One of my favorite times of the year is the first weekend in December, right after Thanksgiving and a few weeks before Christmas. The chaos of the holidays is palpable, but it hasn't yet sunk in and morphed itself into the frantic anxiety which you just can't shake. Coincidentally, it's this first weekend which also plays host to Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the world's most important and most heavily attended art fairs.
I have had the opportunity to attend Art Basel (or Art Frazzle as I like to call it) for the past four years in a row, and it's always an incredible time. Some of the world's most influential artists, gallerists, collectors, socialites, fashionistas and media elite descend upon the tropical city to enjoy the sun, to spend obscene amounts of money on art and most importantly, to attend the endless array of parties being thrown in honor of everything and anything.
This year though, things are very different. The economy's downward spiral has changed things dramatically. There aren't as many lavish parties being planned. Collectors are spending more conservatively, and conversely, the prices of the works are falling drastically.
For someone like me, whose annual budget does not include reserves for works by Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel or Francesco Vezzoli, I have to get creative in my search for affordable art which led me to three very attractive options.
For the past month, fashion designer and artist, Helmut Lang, has teamed up with Absolut in presenting Alles Gleich Schwer an experimental project available exclusively on the web which brings art to the public while eradicating the barriers between the viewer and the work, and the consumer and the gallery. This project offers a series of five limited edition posters available for FREE DOWNLOAD at Absolut.com/HelmutLang through December 31st. The posters are high resolution files measuring 24x36" and are easily printable at any photo print lab. I've already downloaded three of them and had them printed glossy at the lab around the corner!
Another one of my favorite winter art projects are the Works On Whatever beach towels commissioned from some of the industry's most sought after artists by Yvonne Force Villareal, founder of the Art Production Fund. This year the artists include Ed Ruscha, Julian Schnabel, Karen Kilimnik and Raymond Pettibon. These oversized towels measure 60x70" and are incredibly soft making them perfect for the beach and for Christmas gifting. They don't necessarily scream long term investment, but they're a great way to own a Schnabel without depleting your funds. The towels are only $50, and they can be purchased through Works On Whatever or Target.com.
Lastly, with the election of Obama on November 4th, New York City, in addition to the rest of the country, went into a frenzied state of ecstasy over the prospect of change in a new administration. On the night of November 5th, this change was celebrated with a showing of new works by contemporary artist to Hollywood's elite, Brad Fisher. Fisher has been supplying his paintings to the likes of Drew Barrymore, Renee Zellweger and countless others for close to a decade. Although his works are normally beyond my own financial means, I was able to snag one of his Obama Bills, a limited edition representation of the one dollar bill featuring Obama's face in place of the more widely recognized dead presidents. Visit Brad Fisher Town to see if they haven't all been snagged by Julia Roberts and her friends.