so i was going thru the christies catalog, and their is a collection of flavin--which led me to some questions
1) are you buying the object or the concept 2) do you get an unlimited supply of light bulbs for 500 000 dollars 3) is it the same as if it was created or installed by flavin, if it has different light bulbs b) this is a varration of the hammer puzzle and also do flavins not depend on spec. places--work that he has installed, is it possible to have a flavin when he is not alive c) if he intended it to be in x and it is now in y, is it in the same peice ?4) at night, do you unplug the flavin 5) what happens if they do not have the same kind of bulbs as they used to (in the colours spec--i mean what if they discontinue the grass green or the bright red bulbs--they all are commerically availble right ?)
does any of this really matter ?(note: i love flavin, i think he is impt and beautful, and it has been a deep joy when i have had the honour of seeing them live the few times i have)
― Anthony Easton, Tuesday, 3 May 2005 05:01 (twenty years ago)
1) A little of both - you're buying the object as proof-of-concept, with a certificate of authenticity. Like many cast sculptures or photographs, this piece is one of an edition.
2) You don't get unlimited bulbs, buyer beware. But odds are if you can afford to spend $500,000 on a piece of art you're not hurting for maintenance funds.
3) He fully intended for bulbs to be replaced and didn't believe it affected the integrity of the artwork - like many minimalists, he wasn't concerned with the traditional view of artist as hands-on craftsman and I'd be surprised if he installed many of the bulbs himself in the first place. In this particular auction, the piece comes from an edition of five, only two of which have been produced. Presumably, the other three pieces could be produced by his foundation according to his drawings tomorrow and be just as valid as the others, at least from Flavin's point of view. But the foundation has decided not to produce any more works.
He did a lot of site specific pieces, but many weren't - I don't believe the Monument series was. His sketches very clearly show whether the piece stands on its own or exists within the context of a particular setting. If a piece was intended for one setting and gets put in another, I think it loses some but not all of its value. In the recent Flavin retrospective museum show, the pieces that had been conceived in a particular setting had rooms built to match those intentions.
4) I'm not sure - I guess it depends on whether the fluorescent ballasts are damaged more by turning on the lamps or keeping them on 24 hours a day.
5) I'm not sure all the colors are commercially available anymore, but there's a manufacturer that makes bulbs especially for Flavin's pieces.
Here's an article from the NYT that addresses a lot of the same points:http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/arts/design/02alle.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=e72bceee77ecd202&ex=1262408400&partner=rssuserland
― Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:43 (twenty years ago)
― anthony, Tuesday, 3 May 2005 22:42 (twenty years ago)
awesome
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)
Okay, but only if you find the hum of a hundred fluorescent fixtures as romantic as I do.
― Brian Miller (Brian Miller), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)
― W i l l (common_person), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)
The Flavin on the outside of the Hamburger Bahnhof is on pretty much all day, isn't it? They must have a warehouse full of those tubes.
― Stephen X (Stephen X), Wednesday, 4 May 2005 22:47 (twenty years ago)
You'd think making a lousy joke/pun combining the old Benjamin's-original-having-an-aura and buying original artworks that consist of well, light to be easy as a kite, but I'm at a loss of words here.
― mehlt, Thursday, 29 November 2007 04:23 (eighteen years ago)
It's only been two years, keep trying.
― S-, Thursday, 29 November 2007 04:45 (eighteen years ago)
The Flavin exhibit at the National Gallery a few years ago was a really great experience.
― Rock Hardy, Thursday, 29 November 2007 04:49 (eighteen years ago)
Really liked the one at the Hayward. Pissed off that you couldn't take photos. What were they protecting? Fuckers.
― ledge, Thursday, 29 November 2007 13:15 (eighteen years ago)
Soothing image to atone for vitriol:
http://arjay.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/flavin.jpg
http://flavin.pulitzerarts.org/#/installations/
― jergïns, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 02:37 (seventeen years ago)
hey retarts, you're buying an edition, you're buying manufactured rarity.
― sanskrit, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 02:39 (seventeen years ago)
lol flavin
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 02:44 (seventeen years ago)
I bet he got a 100% on his art project final, too.
― Abbott, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 02:51 (seventeen years ago)