Like any self-serving crook Lik is a weasel, careful not to directly claim his work will appreciate in value. The pitch is as an edition sells, the cost of prints in the gallery increases.
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I couldn't care less if I spell it right or not.
And of course a label such as "artist" can mean absolutely anything or absolutely nothing, just like the term "art" itself.
Everyone is allowed their own definition, or to spend their money and decorate their house as they please. But their are certain rules. When someone has their favorite rap music "artist" cranked up to full volume at 2:AM in the morning, and I can't sleep, I call the cops because it's a violation of city code. When someone misrepresents the provenance, quantity, or "investment" value of pictures they sell, there are enforceable laws in certain States against that kind of thing too,
and if not, certainly interested lawsuit lawyers.
All this Peter Lik bashing seems more like frustrated photographer envy and y’all need to get over it.
I stopped by his NYC gallery some 20 years ago and his work was impeccable. Most of his work at the time was shot with a 617 on Velvia and it was very impressive technically. Excellent composition, perfect metering, lighting, and exceptional prints. Most of his work was produced on some derivative of Fuji flex paper and the results were extremely high quality - most members on this forum could only dream about having such technical skills. The rest is subjective - you either like his work or you don’t - just like any other artist.
I saw a few of his films and personally I can’t stand the guy - too much of an ego - but who cares. He’s obviously a passionate photographer and loves the beauty of nature and wanted to become successful following his passion. The whole art industry is a scam to begin with and I can only respect someone that persevered by opening his own galleries and becoming independently successful.
Good for him.
All this Peter Lik bashing seems more like frustrated photographer envy and y’all need to get over it.
I stopped by his NYC gallery some 20 years ago and his work was impeccable. Most of his work at the time was shot with a 617 on Velvia and it was very impressive technically. Excellent composition, perfect metering, lighting, and exceptional prints. Most of his work was produced on some derivative of Fuji flex paper and the results were extremely high quality - most members on this forum could only dream about having such technical skills. The rest is subjective - you either like his work or you don’t - just like any other artist.
I saw a few of his films and personally I can’t stand the guy - too much of an ego - but who cares. He’s obviously a passionate photographer and loves the beauty of nature and wanted to become successful following his passion. The whole art industry is a scam to begin with and I can only respect someone that persevered by opening his own galleries and becoming independently successful.
Good for him.
I think his photographs are garish
So is the chateau de Versailles, Mannerism…
Boy, I can't wait until you guys talk about the collapse of NFT
Boy, I can't wait until you guys talk about the collapse of NFT
I've read all the negative articles for years about Lik and Kincaid probably included that one from 2014. They're all the same. Also, I've commented on the Phantom picture years ago in forums and believe it was probably a friend who "bought" the picture for publicity to help Lik market his pictures. Lik does what galleries do with limited editions and other ways to keep the prices up. Most photographers starve without their day job. Kincaid cheated on his taxes. Who cares? Millions of his fans got spiritual inspiration from his work and still do. We're talking about art and how to sell it. No one cared that VanGogh cut his ear off. It didn't help him sell his paintings until after he was dead. Lik is still alive. As photographers, we should be happy that there are some of us who are making a good living from photographic art. Knocking their style and art is beneath us. Associating their immoral or illegal behavior to knock their art is just a cheap shot at someone who knows how to turn his photography into big time profits. It also says nothing after their work, salesmanship, or the customers who pay for their work and hang it in the million-dollar homes. Kincaid also sells cheap stuff for the everyman.
Have you ever been to a Lik gallery? I have. In two different world class cities. They're impressive. Do you know what it costs to set up and lease space for a specially designed gallery in a dozen of the major cities around the world and manage that? And shoot pictures? First rate presentation and the salespeople are gorgeous and effective. Go there and learn how to sell and present your work. Learn a thing or two about closing a sale. In one, I think it was Hawaii, maybe Las Vegas, he had this small, dark room with a back-lighted huge chrome of one of Utah's arches like the one below. There was a couch opposite the picture so when you sat down, it was like meditating in an actual cave in the desert with you looking out onto an amazing sunrise scene. $4000. What have people here sold recently?
Echoes of Silence
This limited edition print encapsulates America's spirit, with an arch-framed Canyonlands bathed in dawn's glow, meticulously composed as collectible wall art.lik.com
All this Peter Lik bashing seems more like frustrated photographer envy and y’all need to get over it.
I stopped by his NYC gallery some 20 years ago and his work was impeccable. Most of his work at the time was shot with a 617 on Velvia and it was very impressive technically. Excellent composition, perfect metering, lighting, and exceptional prints. Most of his work was produced on some derivative of Fuji flex paper and the results were extremely high quality - most members on this forum could only dream about having such technical skills. The rest is subjective - you either like his work or you don’t - just like any other artist.
I saw a few of his films and personally I can’t stand the guy - too much of an ego - but who cares. He’s obviously a passionate photographer and loves the beauty of nature and wanted to become successful following his passion. The whole art industry is a scam to begin with and I can only respect someone that persevered by opening his own galleries and becoming independently successful.
Good for him.
