Art

In a New Art Project, Pop Star Grimes Will Sell a Piece of Her Soul – BNNBloomberg.ca

Published

4 years ago

May 28, 2020

(Bloomberg) — This week, the musician Grimes will debut her first fine art show in simultaneous online exhibitions on Gallery Platform Los Angeles (May 28 through June 3) and Maccarone Los Angeles (May 28 through Aug. 31).

The singer, whose real name is Claire Boucher and who goes by “C” in conversation, is selling drawings, prints, photographs, and conceptual pieces she’s made over the last decade in a show titled Selling Out. “I made art 10, 12 years before I ever touched a keyboard,” she says on a recent Zoom video call, wearing a Rodarte sweatshirt and a headband with bunny ears she got during a Korean spa treatment. “I see myself as a visual artist first and foremost, and I’ve always felt strange that people know me for music.”

The prints, drawings, photographs, and other work, she says, are a continuation of, rather than a departure from, her music. In some of the artworks the connection is straightforward: Grimes’s aesthetic preference, which she describes as “edgy-looking, anime-horror,” can be seen in music videos as early as 2012’s Genesis. It is clearly evident in such prints as Seldon Crisis from 2016 ($500), a collage-like series of portraits and animals that draws heavily on manga for stylistic reference.

Other pieces are more subtle and include reflections on her life as a public figure. One such work, also titled Selling Out, is a legal document whereby the purchaser acquires a percentage of Grimes’s soul.

When she began to conceive of Selling Out, the artwork, “I didn’t want anyone to buy it, so I said we should just make it $10 million and then it probably won’t sell.” After enlisting her lawyer to draft a contract for the sale, “the deeper we got with it, the more philosophically interesting it became,” she says. “Also, I really wanted to collaborate with my lawyer on art. The idea of fantastical art in the form of legal documents just seems very intriguing to me.”

As Covid-19 coronavirus shutdowns pushed the global economy into a recession, valuing her soul at millions of dollars became a more loaded choice than she’d originally intended. “With the current state of the world, do you want to put something up for $10 million?” she asks rhetorically. Ultimately, she settled on a price of “best offer,” leaving it up to the public to decide her worth.

Artistic Origins

Until now, Grimes hasn’t been known as a fine artist. She designed her album covers and tour merchandise, and has collaborated with her brother Mac Boucher on her music videos. But even as she’s risen to fame, she says she has consistently made art for her own enjoyment.

Similarly, she says she’s deeply involved in the world of digital art. “I feel annoyed when people approach digital art or video games with disdain,” she says. “Some of the most arresting, emotional, jarring artistic experiences I’ve had in the last few years have been in video games.”

Even though she recently had a child with billionaire Elon Musk (the child’s name is X Æ A-12, but she says she calls him “Little X”) Grimes says “gallery art has always been prohibitively expensive.”

She regularly purchases original prints and drawings at Patreon, a membership-based platform for people in creative fields. She says her purchases amount to “10 or 15 bucks a month.” Asked if the people she’s supporting know their art is being acquired by a superstar singer, she says: “Probably not, my email [address] is really strange.”

Selling the Art

To date, Grimes hasn’t sold her visual art through traditional channels. The one exception is when, 15 years ago, she was paid $600 to paint a mural on the side of a Montessori school in Vancouver. “At the time,” she says, “I thought I hit the jackpot.”

As a result, her art is priced with comparative modestly.

“The price is really related to production costs,” says Michele Maccarone, the Los Angeles dealer who’s increasingly becoming known for doing collaborations beyond the traditional art world. (A recent exhibition was sponsored by Pornhub.) “I didn’t want it to be outrageously expensive,” Maccarone explains. “I priced it logically, in terms of an emergent artist who doesn’t have a track record” of sales.

The exhibition is split into tiers. Prints are in editions of 30 and cost $500. Next comes Grimes’ ink-on-paper drawings, which range from $2,000 to $3,000. Finally, there are archival pigment prints of digital works that feature “WarNymph,” a digital avatar scanned from Grimes’s body; she created it with her brother Mac and debuted it in late January. The avatar has its own Instagram and Twitter feeds, and Grimes plans to age it, kill it off, and regenerate it over time. Prints of the avatar range from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on size. All the art is unsigned but comes with a certificate of authenticity.

