The Art Market . van Gogh
Vincent Van GoghSunflowers1888Philadelphia Museum of Art: The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr. Collection
When we think of Vincent Van Gogh today, his poverty, his madness and his suicide come to mind. Perhaps also his Sunflowers , which have, to some extent, become emblematic of his work. Exhibitions, catalogues, novels and films have made the artist a legendary figure.
But auction sales have also contributed a great deal to the artist who once declared: "My paintings have no value." Van Gogh could never have imagined such an explosion in prices!
Vincent Van GoghIrises1889Courtesy J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
53 million American dollars for Irises in 1987. Some 40 million for Sunflowers , and that was in 1988, a rather bad year for the art market! But all records were broken in 1990, when the astronomical sum of 82.5 million dollars was paid for the Portrait of Doctor Paul Gachet .
This posthumous triumph is a stark contrast to Van Gogh's failed career: in spite of his best efforts, he did only two commissions and sold only one of his paintings, shortly before his death. However, he seems to have done everything necessary to succeed: he persisted in his painting, maintained contacts with several artists, showed his paintings and even took part in the Salons des Indépendants.
Vincent Van GoghSunflowers1888-89© Christie's Images Ltd. 1999
Moreover, his brother Theo was an art dealer in Paris. This did not, however, succeed in launching Vincent's career and he had to be content with giving him moral and artistic support, while providing for his material needs in exchange for hundreds of canvases which he crammed into his Parisian apartment, even stuffing them under the beds.
And to think that today people fight over the least little sketch by Van Gogh! The current value of his paintings raises questions about the role of the art market in general and what its purpose is. Art cannot escape a world in which the questions of investment, financial speculation and the globalization of the economy are the order of the day.
Vincent Van GoghPortrait of Dr. Gachet1890© Christie's Images Ltd. 1999
Like a consumer product, works of art are subject to the laws of the marketplace: prices are governed by the law of supply and demand, as with any other luxury good in high demand because of its rarity. It has nothing to do with the intrinsic value of the art, but rather with an escalation of prices in which the strongest win.
However, it must not be forgotten that a work of art is always part of a much larger context than its creation by the artist. During the nineteenth century, institutional structures were gradually transformed: the Académie, where artists were expected to study, and the Salons and the patronage over which the Académie exerted its authority, were replaced little by little by artists' movements, the Salons des indépendants, critics and art dealers. This new context would give more freedom to artists, who could develop the personal and expressive quality of their art.
As the art market opens up to a wider public and new collectors, works of art increasingly become commodities. But the taste of the new art-lovers is rather conservative, concerned with finding a sure thing. At the time when Van Gogh was trying to make a career for himself, a gap was beginning to develop between the expectations of the public and the interests of innovative artists. After the difficulties encountered by the Impressionists, the fate reserved for Van Gogh by the public, the critics, the dealers and the collectors was hardly a surprise.