Sunday, June 20, 2010

My Taste in Art

It's either really good or really bad. I'm not sure. What I know is that any time we visit an art museum, whether it be the permanent collection or a limited-time special exhibition, I find a piece or two that really speaks to me and I want to take it home.

That's good, right?

And because I assume the museum peeps aren't going to be down with me putting those framed works in my car and taking off with them, I usually just check the museum store for prints or reproductions.

So here's where I start to question my taste. The art I adore? It's never available in the gift shop. No worries, I'll go home and look online! Except, it's never available there either. For reference, see "The Lie". No kidding, if you could find me a print of that photo, at any price, I would kiss you. Or have your babies. Or pay you a 10% finder's fee. Whatever you wanted, because I would be that indebted.

Is it that my taste in art is so good that they want to keep those gems hidden away, unavailable for public take-home? Or is it that my taste in art is so bad that they just assume there would be no market so they don't bother making prints available?

Because, you know, it's all about me.

Or maybe the issue is that these artists I love had really sucky agents who failed to negotiate a syndication deal for them.

At least these particular pieces that caught my eye are less than three miles from my house. I'll have to go visit them. And debate my taste with the voices in my head.

3 comments:

C. Beth said...

I think you should move into the museum. It gives you by far the best cost to benefit ratio. Cost: Free. Benefit: Lots of art. (Drawback: You'll need to work on your break-in skills, and be out each morning by the time they open.)

Unknown said...

Sneak a camera in, take a picture of the art you like and then print it out at home. Shh...don't tell anyone I do that.

TMC said...

Same thing happens with me. I can only remember one time that a museum gift shop had a postcard of my favourite painting.