Exploring the labyrinth of the contemporary art world, “The Price of Everything” examines the role of art and artistic passion in today’s money-driven, consumer-based society. Featuring collectors, dealers, auctioneers, and a rich range of artists, from current market darlings Jeff Koons, Gerhard Richter, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, to one-time art star Larry Poons, the film exposes deep contradictions as it holds a mirror up to contemporary values and times, coaxing out the dynamics at play in pricing the priceless.
by Domitilla Sartogo, Margherita Sica (reporting from London) and Rory O’Keeffe (contributing editor).
Its UK premiere was during Frieze art fair, and the Drago team were lucky enough to catch the one-off screening. The release of ‘The Price of Everything’ could not be more timely; conversations about the value of art have been reinvigorated by Banksy’s prank at Sotheby’s and public consciousness is again considering the issue of what counts as art and how we value it. The director of the documentary, Nathan Kahn, asks a series of probing questions: are we are in the midst of an art crisis? Has the art world gone mad? And does its perception as a pawn of the ultra rich affect the ability of the public to engage with art?
‘The Price of Everything’ touches on these issues, but also focuses largely on the mechanisms of the art market. Analyzing the dynamic intersection between art and money, the documentary explores the varied views of the people who make up this thought-provoking environment. Accused of judging an artist’s work by its monetary value, the speculative bubble of the art world is interrogated. “They’ve tried to make it that the best artist is the most expensive artist,” says Larry Poons. “How can that be true?”. This is but one of the many fascinating questions provoked by this thrilling documentary. It’s unmissable for anyone interested in the art world and its role in wider society.
Among the many voices featured in the film are: Barbara Rose, art historian, art critic and Fulbright Scholar; gallery owner and director Mary Boone; Avant-garde artist and dealer Gavin Brown; Connie Butler, chief curator at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles; Amy Cappellazzo, currently Chairman of Global Fine Arts at Sotheby’s; star auctioneer Simon de Pury; Jeffrey Deitch, art dealer; collector Stefan Edlis and his wife Gael Neeson; artists Jeff Koons, George Condo, Marilyn Minter, Larry Poons, Gerhard Richter, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and contemporary art curator Paul Schimmel.
‘The Price of Everything’ screenings: http://www.thepriceofeverything.com/
Nathaniel Kahn is an award-winning filmmaker. His documentary “My Architect”, a portrait of his father, Louis I. Kahn, won the 2004 DGA Award and was nominated for an Academy Award, two Film Independent Spirit Awards, and an Emmy. His short films include the Emmy- and Academy Award–nominated “Two Hands”, about the internationally celebrated pianist Leon Fleisher. Other films include “Telescope” and “Dark Side of the Sun”.
Produced by Hot & Sunny Productions LLC and Anthos Media LLC
