High St. Rat 2010
It came from San Francisco. Brian Greif, an art collector saved it from a building being taken down. It’s on Victorian era redwood siding. You can find it at ODU’s Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Gallery.
Banksy said the reason he got famous is because he hid his identity. Isn’t that genius?! Way to play the art world, Banksy. And now he’s rich.
The thing about the art world is that it doesn’t matter if you’re great at what you do, or how inspired you are. The powers that be don’t even like innovation. Remember when the Impressionists got rejected from the shows? And now everyone loves the Impressionists. The elites in the art world only reacted after Impressionism was a big thing with the public. They never would have recognized the genius of the Impressionists on their own. They haven’t changed in the past 150 years. The art world higher powers are the same kind of narrow minded snobs as the ones that rejected Impressionism. They’ll fall for the cult of personality before skill every time. You need a gimmick or an outrageous personality to get noticed. This is one field where insanity can be to your advantage.
I love Banksy for playing the art world the way he does.
So true! Sadly. 😝.
Sometimes it makes me want to quit painting.
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We have to paint for ourselves. We don’t owe the art world though, and they don’t owe us.
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Yes you are right on that! I need to remember that. 😊
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You also, it seems, have to be young!
The Whitney Biennial is due shortly. I cannot tell you how disappointing was the last one 2 years ago for painting. Immature and gimmicky choices, in the main. Always steering to the two coasts and NY in particular.
Looking this year for more maturity, more geographical diversity, more skillfulness. Just talking about the graphic arts here. Video etc. is an altogether different world…..
Best, Sarah
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hi Sarah, Thanks for the info. Young or maybe dead, right? 😉 That’s good news about video. I’m practicing for a video. Waiting for my actors to show up. They’ll be back. I know where to find them. I’ll have a kick ass video coming out when it warms up.
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I agree, totally cool to save this art!
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He had to bid for it. They didn’t say how much it cost.
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I’m sure it was a small fortune
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