Director of Clamp Art
WHITEWALL: Tell us about the concept behind your booth and the show that’s up right now.
BRIAN CLAMP: The theme of the booth is Kids Behaving Badly. The title is self-explanatory, but what inspired it was Larry Clark and his influence on the next couple of generation of artists. So there’s Larry Clark who’s doing this snapshot aesthetic and shooting snapshots of the community of friends he’s a part of. He goes on to influence people like Nan Goldin and Mark Morrisroe, you know the next generation, who then pass the torch on to Ryan McGinley and Jill Greenberg.
WW: What do you look forward to when you come to Miami?
BC: I look forward to the whole atmosphere. It’s so much fun because it’s all these people gathering together from all over the world. You meet so many new people. The most fun thing is running into people you haven’t seen in a long time and just catching up. In terms of art, the main fair is something I look forward to because it’s just so over the top and exciting.
WW: I know that Clamp Art specializes in 20th century art, not just contemporary art. Do you think that the current economic situation has encouraged collectors to invest in things other than contemporary art?
BC: I think what typically happens with every recession is that people revert back to established artists. These artists are often times going to be historical figures, because that’s where there has already been a lot of research, and there is a already an established history of the market for their work. I think that happens every time. It’s like stocks, and contemporary, emerging artists are a riskier investment than other things. The booth this year is half secondary market and half primary market, and that sort of does reflect my thinking - bringing big name artists from the gallery’s inventory to anticipate that sort of activity by the buyers.