STOLEN !
by Kevin Freitas
The more often than not perverse side of art is that it is often treated as a commodity for profit or to support some political and sometimes philanthropic agenda. It is only as valuable as it is needed and desired. You only have to look towards the major auction houses and blue-chip galleries to realize who is controlling the lion's share of the art market. Politically, Shepherd Fairey's blitz of Obama imagery has defined the "look" of a campaign that may or may not have anything to do with how the President-Elect is going to perform. Finally, in San Diego you have CowParade trying to bootstrap its way into the hearts and minds of the public with Disney-like cows and a Wal-Mart shopper's budget to pay the artists with. The point is art's very fragile and very subjective market value coupled with an overly inflated history of "famous" artists and million dollar works of art, has the disastrous effect of being "valuable" (the product that is) for all the wrong reasons. Aesthetics rarely has anything to do with it. And when times are economically tough as they are now, the first "commodity" generally to hit the cutting-room floor is art. What was once deemed "food for the soul" is now viewed as dollar signs. It reminds me of the cartoon character Wile E. Coyote who is so hungry he only sees a cooked headless roadrunner streaking by him. Even though the value of an artwork is artificial to some extent, it is believed to possess some intrinsic value that will (eventually) guarantee a payoff. Art is always valuable isn't it? This is at least what we are led to believe. Otherwise, why do we keep on trying to get more for it or even steal it?
I hate people who steal period, and without any moral or self-rightous do-gooder preaching attached to it, I simply believe it is wrong. But this is exactly what happened to my good friend and artist Tom Torluemke. Tom whom I've known since the early 90's and even showed several times in Chicago, and here in San Diego, had two very large paintings stolen recently in Hammond, Indiana. Unbelievable! Two other pieces were also apparently swiped from another artist after the group show the artists were collectively in had closed, and their works were waiting to be picked-up. You can read more of what happened here and how you can help if you have any information as to the whereabouts of these paintings. For us living on the West Coast, it might be a long shot, but empathy goes a long way in these situations and beyond the obvious loss of artwork and all that it implies materially and spiritually for an artist, if there is one person who doesn't deserve this, its Tom. The man has dedicated his life to art and what it can give to us as mere spectators. We should be grateful and not like the idiots who stole his work! Images of the two paintings in question can be seen here.
Comments
A small silver lining to this story....when I had a work stolen many years ago, I was soothed by the idea that someone was risking jail to acquire one of my works....a small shift of perception, but one that brought me comfort.
Posted by: Patricia | décembre 19, 2008 05:18 PM
Art is always valuable. Branding is not Art, it's business.
Stealing actual work from an artist?! WTF!?
On the positive side, the possible theft of Tom's Art could be a signifier for a cultural return to what has real value in our lives. They are the beautiful end product of one individual's labor and effort whose hands have made his mind's visions real. The thieves didn't take Tom's Levi's or Nike's did they?
"Feminine Sewage", an 8.5"X11" watercolor I displayed at The Other Side (Now Filter) in April 2001, was stolen right off the wall. It gave me a perfect doubling of my losses for my first show in San Diego. I've tried to feel flattered that someone would risk jail to own my work.
At least try to make your own art before you steal someone else's.
Posted by: Bret Barrett | décembre 19, 2008 05:58 PM
At least try to make your own art before you steal someone else's.
(huge grin) Brilliant observation!
Posted by: Kevin Freitas | décembre 19, 2008 06:17 PM
Art as commodity is like religion as church. I believe in God, but I attend church sporadically. When I attend church, I expect to be asked to donate to the collection box. Whether I donate or not, God remains unmoved. If I do donate, I expect the church to carry on God's work, which I can also do only sporadically. I don't mind paying for that. Likewise, if I pass on a piece of art for sale, the artist remains an artist. But who carries on the artist's good work for free? God is eternal, but artists starve. Let us pray for those who carry on the artist's work for pay, for only God condemns.
Posted by: Philly Joe Swendoza | décembre 19, 2008 06:41 PM
Well, I can see why they stole them. Thank god for that. INTRINSIC value. Incredible work. I hope it is not a publicity stunt.
Posted by: yuransky | décembre 19, 2008 07:42 PM
Perhaps the person or persons that stole Toms work will try and claim it was their own. Erase the name and replace it with theirs like a guy did when I was in college. He even went so far as to use a number of stolen works in his Masters Thesis Show! Why people do these things is beyond comprehension to any thinking or feeling human being. But in these days of personal and public hubris I suppose that nothing should surprise us.
Posted by: Steve Gibson | décembre 19, 2008 08:16 PM
Se faire voler une œuvre provoque toujours une réaction profonde. Il suffit de voir le nombre de posts à cet article.
Pour l’avoir vécu il y a plus de 10 ans, je ressens encore le même sentiment en lisant les mots de Kevin. Je sens une absence d’abord, puis une incompréhension que l’on raisonne en se disant que l’on a probablement touché quelqu’un au point qu’il prenne le risque de voler. Mais souvent les choses sont plus simples et surtout plus banales. Nous avons en France une expression qui dit : « c’est l’occasion qui fait le laron » … À ce moment le voleur n’agit pas avec préméditation, mais impulsivement. Je prends ce que l’autre offre à mon regard, et chacun peut se raconter les histoires les plus chargées, il n’en reste pas moins que le vol se réduit à cet instant précis où l’œuvre change de statut, passant du montré au caché, de la dimension publique et ouverte à la parole à la fermeture privée de la dimension individuelle.
L’œuvre perd sa qualité d’objet de dialogue pour se charger d’un bagage d’envie et /ou de regret. Son espace, sa dimension, ses qualités en sont radicalement bouleversés.
L’art est une chose complexe, qu’il n’est pas facile de voler en quelques lignes …
Posted by: Hervé Crespel | décembre 20, 2008 01:14 AM
So this is coming from a guy who does't really have well defined boundries regarding public property and who has been know to leave paintings and or canvasses on the street sometimes or perhaps get xanied out and destroy thousands of dollars worth of property- and whose master plan involves stealing a bunch of old masters paintings and doing forced collaborations with them. If I was Tom I'd be really pissed off (cuz those paintings were really good and obviosly took some hours) but also kind of stoked that someone wanted my shit that much. I feel that if someone wants one of my paintings bad enough to steal it then they should go ahead and keep it. I realize that this isn't what a grieving parent wants to hear. Likewise if someone finds my stuff offensive enough they should paint my shit out. Best believe Ill be back tho - either way if you find that shit give me a call and well break some legs bud
Posted by: thug kai | décembre 21, 2008 06:10 AM
I'm amazed that so many feel that art theft is such a special category of crime that even the thief is given credit for good taste. If so, then the ultimate art thief is the art buyer because no matter the purchase price, the artist is getting ripped off. From the artist's point of view, no amount of money can possibly measure aesthetic value, let alone the artistic angst felt when the work is snatched away to be put on display as a measure of the buyer's worth. Every art purchase is simply a steal & we are all witnesses to the crime.
Posted by: Philly Joe Swendoza | décembre 23, 2008 06:56 PM
Philly Joe,
Read this book!
Posted by: RG | décembre 26, 2008 12:31 PM