michael Findlay
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I chose this book because I find that so much of the conversation around art and collecting and the art market lately is about ‘value’—but value in terms of price and investment and financial return—while Michael talks about “Value” in terms of the inherent value of the art itself—in addition to addressing pricing and the market. His newest book gives us thoughtful perspective on how to think about art beyond price. The book abounds with anecdotes of collectors and artists from The 19th century through today and how those stories tell about the market, investing, collecting, amassing and loving art. If someone thinks this is just an investment guide, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that it is not.
“I’ve given the same advice to students, adult and younger, to visit a museum and not look at the label. It’s very, very difficult to do: to go to a museum and walk into a room and choose something to look at — or let something choose you. And go up and look at it, and not read the label until after you’ve had a really good look. People tend to go to a museum and read the labels first — and if they recognize the name, then they look at the painting. No, if they recognize the name, they take a photograph of the painting.”. — Michael Findlay
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