SELLING VIDEO This attachment to stasis and IS THERE nonexistent production values A MARKET VAN GOGHS was an extreme reaction to FOR ELECTRONIC broadcast television, which was Ellin Stein perceived as masking its con- ART? ceptual emptiness with an ex- cess of hyperkinetic glitz. At espite the emergence the time it was a radical but of video as a bona fide necessary step. However, the art form, art galleries second generation of video art- have shown a marked ists are less puritanical and reluctance to handle tapes, even more willing to acknowledge Dthose by well-respected artists. video's roots in television . Most video art is distributed Some, coming from a dramatic and sold by nonprofit organiza- tradition, try to revise video's tions such as Electronic Arts notion of content while others, Intermix and the Kitchen that the artists with fine arts back- are supported in part by grants. grounds, try to rethink the for- But galleries, which are run as mal aspects of the medium . self-supporting private enter- Artists such as Michael Smith prises, stay away from video art and Mitchell Kriegman, whose for the simple reason that there video works have recently been is, as yet, no money in it. added to the Castelli catalog, do A notable exception is the not shy away from entertaining ; Leo Castelli Gallery. "The they incorporate "revisionist" videotape and film division isn't Ed Emshwiller's Scapemates: electronic choreography. elements like dramatic narra- worth it as a business venture," tive and even humor into their saysdivision director Patricia Brundage. "It Many of the early tapes are primarily of work. And no matter how esoteric their only exists because of Leo's personal inter- historic-or archival, rather than intrinsic, approach, all artists working in video now est and commitment ." Leo Castelli's leg- interest . For example, Slow Angle Walk, try for broadcast quality, just in case. endary taste and acumen built his gallery made by Bruce Nauman in 1969, is just "There used to be a prejudice against into one of the most powerful and influen- that-a man walking very slowly and exag- entertainment, but not so much any more," tial in the world. As the dealer for artists geratedly shot at a sideways angle. The says Kriegman, whose work has appeared like Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert tape is a fifty-five-minute exploration of on "Saturday Night Live" as well as on the Rauschenberg, and Claus Oldenburg, Cas- the formal relationship between the man's art circuit. "Anyone working in video has telli can afford to take a few risks. Having limbs and a line on the floor. Undertone, to address television in some sense. Of once gambled and won on a new art move- made by sculptor Vito Acconci in 1972, course, some of the very technically ori- ment that was heavily influenced by and features the artist himself sitting at a table ented video people still feel my work isn't even took its name-Pop-from popular saying things like, "I want to believe really art." Kriegman's tapes are similar to culture, Castelli is willing to gamble again, there's no one here" and "I want to believe "Saturday Night Live" sketches, but with on video. there's a girl under the table rubbing my a surreal, as opposed to gag-directed, sense The division, Castelli-Sonnabend Video- :thighs." During the course of the tape, the of humor. In Heart to Heart, Kriegman is tapes and Films, was started in 1974 with imaginary paramour moves upward . She is in bed, telling his girl friend that something tapes by such artists as Vito Acconci, John the sole kinetic element-Acconci and the has changed in their relationship but he Baldessari, Bruce Nauman, and Richard camera barely move at all. (While I was can't put his finger on what it is. She Serra, whose work in other media was screening these early tapes, Brundage disagrees, but in each new shot the girl already handled by the gallery. "Most of would periodically poke her head in and friend is played by a different actress wear- our artists use video as a second medium," ask, "Had enough yet?" with the resigna- ing the same wig and nightgown. Another Brundage says. "They had reputations in tion of one who has seen many eyes glaze Kriegman tape, Dancing Man, features other areas first." over.) mime Bill Irwin as a disco devotee whose

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Saturday Night Fever threatens to turn into a St. Vitus's Dance. Kriegman feels that being associated with Castelli will make his access to univer- Emshwiller's sities and the rat of the art world easier, as Crossings and well as improve his contacts with Europe. Meetings: However, being distributed by Castelli has Muybridge meets so far not increased his sales to private the computer. collectors . "I don't know anyone who has sold a tape to a private collector," he says. "Occasionally, normal people who have seen one of my tapes will write to me directly and ask to buy it. I probably do as well on my own selling to individuals as the gallery does. The video art market is not a market-it's an oddity. It's virtually non- existent . That doesn't mean video isn't a viable art form, but the whole point in video is not to be an object. I don't want my tapes to be art for rich people." Video art