"A seven-year contract period. During the duration of the contract, the contracted painter will provide at least one hundred works to the gallery. The total sales must be committed by Mashi Gallery to no less than US$200,000. For the part below US$200,000, 75% will be taken. For US$500,000, the commission will be 65%. For US$500,000 and above, the commission will be adjusted to half. During the contract period, you must participate in an academic exhibition or art exhibition planned by Mashi Gallery at least once every two years, and the total number of times shall not be less than Four times. If the total sales of the works created within the contract exceed US$500,000, an additional special solo exhibition will be held for the contracted artist and a personal album will be published."
Hanks looked at the ladder-like data written on the paper by Mrs. Sakai.
Halfway through, his head shook like a rattle.
"It's ridiculous, it's so ridiculous!"
"The total sales volume is guaranteed to be no less than 200,000 U.S. dollars. The sales volume is determined by market acceptance and the artist's level. We can't meet this condition. Could it be that he handed us a hundred pieces of blank paper and we have to promise to sell two hundred thousand dollars?" Go for $100,000!"
"There is a slang in the industry that a shoddy gallery can sell gold for shit, and an excellent gallery can sell shit for gold. Maybe there is an exaggeration in it. However, as long as Ma Shi Gallery is willing to tilt its sales resources to small businesses, Gu, for example, hold more large-scale personal exhibitions. Even if you sell a hundred blank sheets of paper for US$200,000, it is actually very easy."
Mrs. Sakai said lightly.
"Pfft."
"How many more large-scale solo exhibitions will be held? Madam, you might as well ask us to spend two hundred thousand dollars to buy all his works."
Hanks was immediately amused.
Theoretically,
The works of emerging artists are the same as the countless new virtual coins that will be developed on blockchain exchanges over time.
As long as you are willing to use resources, have sufficient media exposure, and are willing to speculate.
Both white paper and air can easily be sold for sky-high prices.
The worst case scenario is that cowardly collectors are just beating the drum and passing the news together, betting that the bubble will not collapse in their own hands.
But the accounts cannot be settled that way.
Publicity and marketing itself is also very expensive.
For a decent solo exhibition, the gallery's cost is easily over a hundred thousand dollars.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars refers to a very small exhibition.
If we really need to scale up, invest a little resources and cooperate with some large museums, spending one to two million US dollars is just like playing.
Please note,
Spending US$2 million to open a solo exhibition for a major artist that can attract the attention of a certain public and collectors is a very prudent expense. It is also necessary that the gallery, like Ma Shi Gallery, has the human resources and connections with museums and art galleries that have been operating for half a century, so that it can hold exhibitions at cost-friendly prices.
Otherwise the cost will still rise.
If you really want to hold a large-scale exhibition that attracts worldwide attention, it should be on the scale of "selling shit into gold" as Mrs. Sakai put it.
Feel sorry,
Starting at tens of millions of dollars, with no upper limit.
In 2017, Damien Hirst spent ten years preparing to win the Golden Lion Award, the highest honor of the Venice Biennale, which he longed for, and brought his personal entry "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable" to the Palazzo Grasci in Venice. "Incredible Treasures of Wrecks."
It is not a painting, but a set of 189 pieces of art work that resembles a personal exhibition.
For this solo exhibition, the support team behind Hirst spent more than 50 million pounds on basic costs alone, not including labor costs and venue expenses.
Not $50 million, but £50 million.
That’s why I didn’t get the award in the end.
When art makes money, money is made day by day, but when it comes to burning money, even if you throw in the companies listed on the New OTC Market, there won't even be a splash.
compare to,
Mrs. Sakai's request to publish a personal picture album for Gu Weijing was easier to accept.
The artist's related picture albums or art monographs are published, usually to gain fame in the academic field.
The sales volume of art albums is not high, but printing is very expensive. Basically, the gallery must publish it at its own expense, which may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"It is impossible for us to agree to such conditions, and no large gallery of the same level will offer such conditions to an emerging painter who is not famous."
Hanks scoffed.
"I'm sorry, I respect you very much, madam, but this request is really outrageous. You know, he is a newcomer, a newcomer without any accumulation of fame!"
He spoke in a particularly emphatic tone and knocked on the table, almost shouting.
