ART: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY OR THE MEANING OF LIFE

Art: Investment Opportunity Or The Meaning Of Life

Art Investment Opportunity or the Meaning of Life

The question which is going to be discussed here is that Is art really just another investment opportunity, or is it about the meaning of life? A gestural and hard-edged Jacqueline Humphries littered with sporadic silver and black strips, gargantuan in size, is reflected in a black Perspex diamond on the facing wall of Stuart Shave's whitewashed office. The diamond, by Eva Rothschild, an artist Stuart has worked with since she graduated from Goldsmiths, sold this very morning. As did her multi-colored ring by the glass sliding door that announces the office entrance.  She works a lot with displaced geometry. Eva's work feels like a drawing within space, Stuart says in admiration of the view in his West London Modern Art office, noting the shape of the diamond, quite particular in Eva's work. He re-arranges himself for the appraisal, re-configures the open denim shirt - a moss green cardigan and relaxed fit blazer layered duly over the top. I think her paintings are on fire,” Stuart notes, turning to the Jacqueline Humphries, fitting a mouth around the countrified vowels and consonants that note an out-of-city upbringing.  “This huge mark-making is epic, and then there's almost this spatial interference created through taping; she has taped layers and revealed layers, there's an incredible contradiction in these paintings,” he beams, shuffling a sit, rushing the words. You get the feeling Stuart likes to surround himself with beautiful things; even the plain white floor-to-ceiling bookshelf against the far wall is somewhat neat and sorted, books collected in rows pertaining to size and shape. “Speaking about my artists' work isn't always the easiest thing to do. It's when it becomes difficult to articulate the meaning of a work that it becomes interesting, not a sum of parts. I love that sense of open-endedness in my artists,” he says, visably enjoying the opportunity to articulate his love of art, a handsome smile across an already handsome face. “It's here because it's for sale,” he'll say of the art, fingers to his mouth as though they are microphones. His office certainly looks like an extension of his 6,500 square metre gallery space currently exhibiting the latest acrylic and oil pastels on canvas by Katy Moran, an artist Stuart discovered, like many of his other artists, whilst still at college [Many other galleries tried for Katy too, but after a year of to-and-fro she opted for Stuart. He's worked with her for four years now]. I mention the salesmanship of propping art that is for sale in an office where he no doubt brings investors, those powerful and rich enough to be swayed by a beautiful painting during a meeting. To this Stuart almost guffaws, “such cynicism” I can see him thinking, raising curtains on his eyes(Alexander, 1991). 

There are so many other things that go on in the gallery other than selling the work that's on ...