All luxury brands aspire to the condition of art, but most artists would dread being identified as a luxury brand. It would, however, be a revealing exercise if we could strip away all the myths, stereotypes and preconceptions, and assess the art content of a brand such as Cartier, while asking whether some big-name artists are little more than brands.
Most people visiting the Cartier blockbuster at the National Gallery of Victoria will come away feeling awed by the skill, imagination and craftsmanship on display, let alone the thousands of precious gems that provide the raw material for this famous Maison.
As for the art purists, one might compare the smallest Cartier brooch with, say, a spot painting by English art star, Damien Hirst. Since 1988, Hirst has produced more than 1,400 spot paintings in a limitless series. Each consists of flat, evenly spaced dots of colour on a blank surface, with no colour being repeated. Every one of these pictures has been produced, factory-style, by assistants. The spot paintings sell for between US$100,000 – $500,000, with the record price being US$3.48 million (that’s roughly AUD $5 million).
Unless you are prepared to accept some tortuous intellectual rationale, these paintings are purely decorative. Their singular appeal is as a sign of wealth. If you can afford one of these soulless, mechanical products, you can show the world you have money to burn and are clued up on cutting-edge contemporary art.
What’s the difference with someone wearing a fabulous piece of Cartier jewellery for which they might have paid a similar price? It’s tempting to say the jewellery is a more honest purchase. It’s attractive, well-crafted, made from intrinsically valuable materials, and allows for a more individual sense of style. The spot painting is a bland artefact, a triumph of fashion over substance.