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HS: I want to finish up chatting about the London Art Fair and what it means to be a part of it, break a little ground in that arena.
NW: I never been before. People are saying its a really prestigious art fair. But, for me, it’s not a place I’d normally go to. I probably won’t be going on Tuesday, because it might be a bit weird if I’m there looking at people in line trying to buy the print. I don’t feel comfortable doing that type of thing. I think from what I know, from the gallery, its the first time they’ll have had a stand there. The gallery is kind of urban art based. Might be the first time a gallery showcasing that art has been. So in terms of that, it is interesting to see how it will go down and there will be many people from the UK and abroad going to be there, with their own client base, it is a good chance the work will be seen by a wider audience. That can only be a good thing.
HS: As a consumer of art yourself, what are you drawn to?
NW: I am into Shepard, Faille. I think they are constantly raising the bar. I’m a big fan of science fiction stuff as well. Jose Gonzales. Heracut. They are a good marriage of styles. One of them is into photo realistic graffiti, the girl she has a more scratchy style. She’ll kind of outline the photorealistic stuff. Good, I’ve been into that for quite sometime. They recently had a show in London. I’ve got fairly eclectic taste. Going back to the early work from 1960s and 1970s pop artists. Rauschenberg and Warhol. Always looking for the new heads coming up. Yourself?
HS: I have a background in 19th and early 20th-century as an art history student and as a museum curator. That’s sort of where I am. My art tastes are a touch antiquated given who I write for, but it is quite easy to draw comparisons. Especially with the urban realists of the 20th-century. The first wave of artists, who due to depression really, are out on the street observing.
NW: Do you like Jose Parla.
HS: Yes, I do actually.
NW: He is like the ultimate graffiti onion. He has a good work ethic as well, which is refreshing.
HS: That is sort of half the battle in some respects.
NW: But, there are a lot of artists who don’t hold back enough. With the whole influx of new collectors, the market is flooded with work that has been unsold. The more and more auctions there are, the more paintings come back to bite you in the ass.
HS: Certainly, from my perspective and background, the things you might want simply don’t come up very often. You might see a work sold and then now it won’t appear for another 20 years, if ever.
NW: Yeah, that’s great. It means things are handled correctly. A question you asked earlier, if an artist is handled well and the integrity is kept up, the paintings will go to the right people. If they are, they won’t resurface right away. So much of that goes on it is ridiculous.
HS: Do you feel that way about the prints? Certainly with the “limited” market many people are waiting on line to resell.
NW: The flippers. The thing is with them, you can never, people que for hours. A percentage of that will always be to make a raise. There has been occasion when we’ve just released a print online and seen that basically before the prints have been sent to the buyer, the picture is already on eBAY being sold double. It is a case of say, well that is not right. A) They’ve not even got it in hand. B) There are true collectors that want the piece that want to really have it, and enjoy it. Literally, it was a case of finding out who the person was, matching up the eBAY seller, which is easy enough, and then we shut them down in minutes. They were blocked from buying, refunded and the print was offered to a true collector.
It is a constant battle. If you act quickly we can make sure the people who really want it first off can.
HS: A good effort.
NW: I think so. It just more breeds more haters. If you can nip that in the bud, it is a good thing.
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