A solid 18-karat-gold work, a preposterously scatological apotheosis of wealth whose form is completed in its function.
Tucked away in an unassuming bathroom on the fifth floor of the Guggenheim Museum, is a fully functional gold toilet, with a serpentine line of museum visitors waiting to experience relief on a golden throne! The solid 18-karat gold is the latest work of art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, Sheer opulence does not make the experience any different. Being gold does not prevent it from getting clogged or make the experience different, it is more or less the same as our everyday porcelain throne. Half of the fun of the golden toilet (titled, provocatively, America) is the real-life drama unfolding around it. So is the Cattelan’s gold toilet worth a two-hour queue? Depends.. But interestingly in 2019, the 18-karat gold toilet, was stolen from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, The toilet was meant to be part of exhibition by the Italian artist but was stolen before his show opened. Nearly four years after the police arrested seven people, but as for the golden bowl itself, authorities are hesitant to say it will ever be returned.
Earlier on, Jenny Holzer, an American installation and neo-conceptual artist, Printed on one side of a wooden postcard, ‘Money Creates Taste’. Holzer’s statement is bold and clear, words that are powerful, important, and meaningful. But, of course, the message also undermines itself. We are instantly made to question: does money create taste? ‘Holzer Truism’ looks at the relationship between money and taste, and this debate gets fueled as one engages in exploring the connection.
As artworks are auctioned for outrageous figures, if one investigates the capitalist hijack, the results are startling. In my short avatar as a gallerist, I’d have collectors as well as young couples come and ask a repeated question, ‘Which painting would be a good investment?’ And my standard reply was that select an artwork that you love and would want to live with and can live by.
But there are collectors who, over a period of time, treat paintings like stocks, artists’ names like companies, and work on their collection records as spreadsheets for trading in the art market.
It may be fashionable to pass judgment on the poor taste of rich ladies with Birkin bags and buy artworks to hang to match their walls or discuss the latest acquisition at parties to exhibit culture and good taste. Or more importantly, to make a statement that ‘they have arrived’ on the social scene.
Honestly, taste has little to do with having money. Yet, instead of criticizing those who provide this support, we should recognize the vital role they play in sustaining artists. After all, Art requires the rich for their money and patronage, doesn’t it? History is a witness that royalty then, corporations, and collectors today, play the role of patronage for the Arts.
Every few years, a passionate and educated collector comes along, collecting artworks and hence documenting the works of the time, for the benefit of generations to come. There were times I am witness to, when gallery owners, who were the first gallerists of the city, would let young, passionate but not-so-affording collectors buy artworks and pay in installments. Reminiscent of endearing times gone by.
Though throughout history, art has flourished due to the patronage of the wealthy, the reason could be that true refinement often requires ample time for exposure, contemplation, and reflection.
It is generally observed that, money and time seem to have a directly proportionate equation ; people with less money have less time to indulge; and those with more money tend to have more time to pursue their interests. To develop good taste; exposure and reflection are necessary. The rich possess the crucial financial resources for exposure, which can help refine their taste.
The working class lacks time, unless their passion for their pursuits supersedes their daily duties. People that struggle from morning till night to make ends meet, hardly have the energy for other interests in life. Hence, we can conclude that those with ample money and time tend to have resources to develop better taste. However, it’s important to note that good taste is not only due to resources. Most creators of good art and design do not come from privileged backgrounds, creators generally come from the not so privileged background, and privileged are audiences they are mostly seen appreciating rather than creating.
But what is good taste, and who determines it? Art is subjective, and so is taste. Some might assume that anything expensive is of good taste. However, our world is driven by marketing and branding, not just art. The real value of something is overshadowed by its image and brand. Likewise, in art, when an artist’s work sells for $20 million, it’s deemed good art. This high price signifies the success of the marketing and branding machinery behind it. There are exceptions to the rule, like the local performances at Shivaji Mandir in Dadar, which have showcased exceptional Marathi plays and music that fill the house with a culturally rich, working-class audience. But it is more an exception to the rule than the rule.
The Art world and money have a symbiotic relationship.One wonders what makes a painting worth ten million or twenty million. Certainly not just the artist or just the painting, but the entire system that is the business of Art.Is the entire art market absurd? Perhaps yes. Most living artists do not earn that kind of money, but years after they are gone, a gallerist with an art historian or art critic reveals the hidden pricelessness of the artist’s works. They comb the market, collect the works, partner with an auction house, and voila! The artist who found it hard to sell all of the works is now sought after and sold in auction after auction, and the price skyrockets!