is difficult to display or to use MTV) The tape may be playing on a for decorative purposes, thing, it takes so long to view the tapes-no and a videotape is television set, but it must be not a treated like a one has the time. It's not like a painting, one-of-a-kind work; tapes can be work of art. duplicated . where you can just pass by it if you don't Furthermore, because the im- Castelli's rental prices age hover around $50 like it." quality degenerates in decades, a tape's to $60. Purchase prices range from $75 to Feldman generally value cannot be guaranteed to appreciate splits the profits $1,200, with most in the neighborhood of fifty-fifty over the years, even if the artist's with the artist, but duping costs reputa- $250 to $300. Brundage says prices have tion soars; Brundage, are charged to the buyer. And, like Cas- however, claims the been reduced to encourage Castelli tapes buying over telli, video accounts for one percent or less have maintained their resale rental . The videotape and film division has of the gallery's total dollar volume value. These factors, plus video's unfortu- only . How- recently started to break even. Its ever, the video nate resemblance to common television, division reached the break- yearly dollar volume is less than one per- even point five discourage private and, even worse, corpo- years ago and business has cent of the gallery's total sales. "The divi- grown rate collectors, the financial ten to twenty-five percent per year. mainstays of sion pays for itself now," Brundage painting and sculpture de- Hence Feldman is "very optimistic . The . clares . "Financially, video's not the promise and potential of video is interest- Castelli sells to only about five or ten stepchild any more; it's the little brother." ing. I do expect the finances private collectors, people who either work But to reverse despite its improved finances, the film- themselves. I in video themselves or who collect the see an audience developing work tape division is still clearly a labor of love of a particular artist in all for art tapes, but we have to create it." media. The bulk for Leo Castelli, who over the years of the gallery's has To do this, Feldman promotes his artists' sales are to institutions- invested more than $100,000 of his own work in novel ways. In 1977, museums, libraries, schools-including the money in he bought it. commercial time University of Wisconsin, the Museum of on broadcast programs, Modern Art, and the University including "Today," "NBC Evening of Califor- my one other New York art gal- nia. Business is evenly split News," and "Saturday Night Live," to between sales lery has a substantial video col- I and rentals. Castelli reaches show Chris Burden's "art works in the form the market lection, and that's also because through direct of commercials." In one of these, three mailing to a five-hundred- of the personal interest of its 'phrases-"Science Has Failed," name list and through advertising in art- owner. "I've "Heat Is been handling video for nine Life," and "Time oriented and upscale publications such as Kills"-appear on the or ten years," Ronald Feldman recalls. "I screen in Interview, Artforum, the succession. In another, "Chris Bomb, Village started 9s soon as my artists told me they Voice, and Video 80. Burden's Self-Promo," the names of three were working in video." Feldman had al- The gallery splits the great artists-Michelangelo, Van Gogh, proceeds fifty-fifty vOays had a strong interest in conceptual with the artist and Picasso-flash before the viewer. The and carries the cost of dup- and performance art, and his video collec- final name on the list, in the biggest ing. A tape will be put on any format for tion,grew letters partly out of the recording of of course, is Chris Burden the buyer and replaced from the master if . performances at his gallery, Ronald Feld- Castelli it gets jammed or scratched, so tapes and Feldman do not have exclu- are in man Fine Arts. His biggest video sellers are fact purchased for the sive rights to distribute the video art. The life of the master. artists primarily known for performance, The gallery artists also distribute it themselves. In ad- imposes certain restrictions on such as Les Levine, Chris Burden, Eleanor dition, several have agreements with the exhibition of the tape. For example, the Antin, and Elec- Douglas Davis. tronic Arts Intermix tape can't be copied or resold, and it must (EAI), the most active Like Castelli, Feldman rents and sells and be shown in its entirety with the sound comprehensive nonprofit distributor. on. mostly to institutions, especially colleges (This is an attempt to Artists who overlap include Chris Burden, guard against the and college-based museums. "There are tapes' becoming no Peter Campus, Joan Jonas, Frank Gillette, video wallpaper A la individual collectors," he says . "For one and William Wegman. In conjunction with

