LIKE QUARRELING LOVERS, THE CHICKEN AND THE EGG
And then suddenly, outta no where, the music swelled, and Leapin' Lari, the Lucha Libre wrestler, known for his colorful cape and mask based on his own paintings, flew into the wrestling ring of the New York Times editorial section and vanquished a lunkheaded art seller, in the name of the Arts. Ka-Pow!
In June of this year, Marc Spiegler, a former exec at Art Basel wrote a very anxious yet thoughtful opinion piece titled "Art Galleries Are Not OK." Our current economic crisis must now be pinching the folks at the top.
Just when the artist was again about to be frozen out of the conversation, I believe mild-mannered artist Lari Pittman set his brushes aside in his California studio. When no one else did, he literally stood up for the arts, and walked across the studio to his computer where he typed a short note to the editor. His words were broadcast around the world:
"Sorry, Marc Spiegler, but galleries are not the engine of the art world. Artists and their art are. Culture only trickles up, and money never trickles down."
The wrestling move was deft and commanding. Pittman dealt a lethal punch from which no criticism could be uttered.
Simply put, they can't live without each other. Like the ole chicken and the egg conundrum. Which came first? The Artist or the Gallerist?
We will never, ever know.
Art Report Today .com
