Re: "The show also sought to roll back the commercialization and gentrification of graffiti. This is an age when street artists like JR and Britain's Banksy have global recognition and collectors are pouring in money."

[joseph berg]

On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 3:03 PM, William Conger <w-con...@sbcglobal.net>wrote:

> The terms are not mutually exclusive.  I've never met a collector who
> didn't
> care about the "investment" value .  After all, the collectors put up their
> money.  Even if they intend to give away their collection they are
> interested in
> its worth.  Collectors routinely spend tens of thousands on each artwork.
>  Of
> course they care about the money.  Collectors differ from speculators who
> are
> usually looking at off-the-grid type art.  They want to discover a new
> outsider
> artist, a graffiti artist, a lone-wolf insane artist, etc., the sort of
> work
> that can be obtained for next to nothing, heavily promoted by outsider and
> folk
> art dealers and then run up sky high at auctions.  Then it's sell time,
> cash in
> and move on the the next Grandma moses or Henry Darger.
>

 But because of their desire (obsession?) to keep raising the value of the
artwork they bought, don't investors/speculators eventually drive out the
collectors who, over time, find that collecting becomes less and less
affordable because of inflated prices?