LLEI D'ART 14

tomás paredes In 2006Paredeswas named correspondent academic of Granada’s NuestraSeñorade lasAngustiasRoyal Academy of FineArt, and was vice-director of the El Puntode lasArtes magazine until 2008. Withdegrees in Law, Ancient History andArt History, this lecturer, journalist and art critic has publishedover 10,000 articles in various newspapers and specialised artmagazines and is a frequent contrib- utor toBarcelona’s LaVanguardia newspaper on the artmarket. He has givenover 200 conferencepapers inSpain, France, Switzerland andPortugal, and is the secretary of theBMWPrize for Painting. Since 2004 he has beenpresident of theMadridArt Critics’ Associa- tion (AMCA) and is the current headof theSpanishArt Critics’ Asso- ciation (AECA/AICASpain). Analysis from theSpecific I don’twrite to flatter, nor do I sing if I amnot naggedby pain. Everything I do is to live, otherwise I wouldbedead before I die. Not to sing, not to tell is togiveup: theend. Neither do I dreamwhen I sing, I only feel freedomand the fear of losing it. JacobaMejorana I Theartworldneedsprofessionals. Inall likelihood, it’s not just in theartworld that they are lacking, rather inall facetsof life, but sincemybeat is theartworld, I shall stick to that. InSpainweneedgalleryowners, attendees, communicators, critics, collectors, artists,market, publishing, editors, interest inart…things that areall aconsequenceof what hasgone before.Weall knowabout theexceptions, but the lackof professionalismdrags theartworlddownand frustrates society life. I have just come fromParisTableau, aclassicart fair, withaprofessional atmospherequitedifferent from the one that reigns here. Howare thegalleriesworking?Badly, terribly, they are obsolete in theirmediocrity for various reasons. Firstly: the lackof galleryowners.What do youneed toownagallery? Nowt, apparently. Just havinga spaceand someonewilling to hang somethingon thewallsor doand installation is enough andboom! we’re thecrèmede lacrème. Howdogalleries communicatewhat they’redoingandwhat theywant topublish?Again, badly. Embarrassingpress releases, complete ignoranceof relationshipswithcritics, students, collectors,museologists, artists…Theyget an internand voilà. It’s not the intern’s fault: they’renot there to dowhat theowner is supposed to, they’re there to learn. As Mr. Palomar puts it: ‘thedecimalspointsdon’tmakeawhole number’. I’vebeenchasingapair of younggalleryownersbecause I wanted to talk about them, anewapproach, until I stopped trying. Either they’renot interested, havenoclueor are just plain rude. I’mnot going togo into it. Why is it thatwheneverythingchanges, theartworldcarries on, withoutmoving. It follows its usual turnof exhibitions: the houseartists, whatever theydo, either interest everyoneor no- one. And if they sell work, then they areuntouchable.Well, this is in theprivateworld. Largeand small, everyone stay calm, and springwill returnonceagain. TheMarlboroughgalleries in Monacoand Japanhavecloseddown. They closeandopen galleries at random, without anyonewonderingwhyorwhat for.Mr. Palomar intones: ‘Thedeadweight of a traditionof prejudice stops us appreciating theclearest of intentions ina worthyway. Everyone is free todoas theypleasewith their lifeand their riches, but they shouldn’t complain, notmuck aroundwith art or feed into thegeneral feelingof confusion. Thereare erotichands, far toomany, that f…upwhatever they touch. Art shouldn’t be touchedby thosewhodon’t knowabout it, toborrowStanislaw Jerzy Lec. There is aproject, the Club567 inMadrid, that couldbreakup this staticworld because it is achange in the relationshipwith viewers, artists, communicators. This is agroupof professionalsbasedaround agood idea, and it dependson themwhether they achieve somethingor fail completely. II Theartworldneedsartists . I I’mprobablywrongabout this, but I have toexpresswhat I seeand feel. Inmy recent visits to Dr. Fourquet street (the ‘goldenmile’ ofMadridgalleries), as I passby all theestablishmentsopenedhere I am somewhat disheartened, because I endup sickof frippery, and theart there is notableby its absence. I could say the sameabout other areasof thecity too. It’sbadenough thatwhen yougo intoeachgallery theygive youapieceof paper telling youhow to viewwhat you’regoing to see. Themore logical thing is toobservewhat isproposed tous, and if it attractsour attention thenwegodeeper into it, weask, readand insist. Not theotherway round. In some of thegalleries, theygive youaplanwith theworks and their locations. If I’m togo intoanareawithartworks and they have to showmewhere they are, let’s shut up shopand leave! Theyputwords inourmouths saying that ‘Spain is a landof artists’, but fromour point of view, thisdoesn’t ring true. The conceptionof art has changed, well, fine, but if whatwe’re lookingat doesn’t cause surprise, emotion,mystery, then whydowe still silentlypretend that it does?Sowedon’t say thatwearen’tmoved, nor affected, nor inspiredby anything. Conceptual art has itsmoments, andnow it’s having its moment andeverything is conceptual, when it is already a historical relicof required knowledge. Feriade arte antiguo Paris Tableau, PalacioBrongniart, Plazade laBolsa (Paris) Paris Tableau, OldMaster Paintings Fair, Brongniart Palace, StockMarketi Square (Paris) ©Paris Tableau. 31