The current auctioning of Hirst's new production -- bypassing the usual dealers -- exemplifies his role as a money-changer-washer for the big money folks. Would anyone, especially a rich capitalist, spend 15+ million for one of Hirst's manufactured art-objects if it were certain that its future value in a decade or so would be pennies on the dollar? Surely, the answer is no.
Hirst is not an artist. He makes things that enable people to park gobs of money, betting that their value will rise and can be converted to cash again in a year ot two with profit all around. So far it's worked well for him and Koons, and a handful of others. The secret is to keep the players limited to big-money moguls, not unlike the hedge fund guys who keep "little" investors, out. It's no different than the real estate bubble, or the last one, the tech bubble Greed will expand a bubble until it breaks, every time. The last one holding the Hirsts will lose...and the owners hope it will be a museum, one that gave them tax write-offs at the most inflated values. If no museum is handy, they create their own. Hirsts, tulips, oil, real estate, one bubble after another, that's what unregulated (anarchist) capitalism is. WC --- On Tue, 9/16/08, Chris Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Chris Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: It's Hirst and Dickinson > To: [email protected] > Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 9:39 AM > William and Michael have been commenting about this Kuspit > essay: > > http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/kuspit/kuspit9-11-08.asp > > While Cheerskep has been complaining about this one: > > > http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/features/kuspit/kuspit4-14-05.asp > > > (just in case anyone else got as confused as I did) > > *************** > > I liked the following passage from from the 9-11-08 essay > -- since I've often > queried just what art as "critical intervention" > has ever accomplished (other > than the establishing a niche in the art market as well as > university > culture): > > > "My point is that the theorizing of > "advanced" art as "critical > intervention" > is an acknowledgement of its essential conformity to the > conventions of > "advanced" thought in "advanced" > capitalism. They have become as much a part > of its business as usual as the conventions of advanced > art. The hypocrisy of > advanced theory and the hypocrisy of advanced art correlate > in the hypocrisy > of advanced capitalism. Indeed, advanced art and advanced > theory synchronize > like shit and money -- traditionally called the devils shit > -- in Freuds > equation. The advanced work of art has become a luxury > item, the artists > expensive gift to the advanced capitalist, the most > esteemed person in our > society, all the more so because making money has become an > advanced art in > the minds of many, suggesting that the wealthy businessman > has a creative > gift. Thus the divine rights of the rich. The rich > capitalist is a god in all > but name, and he must be worshipped and appeased with the > fruits of art -- a > form of tribute and homage -- who rewards the artist by > making him a rich > capitalist -- deifying him." > > > > (and a side note to those who like correct errors in > spelling -- my spell > checking software found two errors in the above published > article) > > ____________________________________________________________ > Click for free information and quotes for interest only > loans. > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/Ioyw6ijlfrInuFXaPO05uqIdrLAa7z > gHMmSDT09D67XfnlIMWB9c8E/
