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LARRY GAGOSIAN TO STAFF: SELL ART OR GET OUT

Larry Gagosian, a shadowy, lynx-like lord of the art world, is known for his commercial savvy and aversion to publicity. "He's sort of a combination of a corporate raider, a dark lord, Peggy Guggenheim, and a railroad magnate", observed Jerry Saltz in Sarah Douglas's profile of Gagosian in the spring issue of Intelligent Life.

In the face of a recession, the man does not mince words (or take prisoners). This is part of a message he sent his staff in November, according to Flash Art online: 

“If you would like to continue working for Gagosian I suggest you start to sell some art. Everything is going to be evaluated in this new climate based on performances I basically put in eighteen hours a day, which any number of people could verify. If you are not willing to make that kind of commitment please let me know. The general economy and also the art economy is clearly headed for some choppy waters; I want to make sure that we are the best swimmers on the block. The luxury of carrying under-performing employees is now a thing of the past.”

His small army of intimidating dealers are surely sweating more profusely than usual in the Miami heat.

But some, like Richard Polsky, see a silver lining in a weak art market. He describes what it was like in the penny-pinching 1990s, when even "a baby Warhol "Mao" failed to reach its $20,000 reserve at Christie’s":

During the market’s fallow years, a funny thing happened -- everyone became more collegial. Dealers who wouldn’t give you the time of day (let alone let you use their bathroom) suddenly greeted you like an old friend when you walked into their space. Some even humbled themselves by doing the ultimate penance -- they looked at artists’ slides!

Trying times produced a spirit of community and cooperation. And that’s precisely what’s starting to happen now. I can already sense a return to civility. A recent conversation with an auction house department head was very revealing. He sounded almost jubilant. Why? He was relieved that the pressure was off. No longer would he be abused by consignors, demanding a zero percent seller’s fee, a piece of the buyer’s premium and, while you’re at it, how about a guarantee plus the lion’s share of the upside?

I'm feeling a little better now. Sure, this is a tough time for mega-dealers, but it is a rather charmed moment for the rest of us. And in case you didn't read Polsky's fine print: you no longer need to hesitate before using your local gallery's bathroom.

Picture credit:  Andy Warhol, "Mao" 1974, Christie’s New York