Art on Commerce

So after I wrote about the subject of art vs. commerce, I thought this might segue nicely into the topic of buying art ON commerce. The influx of designs on handbags as of late have coalesced from simple linear, geometric, or floral designs into artwork that has manifested onto the fabrics of our every day life. Many design houses have entered into this arena of producing art specifically for a bag, not unlike designers who would create a pattern for fabric or wallpaper.

I don't know how I feel about all of this. I love the artwork, no doubt, but I also feel like there is a level of laziness involved, and the unnecessary hype around these projects diminish the true luxury of owning art. (Perhaps art shouldn't be only for the wealthy elite?) When an image is merely mass-produced and repeated over and over again on canvas or leather, it somehow doesn't feel very special. It feels like the purchase of a poster, or a "limited-edition glicee," which is a fancy way of saying hi-tech poster, and you're not getting the real art, the original, because that sits in some archived sketch book, or is a digital print in a computer hard drive.

James Jean original sketch

Prada Spring 2008 Campaign

Richard Prince "Nuts" painting

Louis Vuitton Richard Prince Monogram Joke bag

In some ways, I'd rather own the real art than have it on my bag. But maybe this is what fashion is all about; the celebration of art and function combined. Thoughts?

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