"This condition may be enough to recruit a well-known mid- to high-level painter from a second-tier gallery. This condition is simply a fantasy."
"Xiao Gu is just a newcomer who is not famous yet, and soon he will not be. Gu Weijing will participate in this year's Lion City Art Exhibition. The painting you see is the concept of the entry he prepared for the exhibition. You have your own judgment on how the picture looks.”
"Lion City Art Exhibition, oh, no wonder..."
Hear this word,
Hanks was slightly stunned.
He recalled the painting "Orphanage Under the Sun" and immediately realized that this painting was really suitable for participating in this year's [Hustle and bustle of the world·Biennial Art Exhibition] in the Lion City.
If Gu Weijing can really participate in the Singapore Art Exhibition. Even if you win an award, your net worth will naturally increase significantly.
And this painting,
Although Hanks believes that the pen and ink are a bit immature, in a situation like Singapore, choosing the right painting method may be more important than the artist's own technique.
It may not mean that there is really no possibility for this kid to win a small award.
"Not only that, Mr. Cao Xuan's current eldest disciple, Mr. Lin Taolin from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, also admires Gu Weijing very much and wants to accept him as a disciple."
"Lin Tao, who ranked 43rd on the Hurun Artist Rich List last year, is it true? Are you sure he is a disciple?"
In the mind of the agent, Gu Weijing's ability to build connections can no longer be described in just two words: shock.
Mr. Cao's disciple and Uncle Sakai's possible son-in-law?
He made a little calculation in his mind and couldn't help but lick the corner of his mouth wildly.
"Finally, Gu Weijing is co-writing a paper on dark-tone impressionism with my daughter. I have full confidence that this paper will be published in a top AHCI journal like Asian Art."
This is not a time for humility.
If you have some ability, you must show some ability.
Mrs. Sakai showed Gu Weijing's advantages one by one in front of Hanks.
Even the papers are not spared.
"He not only has painting potential, but also academic potential. In the past half century, intellectual painters who are able to take the academic route have become more and more popular. These advantages are what you call 'any famous mid-level and high-level person' Something the painter couldn't do at all."
Hanks became silent.
He realized that he had not done enough background research before coming, and might have underestimated the potential of this young painter.
If Gu Weijing can really win an award at an art exhibition, then add this other information.
The price Mrs. Sakai wrote on the contract still seemed very high, but it was already worth considering.
"Do you have any inside information? Does he have access to specially invited painters to participate in this year's Lion City Biennale?"
Hanks thought for a moment.
He now dare not underestimate Gu Weijing's network of contacts.
"I don't think it's necessary. Relying on your own strength to compete is the most valuable result."
Mrs. Sakai raised her eyebrows, looking disdainful of such small tricks.
Hanks just listened to such high-sounding rhetoric, he didn't believe it.
"Well...the competition at this year's Lion City Art Exhibition is indeed very fierce, and off-site channels are more difficult to find."
After thinking about it, he shook his head.
"Given the current level of Gu Weijing's painting, without outside help, I think it's hard to say whether he can participate in the competition in the master group in the main exhibition area."
"He still has several months to improve his work. The probability of being selected into the master group is at least 70%."
Mrs. Sakai said.
"The probability of winning is no more than 30%." Hanks shrugged, "Madam, this is a blank check."
"There is a 30% chance that you will make a profit, and a 70% chance that you will not lose."
Mrs. Sakai gently put her two calves together, taking the initiative of speaking in her hands, "If your gallery is willing to use its network resources to help Gu Weijing gain higher exposure during the competition, I think the chance of winning is far away." Far more than 30%. If not, why don’t we wait until after the exhibition and then sell it at a price?”
The Biennale is not just a competition between different artists.
High-end exhibitions are also a competition between different galleries for promotional resources.
Many people may have seen professional public relations teams lobbying for the Oscars or the Venice Film Festival in tabloids.
In fact, the famous Venice Film Festival is one of the sub-units of the Venice Biennale.
In traditional serious painting exhibitions, the operating logic is similar.
Painting art exhibitions are relatively pure than film exhibitions.
Outright monetary transactions are rare, but the ways to influence the organizing committee go far beyond financial bribery.
