~PETER SUTHERLAND . . MUD FLAPS to CHARIOTS !!
INDUSTRIAL, don’t you love the resonant hard core . . chime !!
after writing up that ‘FLASH FLOOD’ show, I got to thinking more about those PETER SUTHERLAND mud flaps. they were so well done, so well fabricated.
so artisanal and hardcore mechanical – all at the same time.
the design / image, the concept, the ‘in-joke’ , in a nutshell . . the ‘product’ was so well integrated, and . . so unique.
PETER SUTHERLAND, ‘Fuck Fear’, 2014
Mud Flap, 17 in. x 20 in.
SOLD – $300/pair
COLLECTION: NANCY SMITH
so I wrote to MARK CROSS of MUDDGUTS and asked him . . to tell me, more about them.
I was so, so totally thrilled by his response:
PETER had them . . “made by a guy who makes mud flaps for trucks. They’re legit. They are molded and I’d imagine some sort of screen printing is involved. Very industrial.”
oh god I love that, ‘industrial’ is so the right word.
industrial and hardcore just rhyme . . so right – !!
detail, PETER SUTHERLAND, mud flap corner, ‘Fuck Fear’.
from a collector’s point of view what could be better.
the work, the image, the concept, the design . . is sure fire.
so is the trajectory of the artist.
the price, sure is . . right !! 2 solid well-sized pieces for $300 ?!!
plus unlike so many works in this price range, this IS not a work on paper that needs careful handling, and framing. this is a solid slab of almost 1/2 in. thick rubber, that attaches to the wall, and with 2 screws, and you can not get more sturdy or industrial, than that.
ALBERTO GIACOMETTI, ‘CHARIOT’ – image via SOTHEBY’S
SOLD – $100,965,000
COLLECTION: STEVE COHEN
when I first saw this 1950 GIACOMETI, approx. 5 ft. high sculpture, a chariot-man, publicized in the WALL STREET JOURNAL, just prior to the big art auctions this month – my heartbeat started racing, right off the map . . wow – I knew right away, only somebody really really smart would buy this. even though it was priced high, or high enough !! $100 million !!
it was just so . . ‘industrial’, ha.
so perfectly conceived and balanced and drawn-out !! just like a perfectly pitched . . bell.
hardcore, metal. hardcore stance – conceptually, too. Alberto G. was not messing around.
not only that, . . BUT:
“this version was cast in an edition of six, but only two are left in private hands”, plus . . “it’s also the only one version he ever painted gold.”
!! !! !!
sure enough, super smart, smart enough to stay out of jail, while his firm tanked and others took the rap !! hedge fund billionaire-collector STEVE COHEN snapped it up. they say he was the only bidder. he’s worth $11.1 Billion and apparently he’s proud to declare that he spends 20% of his income on . . art.
see: ‘BILLIONAIRE STEVE COHEN PAYS . . ‘ – PAGE SIX
if there’s one thing I’ve learnt from over 3 decades of collecting, trading, and hustling my art street smarts to make a living, or as we like to joke a . . “killing’ !!
you know . . death by art – it’s a tough survival game at the extreme cutting edge !!
. . is that there is no diff between the super rich and the dead broke artist-trendsetters who get in, at the very bottom.
$300 vs $100 million – no diff !!
same thrill !!
same percentage of GAIN !! maybe even more on the start-up side. both sides entail a RISK FACTOR but that just fuels the heart beat, gives you the rush. because you know you are coming out ahead, as always !!
fuck fear. like they say at Muddguts.
fuck everything in between, middle class collecting, what a joke. could it be any more banal.
the uninspired masses, the sheep leading the sheep, the blind leading the blind, the wannabes . . .
yeah, me and STEVE COHEN, we both got lucky this week. CA-CHING !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH, except where noted.