Seeing RED

A few weeks ago, my wife and I attended the preview of "Red" at GeVa Theater in Rochester, NY. A wonderful one act play based on a fictional dialog between Mark Rothko and his young assistant. Brilliant! Go see it if you ever have the chance, you won't be sorry.

So with Rothko still bouncing around in my head, I came upon a New York Times article with the headline: "A Rothko Tops Sotheby's Contemporary Art Auction." A not very interesting 1954 Rothko, "Untitled (Yellow and Blue)" just sold for $46.45 million. Last year at this time, Rothko's "No. 21 (Red, Brown, Black and Orange)" sold for $45 million – a earlier work (1953) and a far superior painting. I mention these prices because Rothko suffered in poverty and was brutally criticized by art critics in his early years. The time frame of above mentioned play was around 1958. A period where Rothko had attained a level of financial success.

Mark Rothko, "Untitled (Yellow and Blue)" 1954

However, what really caught my eye was the auction of another abstract painting. Mark Bradford's "Smear" kick-started the auction. It fetched $4.4 million despite an upper estimate of $700,000. Wow! Big difference. Furthermore, this painting is brand new! It was dated this year (2015). Bradford is a young artist (by my standard) born in 1961. His work has always captivated me and seems to be rooted in an aesthetic and philosophy that resonates with my own. Here's his statement from the catalog:

"The conversations I was interested in were about community, fluidity, about a merchant dynamic, and the details that point to a genus of change. The species I use sometimes are racial, sexual, cultural, stereotypical. But the genus I’m always interested in is change." Mark Bradford

Mark Bradford, "Smear" 2015

Mixed Media and Collage on Canvas, 96"x72" 

How is an auction price of $4.4 million possible? I have no idea who purchased the painting. What is it that makes an artist's work suddenly valuable and desirable? What are people seeing or thinking?

In the play "Red," Rothko's bemoans the gap between his sensibilities and the public's vision. He yearns for an "empathic viewer" that connects with the multitude of hidden meanings/feelings that he has embedded in his color. He is shocked, bewildered and dismayed by the rise of the "Pop-Art" movement. He called these artists, "charlatans and young opportunists" and asks, "Are the young artists plotting to kill us all?" 

Well, Mark Bradford is a young artist that's not plotting to kill abstraction. In my opinion, he is one of the few artists that has decidedly climbed upon on the shoulders of giants of abstraction. And, I am thrilled that his work commands millions of dollars. Although it remains a mystery to me how it is possible.

If you are not familiar with Mark Bradford or his work – check it out.