The Artist’s Guide to His Market by Betty Chamberlain (review)

Books 313 removal of old varnish. Included is an account of the changes in the appearance of clear filmscontaining natural and synthetic resins over a span of thirty years. The Appendix includes three reports by Feller on the decrease in solubility of certain polymers on ageing, a subject of considerable importance in varnishes. Of particular interest to those who employ water-base polymer paint is the descriptive section on polymer emulsions and the films formed from them. The book ends with a tabulation of available grades of polyvinyl acetate resin and a useful tabulation of the properties and hazards of solvents used in conservation. The Artist’s Guide to His Market. Betty Chamberlain . Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1970. 125pp. $5.95. Reviewed by: Dorothy Grotz” The author is a veteran advisor to artists, museums and galleriesand the founder of the Art Information Center in New York City. In her book, she attempts to givepractical advice to artists on how to sell their works, especially in New York. Subjects taken up are ‘Are you ready to exhibit ?’, ‘Galleries and how they function’ and ‘Showing your work to dealers’. The legal and business aspects of contracts and publicity, and some tips for artists who are not gallery-affiliated are included. There is also * 7+ St. Luke’s Place, New York, N.Y. 10014, U.S.A. general information on museums, some of which is now out of date. I find that the compact collection of information can be useful just the way she intended it to be, as a guide for artists. What the author omits is the economics of the American art world. The promotion and sale of fine art works follow the patterns of ‘showbusiness’. What the biggalleriesand museums promote, the smaller ones imitate. The artists ignored are hurt, puzzled, repulsed and confused. They find themselves in the midst of one of the most competitive and publicity-conscious commodity markets and like adolescents who are sexually uninformed, they should be told the facts of life. Perhapslessthan 2per cent of the American national shows accept the works of uninvited artists; of the galleries in New York (about 350 of them), only about 40 have any status in this art world; of Artists Equity members, only about a quarter have gallery connections. Gallery owners, who have to pay for rent, publicity , promotion and make a profit, have to choose from among artists, whose talents are similar, those who have the means to help them pay their bills. The author is something of an optimist as regards the economic opportunities open to American artists and, perhaps, she is not wrong. Artists do tend to survive. During the American depression of the 1930’s, Ben Shahn, to whom this book is dedicated, told this reviewer: ‘An artist is a person whose wife teaches.’ BOOKS RECEIVED AmericanArt Directory, AmericanFederationof Arts, Vol. 44,compiledby theJaquesCattell Art and the Handicapped Child,Z. Lindsay,StudioVista, London, 1972, 145pp., illus., f2.50. Art Censorship,J. Clapp, The ScarecrowPress, Metuchen,N.J., 1972,582 pp., illus. Asthetische Informationund Kunst, H. W. Franke, Hochschulefur Gestaltung,Offenbach am Main, 1971,40 pp., illus. Color under Ground,L. Boltin and J. White,Jr., CharlesScribner’sSons,New York, 1971,62 pp., illus., $6.95. Computer Graphics-Computer Art, H. W. Franke, Phaidon Press, London, 1971, 134 pp., illus., E4.25. Concepts of Communication: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal and Mathematical, E. F. Beckenbach and C. B. Tompkins, eds., John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, Sussex, 1971, 446 pp., illus., f9.50. Drawing Systems, F. Dubery & J. Willats, Studio Vista, London, 1972,96 pp., illus., 95 p. (paperback). TheEclipse of Symbolism, P. Fingesten, Univ. of South Carolina Press,Columbia,S.C., 1970, 172pp., illus., $6.95. The Economicsof Taste, G. Reitlinger,Barrie &Jenkins, London, 1970,695 pp., E7.50. Exploring the Universe,L. B. Young, ed., OxfordUniversity Press,New York, 1971,731 pp., Face Farces,A. Rainer, GalerieAriadne, Cologne, 1972, 109pp., illus. Figure Sculpture in Wax and Plaster, R. Miller, Watson-Guptill, New York, 1971, 175 pp., illus., $10.00. John Graham’s System and Dialectics of Art (Annotated from unpublished writings with a critical introduction by M. E. Allentuck.) The Johns Hopkins Press, London, 1971, 215 pp., illus., M.75...