First of all, during the duration of the art exhibition, galleries with vast resources can hire art critics to write articles through the Internet and traditional paper media to build momentum for their agent painters.
Many collectors and art lovers will spend money to subscribe to some well-known art newspapers, such as "Art Expo", "Art Review", and "Oil Painting".
These large media outlets push columns to their paying readers every day or every week.
for example,
Even if Gu Weijing's small book gallery is just a small grocery store like a grass-roots team, he will still subscribe to the "Oil Painting" magazine on a regular basis, just like a graphic design company wants to subscribe to Adobe Family Bucket.
It's almost a necessity for eating.
In addition to the monthly membership fee of 75 euros paid by Gu Tongxiang, he can browse the corresponding information in the buyer's guide section.
The editorial department of "Oil Painting" magazine will also push an email news to Mr. Gu's registered email account every Wednesday.
In this email, the senior column editor of the magazine will select and write some important art industry news and professional art analysis, including corresponding investment suggestions and new evaluations of some noteworthy painters.
The influence of these review articles is great.
The long-established "Oil Painting" magazine is not short of money. As the big brother in this industry, it does not publish soft articles except for the membership payment system.
Most of these art media are accepted.
Especially for free electronic media, making money depends on business cooperation.
Gu Weijing wants to participate in the Lion City Art Exhibition if he has sufficient resources behind him.
You can publish corresponding articles of praise in media such as "Singapore Art Observer", which has a large local readership in Singapore, to exert external influence on the organizing committee.
This is an email newsletter with a clear price tag of 50,000 Singapore dollars, approximately US$35,000.
If you are willing to spend money, mainstream popular political news print media without special placement ads cost US$50,000 to US$60,000 per issue. If you are willing to spend US$100,000, you can buy a large double-page section at the beginning of the issue in the "Daily News Weekly" publicity.
There are also more advanced ways to play.
Large galleries like M&A will usually rent a castle or a blue water garden in a high-end hotel, and invite famous art critics, collectors, and industry authorities to hold "reception receptions."
The usual entertainment standard is more than 3,000 US dollars per person, and inviting 100 people to play for one night is 300,000 US dollars.
If you spend this money, you may not be able to win a prize.
If you don’t spend the money, you may not get the prize.
But the probability of winning is really not on the same level.
The operating rules of the gallery industry have been jokingly called by the public opinion - Money can talk. (Use money to speak).
Galleries use the banknotes thrown out like a sea to promote their own artists, and collectors use the banknotes in their hands to pursue famous painters, allowing the gallery owners to profit.
all things,
As long as you are willing to spend money to "lubricate" it, there is rarely anything you can't get.
The Venice Biennale, the most important exhibition in the history of art, might be able to remain aloof in the face of money, but it would be a new art exhibition like the Singapore Biennale.
To put it bluntly,
If there were an artist and his gallery, they would be willing to spend tens of millions of dollars to exhibit here.
Regardless of whether the work itself is good or bad, just based on this investment, I will not award a gold medal.
The organizing committee was embarrassed.
After Mrs. Sakai learned that Gu Weijing wanted to participate in the Singapore Art Exhibition, she focused on the publicity channels of Mashi Gallery.
Anyway, for an international gallery, important branches on all continents have special public relations costs every year, which are astronomical.
Leading companies such as Gagosian, Lisson, and PACE all have budgets in tens of millions of euros.
If the budget is not wasted and can be spent on other painters, why not give Xiao Gu a small prize or something?
One fish eats many,
Mrs. Sakai thinks she is a master of planning!
When Mrs. Sakai and Hanks discussed the details of the contract, Gu Weijing did not speak.
He knew that Miss Katsuko's mother knew more than him.
What others say is more effective than what you say yourself.
Gu Weijing was quietly reading the copy of the contract that Hanks had just given. He was studying the pages of [Artist Authorization and Obligations] intently.
When middle- and lower-class painters sign a contract, the first contract they usually get does not restrict them too much.
Painters at this level need to do everything possible to solve the problem of survival.
In fact, after signing up with galleries in the industry, and still in various online circles, small painters who secretly sell their paintings to make extra money have really gone viral.
For this kind of small money, galleries also fall into the category of turning a blind eye and closing one eye.
But Gu Weijing didn't want to play with this kind of fire.
(End of chapter)
