Art for (lots of) Money

By the way! - I almost forgot to tell you! Part of the art I got to see yesterday was the Chihuly installations at the Naples Museum of Art. They were amazing. I think my favorite was the blue icicle one in the stairwell. (see picture on left)

If you are keeping up with news in the art world these days, Dale Chihuly is currently involved in a rather sticky controversy over the rights to his type of glass work. He is suing a former assistant and another artist for creating similar work. Personally, I think this is small of him. Even if they are copying his work (which I'm not sure that they are,) artists have been copying the techniques and methods of great artists for hundreds of years. Just because an artist paints ballerinas like Degas, doesn't mean that he is Degas! (Or that people will pay the same for their work, or stop buying Degas.) I don't think collectors are going to pay less for Chihuly's work just because someone else is similar. After all, they want a genuine Chihuly. Of course, I really don't understand all the factors, but I do believe the cliche that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Chihuly is certainly a successful commercial artist. He makes a lot of money doing what he does. Does that make us respect him less? Is there something about the "starving artist" that we respond to? Should art be a way to make a ton of money? Honestly, I have no problem with artists making a very good living. (I just wish that I could afford their work!) :-) If only great teachers made the same. :-)