Alan,
I sell prints every week. The difference between Lik and I is integrity. He has none. He misleads people into thinking they're investing in art; they're not. His work has ZERO credibility in the art world and NO resale value. There are numerous articles in reputable news sources like the New York Times detailing the lies told to buyers of his work; who were then shocked to later find that the prints were unsaleable, that no dealer would buy them or sell them on consignment. I make no claim that anyone will make money from my work; I'm not famous enough for that to be the case. People buy my work simply because they like it. I spent a few years teaching high school to make extra income to put my son through college because I didn't want him working while studying or going into debt. Aside from that, I have never needed a 'day job.' Selling prints and occasional commercial work supported my son and I (I raised him by myself, his mother had no involvement in his life and never paid child support). Not only do I regularly sell prints, but they've sold to people in more than 30 countries.
There are several Photrio members who sell work on a regular basis and a couple others, aside from me, who make their living entirely from photography.
If Lik had simply set up galleries and sold prints direct to buyers, I'd have no problem with him. It is the dishonesty.
I for one am not envious of Mr Lik's work nor his success. He panders to foolish people with pedantic taste and disposable income. It is his ego and methods that are disdainful.
There is a certain strata of society that feeds on the less sophisticated by offering garish items and lifestyles at inflated prices as if the price alone is validation. They have shops on Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive and all the other "luxury" shopping districts around the world where the name and logo are prominently displayed on the goods as status symbols. They have hotels with gold-finished fixtures and flocked wallpaper with certain names prominently affixed everywhere. There is no art involved, except for the art of trickery and deception. The customers get what they deserve.
I'm sure you're a very ethical photographer and I applaud you for that. But let's not confuse art with morals. Gauguin slept with his underage Tahitian models. Who knows what Maplethorpe was doing in between photo shoots. Also, I'm sure purchasers of Beanie Babies and baseball cards thought they were investing as well. Everyone who buys these things thinks it's going to be worth a lot more later. Lik is a lot like many who say that their work could appreciate. Maybe it will. I don't know. Anyone who spends thousands and up is investing or think they're investing or really don;t care. If they have that much to spend they know a thing or two about the dollar and aren't fooled easily. Artists offer a wink and a nod to their customers' illusions. But it's all beside the point. There are people who like Lik's work and spend a lot purchasing it to hang in their million dollar homes because they are impressed the way the photo looks. The Lik gallery salemen did a good job selling. It may not be other's taste. But that's all beside the point.
Have you ever been to a Lik gallery? Did the salespeople try to con you? What did you think of the work and presentation? You did go, didn't you? Or are you judging him based on what others say?
Gaughin's--or Mapplethorpe's--love life had nothing to do with questionable sales tactics, or even about selling his work. Van Gogh did not cut off his ear to get attention or sympathy isn order to sell paintings. Mapplethorpe's biggest patron was already his lover--he gave him a Hasselblad. Up until then Mapplethporpe had been shooting Polaroids. Picasso was a famous womanizer who regularly disposed of his lovers (and his wife) as if they were yesterday's newspaper. None of that sold any work. Pandering to patrons goes back a long way, most artists could not afford to turn down a commission. But even Warhol was tongue-in-cheek about his work and its value. His work was ignored in New York until it was shown in Los Angeles by Ferus Gallery and even then the owner ended up buying all the work. Warhol acknowledged the collaboration with others to produce his silkscreen work and called his studio "The Factory." Lik pretends his oversized postcards are fine art items worthy of displaying and collecting, sure. But I have seen glued-together jigsaw puzzles on the wall of some homes, too.I'm sure you're a very ethical photographer and I applaud you for that. But let's not confuse art with morals. Gauguin slept with his underage Tahitian models. Who knows what Maplethorpe was doing in between photo shoots. Also, I'm sure purchasers of Beanie Babies and baseball cards thought they were investing as well. Everyone who buys these things thinks it's going to be worth a lot more later. Lik is a lot like many who say that their work could appreciate. Maybe it will. I don't know. Anyone who spends thousands and up is investing or think they're investing or really don;t care. If they have that much to spend they know a thing or two about the dollar and aren't fooled easily. Artists offer a wink and a nod to their customers' illusions. But it's all beside the point. There are people who like Lik's work and spend a lot purchasing it to hang in their million dollar homes because they are impressed the way the photo looks. The Lik gallery salemen did a good job selling. It may not be other's taste. But that's all beside the point.
Have you ever been to a Lik gallery? Did the salespeople try to con you? What did you think of the work and presentation? You did go, didn't you? Or are you judging him based on what others say?
Lik's photos go for $4000 and up. He's not preying on the unsophisticated. Poor people don't buy his stuff. If you notice his index of photos, he not only lists locations of the photos, but the colors to coordinate your home's interior with. People who buy his stuff have deep pockets and rich homes and it means little for them to drop ten thousand on a couple of pictures. They're decorating their homes not investing for the most part.
photo index https://lik.com/collections/new-release
home decoration https://lik.com/pages/inspiration
soho gallery typical https://lik.com/pages/lik-soho
process: https://lik.com/pages/process
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