Costco carries Matisse
Posted: October 17, 2012 Filed under: Museums, Private Collections | Tags: art, art galleries, changing art world, costco, costco art, lithograph, Matisse, museums, social media 6 Comments
Henri Matisse, Femme au Chapeau, 1939
Yes, you read right. Costco now carries limited edition Matisse lithographs. Online for a fair price. (Warhol too) Whew, don’t have to don my Jimmy Choos to stroll out to Gagosian – style. Don’t have to blab up artsy chit-chat with a gallery owner to convince them I’m legit.
Aahhh, now I can slouch around in Old Navy velor sweatsuit and charge it ala Costco. With the 5% cashback. Priceless.
No uncomfortable negotiating over price. Click and ship. There are so many fantastic online orginal art sites now (artmuse.com, Saatchionline.com, 20×200.com). You can also buy direct from artist websites.
I’m happy about this. The same way I am happy Target carried Missoni. The same way I’ll be happy when one day I can walk into a museum and not be crushed by an art inferiority complex. Really – they do check for MFA’s at the door.
Because art needs the mainstream. Museums need social media. If museums continue to be white-walled Genius tombs, their shelf life is limited. It’s experience and interaction we want. Why do only curators talk about art? What if docents turned into gallery moderators and people could tweet back and forth about artwork on hashtags? (Imagine a world where people actually talk in mausoleums, ahem, museums) What if you went into a gallery and lounged around drinking?
It’s happening people.
They are sold out on the Costco website. Blarggh.
I’m waiting for the coupons. anyway.
igetitart 
bravo!!!
say whaaa, thats awesome
A new type of an art gallery is obviously in demand among clever people )
Здравствуйте! Oh yes! Subject/object relationships are done This idea of curator as sage/know-it-all imparting some esoteric wisdom to the rest of us is done. We want to participate in the process of making meaning, hang out with art, make personally relevant choices and talk to other people about art. The idea of “having fun” in a museum or gallery is strange to some. Galleries must use social media so we can “cheer” for our favorite Picasso. On in my case, my favorite Louise Bourgeois. Or whomever. Thanks so much for commenting!
Hi, I have a concept you might like. Give me some time to put it in words ) It would be something like: A good contemporary artist creates the space of meanings from which each can draw his or her own meaning (can be idea or feeling). Sometimes, it is the meaning that you carry away from the gallery with you that is important. Sometimes, it is the process of extracting or distilling this meaning that is important. But, alas, today galleries do not encourage people to enjoy the process or to derive their own meaning. Quite the opposite. You are to digest what curators tell you, and please don’t disturb the brainwashing of your fellow visitors! Sad ) But I think can change
If we can change time we can change anything.
Soon museums will realize resting on fat endowments won’t cut it. High-end trad. galleries will go online to cut overhead. Super wealth will still control the top end of the market. And turn great art into fetishes of commodity (not my idea, Marx’s).
But we a demand a new experience of art and we will have it! Last night I reveled with hundreds of fellow Austinites in artists houses and collectives all over East Austin. In a veritable art moveable feast/progressive art crawl. We ate, drank and impassion-ed over art. Then a dance party in the parking lot. Artist there, “customers” there. The vibe radiated heat and sex and I think I have died. Today I woke up with the best art night hangover ever.
Tell me your ideas. I eat ideas for breakfast and lunch. But at night I try to have a sensible dinner. Cheers!