What is marketing and how to deal with it?
May 03, 2018 , NICK MAFI
A Painting by Pablo Picasso Is Now Collectively Owned by 25,000 Strangers
The group purchased Picasso’s Musketeer Bust (1968) online for $2 million, paying roughly $50 per person
For any art lover, owning a painting by Pablo Picasso is possibly the ultimate dream. A titan of the 20th century, a father of modern art, and a pioneer of Cubism, Picasso created paintings that go for millions (if not hundreds of millions) at auctions around the world. This makes the ownership of a painting by the genius Andalusian impossible for most of the world’s population. Yet 25,000 internet users have found a way to own a Picasso, and they didn’t have to break the bank (or win the lottery) to do so.
The purchase occurred on QoQa, a Swiss website that typically offers discounted household items (like cooking utensils) or cheap airfare (like tickets to a number of North African cities). But this most recent bid topped them all: 25,000 people across the internet purchased 40,000 shares of Pablo Picasso’s Musketeer Bust (1968), each paying roughly $50. And while they won’t be able to hang the painting in their living room, each can now claim ownership of a piece by arguably the most iconic artist of the 20th century, if not in history.
At a time when a painting by Leonardo da Vinci was sold to one person for around half a billion dollars, spreading the cost of a Picasso across thousands of people is a noble idea. In an interview with AFP, QoQa founder and CEO Pascal Meyer explained that his intention for selling the painting on his platform was to democratize the art world by making it more accessible to ordinary people.
Now, almost half a year ago later, I saw this article on the Internet and decided to tell you about the feat of Pascal Meyer, which he committed in the name of art. I myself also traveled a similar path only 12 years ago, that is, much earlier than Pascal, but did not become a millionaire. Why? Let's try to figure it out.
Back in 2006 already now, I had carried out a similar action: “Picture in pieces”. To be honest, the 2005-2006 years of the 21st century were years of solid sales. People sold everything and everyone: on exchanges, auctions, in shops and on the market ... So one student Alex "sold" his screen by pixels and earned a million ... And your humble servant could not resist, succumbed to the general excitement, and also decided to get rich. My move seemed very original to me. I began to sell my picture: "Firefighters visiting designers" in parts. There were a lot of publications ... Riga newspapers: Vesti Segodnya, Business & Baltic, Telegraph. Vilnius: Lithuanian Courier, Express Week. The Moscow Economic Journal seems to have called him “Marketing and sales”
Some said: “It’s an original move!”, “I wouldn’t even come to such a move”, “I admit that the picture can actually become known and bring profit to the author and co-owners!”
Others, that “Evtuhov’s invention cannot be considered a marketing trick!” “This was practiced in the art world in the 60s in the USA and Europe” ... “Of course, this action will be an excellent PR campaign for the artist himself, it’s a pity that the picture itself is used for advertising itself ... ”
In my forecast the next day I should have woken up rich and famous. But my prediction was wrong. The terrain was not adapted to my vision of marketing in art. The split occurred among friends. Someone bought a piece (I think that because of the simple constant human pity for the artist, as a person who has not adapted to this life). And some of them simply resented my arrogance and desire to get rich, and even in such a dubious way ...
The essence of my action at that time was the idea of collective ownership of art. Real art is an expensive pleasure (and the criteria for real art were defined for me a long time ago, and I can talk about them for a long time, but not today) ..
And today we will talk about something else.
The fact that exactly the same idea, 10-12 years after my appearance, allowed the guy to earn 2 million. Nobody told him that it was already in Europe and the USA in the 60s (to be honest, in the 60s and 70s, and in the 80s of the 20th century, this was not the case).
By the way, once again, joint ownership of a work of art is my idea. Later, some museums of the world tried to attract investments in the same way ... But their projects did not go; because, who will believe the richest museum that he needs that kind of money?
And here is the text (English version) of the certificate of ownership (piece) of the picture:
SERTIFICAT
Sergey Evtuhov
“Firemen, visiting an artist”
canvas, oil, 130x118, 2006
This certificate is a document, which establishes
his owner’s right to a peace of the painting
“Firemen, visiting an artist” (canvas, oil, 130x118,
- by Sergey Evtuhov. This certificate gives its
owner right to put all or part of the picture photos
(reproductions) in SMI, books, catalogs, booklets
etc. The Owner of one or few peaces of the painting
is not allowed to cut or cover his peace in any
way. Also he can’t perform any actions, which
can damage or mutilate this picture’s appearance
during publication.
Number of the certificate matches the number
of a peace of painting that belongs to the owner of
this certificate. It can’t be greater than the number
of peaces for sale (8424). On publication of the
painting it should be a reference to the actual
number of the certificate. Certificate must be signed
by the author of the picture. This certificate can be
bought, sold, given as a present etc.
The painting can be sold in peaces only on
condition that a buyer entirely agrees with the
terms drawn in the certificate. Persons that
obtained the certificate in any way (including
getting as a gift, inheritance etc.), have the same
rights and can’t make any actions, which would
damage the picture. In the case of buying the
biggest peace, the buyer of the greatest number of
peaces becomes the painting’s owner. The owner
must store the painting in such a way, that it would
be accessible to the owners of other peaces. Also
he must take measures to assure the preservation of
the painting*.
One peace of the painting is a square with a side
of 1,6 (6) cm. Change of the owner must be marked
on the other side of certificate and notarized.
So, my dear friends, Pascal Meyer almost “one to one” repeated my action: selling the painting in pieces. And, neither thunder burst, nor marketing collapsed ... Just Pascal lives in Switzerland, in a rich country. Where people probably help each other become successful and wealthy. They are not jealous so frankly: “Are you reinventing the bike again?” ... And they say after him: “You see, Pascal went ... Yes, that same Pascal who continued the work of Alex and Evtuhov and became a millionaire” ... But if I am mistaken, the older comrades will always correct me...
Sergey Evtuhov, author of the project "Yellow Road"
