Art as Luxury
A mentor recently encouraged me to come to terms with the fact I am selling a “luxury item.” And what she means of course is that no one needs art in the way they need food, shelter and water. I feel invigorated by the people in this world that argue that Art is not a luxury, and perhaps I don’t disagree with that on a societal scale but for the individual, I am not so sure. Even the ability to make art, which requires first and foremost TIME, is a luxury these days.
My son looking at paintings on the studio wall.
In the world of blue chip galleries and fairs, art is sold for unimaginable prices, while outside those walls many people are finding things that were once considered basic human rights to be luxuries; healthcare, the ability to feed their kids, pay their rent or loans, afford an education, safety, and time. At its extreme art collecting highlights the grotesque inequalities of our societies.
There is of course a civic, educational, and spiritual value to art. Art makes life more meaningful and understandable and there are plenty of collectors out there buying art that supports “regular” (ie not blue chip) artists, and plenty of artists selling work for reasonable prices that don’t diminish their own talent or value. But that doesn’t change the fact that as artists, we are making a product for which there is no great demand. No one will ever need a painting like they need food for their children. Perhaps this holds especially true for visual artists, who, unlike novelists or playwrights or musicians, aren’t making something that can be sold many times for smaller amounts, but rather a single precious object sold for a large sum. (Yes, we can sell prints or stickers or merch but no one is buying those like they buy books or tickets to see a play.)
Art as a luxury is a difficult thing for some artists to come to terms with. I don’t want to sell my work for less than what it is worth, I want my art–all art–to be valued and for artists to be paid. But to do that I also have to accept that no one needs my art. I don’t even need my art. Not only is it a luxury item, it is a luxury process.
