It’s interesting to see Artspace’s interview with Stefan Simchowitz transform a piece of information that has been floating about for some time into an annualized trend. In plainer English, Simchowitz repeats something that Kenny Schachter has reported on in passing at least twice this Autumn about Mark Grotjahn’s direct sales from his studio.
Here’s what Schachter wrote in October:
Did you hear the one about the $45 million Mark Grotjahn triptych that sold to Yusaku Maezawa, buyer of Adam Lindemann’s $57.3 million Basquiat at auction last spring, who you must follow on Instagram for his unabashed material enthusiasms alone? It’s true.
And here is how Simchowitz annualized the one-time event:
You want to talk about art, look at Mark Grotjahn making $50 to $70 million a year, selling paintings directly out of the studio for $10 million. Look at Mark Bradford making $20 to $25 million a year.
It doesn’t take much away from Simchowitz’s argument to recognize that the bulk of the eye-popping figure he sites is a single deal involving three large works. The validity of the Bradford figure would have to be measured in the context of what we know about the Grotjahn deal.
Kenny Schachter Goes Behind the Scenes at FIAC (artnet News)
The Art Dealer for the Apocalypse: Stefan Simchowitz on How to Sell Artworks in a Chaotic World (Artspace)
