If Van Gogh rose from his grave, he would have a lot to say about the blindness of the European artistic milieu of the 19th century.e century which disdained his works and shunned his hand. Being a pioneering genius has never been a guarantee of success. Evidenced by these creative giants throughout history who died in poverty, without imagining posthumous triumphs. Hence their black legend of accursed painters. One day, their paintings will sell for gold. They die obscure.
So many scenarios jostle on the paths of artists. Picasso saw his genius recognized early on. On the other hand, shooting stars celebrated for a moment are extinguished just as quickly. Some painters experienced total failure, their scabs under the arm or after bad luck. Plaster spoils. It also happens that iconic artists seem overvalued to us. Andy Warhol was above all the mirror of his time, as in Banksy is displayed that of ours. One thing is certain: here as elsewhere, breaking through is difficult, meritorious and called for with all his wishes. The majority of Canadian artists earn less than $30,000 per year. They struggle to survive.
The art market is a bit like the stock market. Many chances, volatile perceptions, dazzling intuitions, mishaps, opportune moments come together to make the name of a visual artist shine or tarnish. The alignment of the stars gets involved. Talent is not everything. Without the push of prominent gallerists and recognized critics, without a work inserted into the currents of the hour (or confronting them), a Matisse, a budding Borduas can remain in the shadows, beyond his merits.
The resale right problem
Few elected officials achieve public recognition. As for emerging talents, they have already known dark days. Enough to rage when works from their past finally take on value. Indeed, the whole machine gets rich apart from them. The auctioneer’s hammer falls. Awarded! A fortune ! The author of this jewel comes out of the auction pitiful and lousy. Hey! it is his signature written at the bottom of the canvas, not that of the others. In 1899, Paul Cézanne was irritated at the age of 60 to see his paintings, once dumped by him for a pittance, making the headlines of his gallery and not his own decades later, at a time when his rating was rising. . Even today, the problem of resale right arises. In our latitudes, at least.
This summer, the idea of a royalty (a rating of 5%) paid to Canadian artists when their works are resold at auction or in a gallery gained ground. The Department of Heritage is proposing this reform to the Copyright Act. Enough to help a creator, visual artist, photographer or his estate to stay afloat in these hard times. Nearly a hundred countries have already endorsed such rights. In Europe especially, and in France for a century. Gone are the days when Cézanne saw one of his sublime landscapes change hands without receiving its share. At home, the rules have evolved in front of his mountain over time. Here it is coming. Finally !
In Canada, we wait so long before reinventing our cultural laws that they already have time to look rusty. Quebec is also taking its time. But while the Minister of Culture Nathalie Roy has launched a new law on the status of the artist, at the head of the federal ministry of heritage, Pablo Rodriguez will therefore modify that of copyright. Aboriginal artists will benefit greatly. Their works have often taken on a lot of value. They will not have stolen this little windfall.
Riopelle Law
This federal reform is rightly nicknamed the Riopelle Law. The painter from L’Isle-aux-Grues, whose centenary is being celebrated, is the most prestigious and highly rated Canadian artist on the international art market, which has never been so favorable to him as twenty years ago. after his death. However, if today, some of his works sell for several million, the jackpot passes over the head of his foundation without deigning to touch it. This role of champion of artists would not have displeased Jean Paul Riopelle, who struggled like the others before winning.
Some find the State too good to help the “pushers” of pencils, brushes, chisels to live better in times of crisis. Prejudices about the lifestyles of the artistic bohemian remain in the public, rightly or wrongly. They are told that the best works of visual artists create priceless enchantments. Did they ever end up belonging to their creators, these works? Those who offer beauty and meaning to a damaged world are well worth a resale price, so legitimate that one wonders why it took so long to establish itself in the country.