Thursday, April 19, 2012

Jason de Haan | Cannonball


Jason de Haan's excellent Year One exhibition at Clint Roenisch Gallery (944 Queen St. W.,Toronto) closes this Saturday, April 21.

The highlight of the show, Cannon Ball, consists of a coin from every active currency in the world, melted down into a single heavy sphere. It's a satisfying work to contemplate and a fascinating one to pick up and hold, but it was a line in the sales list that compelled me to include it here. The work was offered either as an edition of three, or as a unique work (with prices varying accordingly) and the phrase "first buyer decides". The various methods of pricing editions is a big part of the forthcoming book I co-edited on Artists' Multiples (excessive promotional entries to follow, trust me) but this approach was new to me.

I'm pleased to report that the first buyer opted against owning a unique work. She explained that her decision was based on the best option for the artist, who would ultimately earn more selling the work thrice.

For more information, visit the gallery website here, or the artist's site here.


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