Haring (III)

"(1) You are singled out in the "group" critically by art critics and/or the public. (2) This creates an interest in your works in the public and among art dealers and galleries. (3) They realize that this means they can sell the work, so they offer you exhibitions. (4) People buy the work, which enables you to work more, buy bigger/better materials and work space, and support yourself without doing un-art-related work. (5) This also means your fellow artists no longer see you as part of the "group" since now you make money, so your entire social situation changes around you. (6) You now are immediately thrust into the art "market" since people begin to buy the work. (7) Many people buy the work because it is still very inexpensive since you are still relatively unknown and your prices are fixed accordingly. (8) The more work you sell, the more demand there is by word-of-mouth by the people who are "collecting" it. Many people begin to think of you as a risky investment, but an investment nonetheless. Since the work is still inexpensive they can afford this small risk. (9) You produce even more works since you now have more time, money and a new audience and, of course, more offers for exhibitions because of the growing interest and the new "market" for this new "rising" artist. (10) As the demand increases the prices begin to go up. (11) Because you are being collected and exhibited more critics and journalists begin to write about the work. The "hype" of the art world begins to scalate. (12) Everyone feeds off this, including you. (13) Eventually the works begin to appear at auction, since the prices have risen substantially and some of these "investors" are eager to "cash in" now before a possible loss begins to set in. (14) These people who were "speculative" collectors probably don't believe in the value of the work in the first place and are eager to dump these things and make their next "risky investment" on some new "artist" they feel might be able to make them a few bucks. (15) Now the works at auction are in competition with the works you are still producing and a balance must be sustained. (16) The artist now must regulate his production to assure his ability to sustain this balance" - Keith Haring