Who Really Owns Art?

There were two interesting articles in Wednesday's New York Times art section. The first was a news story about a judge approving the Barnes' Foundation motion to move its fabulous art collection from its current location in an older building in the suburbs to a new museum in downtown Philadelphia. The famous collection includes 170 Renoirs, 55 Cézannes, and 20 Picassos.

The second was an opinion piece written by Times art critic Roberta Smith lauding the judge's decision and that the Barnes Foundation was wrong because they were too tied up with what Mr. Barnes wanted while ignoring the importance of the art and the need for more people to see it.

I was really struck by her last two paragraphs which said,

"Once more we are reminded that no one really owns art, that all collectors are temporary custodians. And the greater the art, the less any one person, especially a dead one, can control its destiny.

In the end, art belongs to the people it inspires, the people who use it to understand themselves and the world better - and the people who use it to create more art, and the possibility of more inspiration."

I had never really given that concept any consideration, until now, that is. As a lover of fine art, I couldn't agree more with the statement. Art does belong to us all. And there have been many works of art that have influenced and inspired me in my works.

But, as an artist, I have a few questions about about when I loose control of my work. The obvious answer is when I die or when I sell one of my works. But there may be a few situations that fall through these cracks.

For instance, suppose my work is extremely popular and well thought of at the time of my death. And I have works that I never wanted shown because they didn't meet my standards. Do these works belong to the world because I am considered popular and collectible, even though it is against my wishes? (Of course, if I'm dead, I really don't care anymore.)

Its fun to think about and explore these ideas and I won't bore you with any more imaginary scenarios. The real point of all this was that I wanted to make you aware of Ms. Smith's concepts for your own information. Do you have any thoughts on her words? I would love to hear from you if you do.