Page 124 - Just Deserts

Chameleon Dress Tips

Evian Beek’s gaze wandered about the studio. “Well, if you have
some recent work I can look at...”
Frisko put his coffee mug down roughly on the floor and jumped
to his feet. “Nothing outstanding, just a few old sketches and papier-
mâché models from ‘Interstate Dinosaur Droppings.’ To tell you the
truth, I could use some good ideas about the art market. Keeps
changing, and I spend a lot of time away from it, working on more
important things. Oh, no offense intended, of course!”
“And none taken, I assure you,” replied the dealer equably. “An
artist requires inspiration, and economic necessity has mothered all
sorts of masterpieces. And, if I may say so, studying the consumers
of art has been a lifelong passion of mine, one which has proven
quite profitable. Mass appeal and snob appeal are distinctions which
must be carefully drawn through a shifting borderland of cultural
values. A good case in point is Pop Art: the boundary shifted
suddenly, and recycled images of consumerism fetched high prices
for several years. Did the public perceive the movement as a
perversion, a slap in its face by cynical painters, another ‘boho dance,’
as Tom Wolfe calls it? Certainly not! The movement was, in fact, in
the vanguard of the rampant anti-intellectualism soon to sweep
across the civilized nations. Today the entire country has become a
shopping mall or theme park, and ‘serious’ works of art are forgotten.
My gallery has kept up with these trends by showing the work of
artists who also change with the times. I believe in your large-scale
works, Frisko; although they cannot themselves be made into
commodities, they definitely enhance your prestige and the value of
anything else with your name on it.”
“Yeah, right,” mumbled the artist, pacing the serpentine
uncluttered path from kitchenette to bathroom to bedding. “This
place is full of inspiring things, isn’t it? I must have as much junk in
here as anybody in SoHo. Just haven’t been able to give these
mundane concerns enough attention lately. All I can think about are
gigantic balloons.”
“I understand perfectly,” said Beek. “Let me help. I see you have
some art books on the table here. Perhaps...ah! A volume of Escher
engravings: an odd choice for you, I should think.” He picked up the
book and leafed through it.
123