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his canine collaborator, the late weima- raner Man Ray, Wegman has created best- selling tapes that appear in both the Castelli and the EAI catalog. As Man "Jane looks great in that high-cut l o- Ray's name might suggest, Wegman's style LET'S NOTGET PHYSICAL tard, right?" I said. r is heavily influenced by Dada and surreal- Last summer, in an office softball game, I "No, no," he replied, puffing a bit. "You ism. (These movements, themselves long hit a line drive on one hop to the outfield don't understand. I'm feeling great. 1 just considered stepchildren of true art, achieve and was thrown out by two steps at first finished my workout and . . ." a new legitimacy on video, as if the move- base. Now I began to resent the stars. This ments anticipated the medium .) Back at the bench, some wise guy said, wouldn't have happened in the golden age EAI's greatest strength is its roster of "That's usually a single ." of Hollywood, I thought. Can you imagine video Old Masters, such as Nam June "Yeah," I said, puffing a bit, "I am a bit The Wallace Beery Workout Book? Or Paik, Ed Emshwiller, and Woody and out of shape." Garbo's Guide to Thin Thighs? If Jimmy Steina Vasulka, along with newer masters, All fall, I brooded about that play. Cagney had come up with the idea of including Bill Viola, Skip Blumberg, Ste- Watching the World Series and pro foot- writing an exercise book, Jack Warner phen Beck, and Kit Fitzgerald and John ball, I marveled at players like Eddie Mur- would have permanently lent him to an- Sanborn. Also, EAI distributes documen- ray and John Riggins. Now, those guys are other studio. taries, which are an important element in in shape, I'd think, while opening another 1 decided to forget my problems and independent video, but which the galleries bottle of beer and taking another handful check out the new Jane Fonda film. won't handle, because they are not, strictly of peanuts. "Two, please." speaking, video art. EAI markets more Finally, I turned to the stars for guid- "1'm sorry, Mr. Wiener. Your friend can aggressively than Feldman or Castelli, ance: No, not to astrology, but to Holly- go in, but you can't. Ms. Fonda has rated and total annual sales and rental volume wood. But at the bookstore, I just couldn't her film R, which now means: `Restricted, are "close to but below" $100,000. Al- decide whose exercise program I wanted. No One Admitted Who Is More Than though not an inconsiderable figure, it's Linda Evans's or Victoria Principal's? Af- Fifteen Pounds Overweight ."' nevertheless peanuts compared to the huge ter careful study, I decided I wouldn't look After a brief discussion, my date went in sums of money commonly thrown around good with that kind of physique. Maybe I to check out the movie and 1 stayed in the in both broadcast television and the upper wanted a body like that of James Caan or lobby with the video games and the candy reaches of the fine arts. John Travolta or Lou Ferrigno. It was all counter. The problem is that video art "is neither too confusing, and 1 went home empty- "How was it?" I asked when she came fish nor fowl," as Feldman puts it. It cannot handed. out. guarantee the exclusivity and investment Then a friend told me he had bought the Her eyes looked glassy. At first I value that would make it appeal to an elite, Jane Fonda workout videotape. Now, this thought she was adjusting to the light, but nor does it fit into the networks' preconcep- guy's idea of exercise used to be raising an then she said in a strange voice: "Say, why tions of what will appeal to the viewing eyebrow when an attractive woman walked don't we jog on home? I'm feeling so out of masses. There are encouraging signs of by. shape!"-Thomas Wiener change: William Wegman's work has been shown on "David Letterman" and "The Tonight Show"; PBS periodically gets GOD COUNTRY, AND funding for fine independent video pro- CARA grams, such as the recent Paik retrospec- They indoctrinated-and inflamed-the tive; MTV is accustoming a wide audience American soldiers charged with defeat of to video that is free from the conventions of the Axis. Now, forty years later, eighty-six- dramatic narrative and naturalistic presen- year-old director Frank Capra has reedited tation; and video art occasionally sneaks his six government-commissioned Why We onto Showtime and other mainstream ca- Fight documentaries into eight one-hour ble services as filler. As well, a generation programs designed for television . Produced is coming of age exposed to video art sur- with John Beck and Capra's son, Frank vey courses at colleges (assuming some Capra, Jr., the titles are Prelude to War, students are going to classes in anything The Nazi Strike, The Battle of China, The besides law, accounting, and electrical en- Battle ofRussia (in two parts), The Battle gineering) . of Britain, War Comes to America, and But whether video art will remain a°. America Goes to War. Each includes a footnote to both television and art or find brief new introduction and afterword, fea- its audience and become financially viable turing Capra informally addressing groups remains to be seen. Right now it has the of young people . A percentage of the prof- worst of both worlds and the potential for its will create the Frank Capra Fund to the best. support a communications training unit for Ellin Stein is a free-lance writer based in New the armed forces. York who contributes to the Village Voice, The idea for the series originated with among other publications . the government's Defense Audiovisual

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