A video work, titled AI Meditations Led by WarNymph, runs roughly seven minutes. It is narrated by and features the WarNymph avatar, which leads the viewer through a series of meditations. The price for that work has not yet been set.

Looking Ahead

Initially, the WarNymph avatar came about, Grimes says, as a proposed alternative to photo shoots. The shoots are “very emotionally jarring,” she explains. “Can you fit into this size zero? Can this random makeup artist make you look good? Oh no, you look f—-ing terrible. And then there’s flashing lights and 20 people seeing you naked—it’s actually like psychological torture in many ways.”

The entire process, she continues, “doesn’t seem valuable, but it is valuable, because people engage with the pop star thing.” Still, she adds, “you see pop stars being driven to madness all the time.”

In creating a digital version of herself, she reasoned, the digital version could bear at least some of the brunt of fame. “Especially being pregnant,” she says. “We had to drop this album [Miss Anthropocene]. We committed to it, but it was becoming more and more physically arduous.”

Both the WarNymph series and the title piece, Selling Out, represent an attempt by Grimes to address the burden of fame head-on while simultaneously moving her entire artistic practice forward, toward fine arts.

“We would definitely enjoy being able to spend more time doing this,” she says. “Mac and I just obsessively consume technology, and the possibilities for [digital art] are just becoming exponentially more crazy. So if it’s reasonable to jump into this world in a more serious way, we’d love to do it.”

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Art

Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

1 day ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.

Art

Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone – BBC.com

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2024

Harry Miller

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Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone BBC.com

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Somerset House Fire: Courtauld Gallery Reopens, Rest of Landmark Closed

Published

4 weeks ago

August 18, 2024

Harry Miller

The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House has reopened its doors to the public after a fire swept through the historic building in central London. While the gallery has resumed operations, the rest of the iconic site remains closed “until further notice.”

On Saturday, approximately 125 firefighters were called to the scene to battle the blaze, which sent smoke billowing across the city. Fortunately, the fire occurred in a part of the building not housing valuable artworks, and no injuries were reported. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Despite the disruption, art lovers queued outside the gallery before it reopened at 10:00 BST on Sunday. One visitor expressed his relief, saying, “I was sad to see the fire, but I’m relieved the art is safe.”

The Clark family, visiting London from Washington state, USA, had a unique perspective on the incident. While sightseeing on the London Eye, they watched as firefighters tackled the flames. Paul Clark, accompanied by his wife Jiorgia and their four children, shared their concern for the safety of the artwork inside Somerset House. “It was sad to see,” Mr. Clark told the BBC. As a fan of Vincent Van Gogh, he was particularly relieved to learn that the painter’s famous Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear had not been affected by the fire.

Blaze in the West Wing

The fire broke out around midday on Saturday in the west wing of Somerset House, a section of the building primarily used for offices and storage. Jonathan Reekie, director of Somerset House Trust, assured the public that “no valuable artefacts or artworks” were located in that part of the building. By Sunday, fire engines were still stationed outside as investigations into the fire’s origin continued.

About Somerset House

Located on the Strand in central London, Somerset House is a prominent arts venue with a rich history dating back to the Georgian era. Built on the site of a former Tudor palace, the complex is known for its iconic courtyard and is home to the Courtauld Gallery. The gallery houses a prestigious collection from the Samuel Courtauld Trust, showcasing masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Among the notable works are pieces by impressionist legends such as Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent Van Gogh.

Somerset House regularly hosts cultural exhibitions and public events, including its popular winter ice skating sessions in the courtyard. However, for now, the venue remains partially closed as authorities ensure the safety of the site following the fire.

Art lovers and the Somerset House community can take solace in knowing that the invaluable collection remains unharmed, and the Courtauld Gallery continues to welcome visitors, offering a reprieve amid the disruption.

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