The Film “The Price of Everything”
I watched “The Price of Everything,” releasing in Japan on August 17, 2019.
The original English title is “THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING.”
It is a documentary that captures the fever surrounding contemporary art, weaving together the perspectives of collectors, galleries, and artists.
*Contains spoilers below.
Director Nathaniel Kahn is well-regarded in the documentary field: his 2003 film “My Architect: A Son’s Journey,” which explored the life of his father Louis Kahn, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.
Cast
One of this film’s greatest strengths is its remarkable lineup of interviewees.
Artists including Larry Poons, Jeff Koons, George Condo, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Marilyn Minter, and Gerhard Richter — a truly distinguished roster — all appear on screen.
In particular, the raw, day-to-day lead-up to Larry Poons’s exhibition, and the behind-the-scenes glimpses into the studios of George Condo and Jeff Koons, offer footage you rarely get to see anywhere else.
Meanwhile, auctioneers such as Amy Cappellazzo, Simon de Pury, Simon de Pury, Ed Dolman, and Oliver Barker reveal a stark, unvarnished attachment to money — they are the central figures orchestrating the contemporary-art frenzy that anchors this film. Each time their comments recur, you become aware of a stance that treats works of art as pieces on a game board.
On the other hand, the interviews with collectors led by Stefan Edlis felt breezy and detached, as if they lived in another world entirely.
Despite the vast sums at stake, their responses — utterly unfazed whether they made or lost money — carry the air of game players, and something about that composure is genuinely unsettling.
The Fever of Art
Why did art come to be traded at such astronomical prices in the first place?
The first time contemporary art was traded at high prices, apparently, was at the 1973 “Scull Auction,” organized by taxi-company owner Robert Scull. Some of that footage appears in the film, and the tense, electric atmosphere carries through the screen.
As the market for modern paintings shrank, the spotlight turned to contemporary-art auctions.
Realizing that the fever staged by today’s art auctions was deliberately, meticulously engineered gave me a chilling sense of just how frightening the market really is.
The film closes with an actual auction scene.
The footage of a real transaction — vast sums moving hands — is edited with the very tempo the director intended, capturing the fever of contemporary art with a cool, clear-eyed gaze.
Details
Film: “The Price of Everything”
*Original title: THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING/
Distribution: Euro Space
Director: Nathaniel Kahn (“My Architect: A Son’s Journey”)
Featuring: Larry Poons, Jeff Koons, Amy Cappellazzo, Stefan Edlis, Jerry Saltz, George Condo, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Marilyn Minter, Gerhard Richter, and others
HOT & SUNNY PRODUCTIONS and ANTHOS MEDIA in association with ARTEMIS RISING and FILM MANUFACTURERS, INC. present
2018 / USA / 98 min / English / DCP / Color /
