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From silkscreens to stencils and spraypaint, a controversial genre in Contemporary art has garnered unprecedented prices and auction house attention.
A guerilla art movement is suddenly booming in market value, as ground-breaking London auction sales and timely exhibitions spark a fascinating dialogue about urban aesthetics, credibility in the art establishment, and a new generation of buyers.
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Call it Street Art, Urban Art, graffiti or simply vandalism – creative expression from the democratic streets has arrived not only inside the walls of galleries but also under the hammer of London's prestigious auctioneers.
Bonhams auction house, rather well-known for antiques and old masters than for contemporary art, staged the world's first Urban Art sale on February 5th, 2008 that raised 1.3 million in results. While Sotheby's and Christie's have had significant sales by the same artists that appeared in the Bonhams sale, Bonhams was the first house to actually place a name on the mysterious identity of a movement that has been ubiquitous for years. Proponents celebrate the recognition of a market imperative, critics claim a superficial understanding of contemporary art, a case of too much hype and overly-inflated prices. Either way, people are talking and the sales figures are bold.
The art encompasses stencil work and spraypaint in a graffiti-like style; it has been likened to Pop art in its bold graphics and social satire, to the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Harring for its street-inspired intensity, even to the merry prankster attitude of Marcel Duchamp. Many works are site-specific and ephemeral, touching on the genres of installation and performance art. "It's work that's accessible and humorous, but also iconic and frequently stresses quite complex political messages in a simple visual way," says Gareth Williams, Bonham's urban art expert. Most of the artists are working outside of the art establishment, and many began by giving away their work for free.
The buying base is broad, but the works have particularly caught the imagination of London 30-somethings who grew up in a culture infused with the energy and style of hip-hop, punk and skate culture, many who may be investment traders but who find this side to city living exciting and politically charged. Many auction houses are thrilled to see a new group of buyers. The Young British Artists, and their skyrocket in the 1990s art market, are fresh in London's cultural memory.
The market was frantic in 2007 and into 2008. The artist Banksy, perhaps the key frontman of the movement, has had the most remarkably mounting sales; the Bonhams auction contained 22 of Banksy's works, including the top-selling 'Laugh Now' a large stencil spray paint on wood that was originally a backdrop in a Brighton bar and sold for £228,000, as well as the iconic Kate Moss interpretation of Warhol's Marilyn Monroe that fethched £96,000. In February, Sotheby's New York sold a Banksy-defaced Damien Hirst spot painting entitled 'Keep It Spotless' for a stunning 1,870,000 USD (950,000£) after a 250,000—350,000 USD estimate. The appeal of Banksy is his playful moves outside of the traditional art establishment - refusing media contact, staging impromptu stunts and exhibitions whose stealth is mainly based on the legal complications of writing on the street. Journalists have been chasing his identity for years – with a 2008 mid-year claim that a name and a history behind the psydoneym 'Banksy' has been located – yet this mystery and press seems to only fuel the extravagant pricing of his work. Originally from Bristol, the proclaimed center of British graffiti culture, Banksy counts the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, singer Christina Aguilera, and Jude Law among his collectors. Controversy and even fraudulent works have been concurrently rampant with his works' augmenting prices.
Other artists have come to the fore such as Faile, a New York collective, whose first works at auction quadrupled estimates, and artist Paul Insect whose solo show with the Lazarides gallery, that also represents Banksy, was entirely bought up by Damien Hirst; the value of which, according to Art News, was about £500,000 ($1 million). Adam Neate also had a sell-out show at the Elms Lester gallery near Tottenham Court Road wherein a large self-portrait collage sold for roughly £60,000. From last minute exhibitions associated with Black Rat Press to young Brazilian graffiti artists at the Brazilian embassy in London, and some Street on the fascade of Tate Modern, the writing on the wall is garnering attention.
The response in America is somewhat different. New York seems involved but circumspect, as the graffiti movement was born in its Bronx streets. In Los Angeles, however, the Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art experienced particular success with its sell-out solo show 'Pretty Decorating' of Bristol artist Nick Walker, staged at the same time two of his works appeared in the February Bonhams auction. Earlier they featured a show of Brazilian graffiti artists, who are particularly prolific. "We are not a Street Art Gallery: we are a contemporary art gallery that chooses to curate a lot of street artists and current and former graffiti artists," says owner Mr. Carmichael. When asked about the association between graffiti and the mainstream art world, "It's a very, very complicated relationship", he responds.
Perhaps the most interesting result of this movement, if it can be called such just yet, is its secondary political, social and commercial influence. In June 2006, Banksy stenciled an image on a wall in his native Bristol, England. Controversy entailed, and the Bristol City Council asked the public to decide whether it should stay or be removed. The City Council left it on the building, after an Internet poll in which 97% of those who responded supported the stencil and appreciated it in their community.
Property owners in London had an early Banksy mural on the side of the building on their property and enlisted an art gallery to help sell the property – the realty being of secondary importance to the art. Or in another part of the world in China, large-scale graffiti with Olympic themes is causing strife and, in some cases, then tacit agreement from the government. In the southwest municipality of Chongqing, the local government designated a street for graffiti writers; the city is proudly applying to the Guiness Book of World records for the longest street covered in graffiti, accrording to the Chinadaily.com.
Back in London, antique dealer Guinevere asked a graffiti artist to decorate the walls of their King's road showroom, to put their conservative antiques collection into contemporary relief. As co-owner of Guinevere explains, "The bold immediacy of grafitti is a great juxtaposition to antique furniture and objects that have been designed and constructed with perfection in mind". Explaining further, "our regular clients tend to be forward thinking people, with well defined ideas on design, and a passion for their surroundings. I find that they appreciate the challenge of viewing antiques and luxury items in a new and unorthodox light."
As this early trend within contemporary art forms its own identity – and both the media and authorities chases after the identity of creative vandals - the established art world digests it slowly, in its own way of turning contemporary art into art history. It is interesting nonetheless how a market and a particular aesthetic can emerge and evolve, and offer highly surprising and early returns.
http://www.bonhans.com
http://www.lazarides.com
http://www.elmslesters.co.uk/
http://www.carmichaelgallery.com/
http://www.guinevere.co.uk/index2.cfm