Main Sponsor for Printfest
“We are very excited to be the first main sponsor of Printfest and support contemporary print makers producing high quality affordable art. One of the reasons we, as a species, have managed to evolve from hanging around in trees to populating the world is because we develop the ability to express ourselves through art. Good art should challenge us to think, tell a story and allow us to use our imagination.”
Karel Jacobs
Canter Holland
kareljacobs@canterholland.com
Administration Centre
16 Commerce Road,
Lynch Wood,
Peterborough PE2 6LR 117
Farringdon Road,
London, EC1R 3BX
Office 0845 127 1444
hello@canterholland.com
www.canterholland.com
From the Canter Holland Collection in the image above behind Karel ~ These are four photographs of every day items (bunch of tomatoes, toilet roll, pack of sanitary towels, tray of meat) next to a pile of Venezuelan Bolivar bank notes that is needed to buy the items. The pictures beautifully illustrate the danger of inflation which is the first principle people need to understand when investing money. The Venezuelan pictures are from Reuters who used them in an article on inflation in Venezuela. We bought the rights to print them from Reuters. Photography by Carlos Garcia Rawlins.
From the Canter Holland Collection ~ An office piece, this one by printmaker Tobias Till titled: ‘Inferno’ and packed full of symbolism. Seven colour silkscreen print, with 23 Carat red Gold Leaf. Signed and editioned by the artist. Edition of 50. Inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, “Inferno” is a satirical and humorous depiction of Hell set in a contemporary London.
From the Canter Holland Collection ~ It is not an original but appeals to my sense of slightly rebellious and irreverent humour. It is at the top of our glass stairs and greets people as they come into our open plan office, it makes me smile and reminds me to not take myself too seriously.
The Value of art
Printfest is so good at putting an art lover like me face to face with real artists; real people who expend effort making art. They are compelled to it; the intent is pure. I find this a wonderful, genuine, human experience. I connect with artists and with their art. Sometimes that connection is so strong that I want to buy the work.
And this is all very much in contrast with so much of my experience with the London art market – and the wider global market in art. So often it’s about money. Art here is about investment – a store of financial value or an object for speculation. Art dealers advise wealthy clients on investment pieces. And around all this bare money making is the froth of conspicuous consumption and fashion.
At Printfest I buy art and I am happy to pay the money the artist wants – and to stand in the queue to pay, with other people who have found a real piece of art that has so taken them that they want to pay a decent sum to the artist, to have it and enjoy it at home.
What’s going on at Printfest has value.
Listen to Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra is a baseball legend in the USA – famous as a catcher, a manager and maybe the most quotable American of all time: ’it ain’t over till it’s over’ is one of his. My favourite is this one: ‘You can observe a lot just by watching’. I think that’s the essence of what’s going on with me and art. I like to look – to be dragged into the story. To be made to think a little bit harder. I think you can see lots of people coming to Printfest going through that process. It’s cool.
From the Canter Holland Collection ~ Modern take on The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp by Rembrandt, very faithful reproduction of the characters involved in the original but now focussing on a car engine instead of a dead body! The Anatomy Lesson, Fine Art photograph by Freddy Fabris.
The Dutch Golden Century was art for everyone
I’m Dutch. We love art. When people think about the art of the Dutch Masters now they sometimes miss the truth of that work in our culture. Holland was the first Republic of modern times, We made ourselves rich by trade in the seventeenth century. And when the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker made money in that era in Holland, they bought art. The Art of Vermeer and Rembrandt was for everyone. Indeed many of those artists, like Rembrandt, were the ones who started the whole art print movement – making art that everyone could afford to hang at home or at work.
From the Canter Holland Collection ~ One of the office pieces, this one is by a Pakistani artist based in Islamabad and commissioned via Instagram. We sent money to Pakistan and hoped a picture would turn up, it did, shows you that you can trust humans! Untitled oil on canvas by Mohsin Shaikh.
Pleasure = value
We have a financial services business and I would put it to you very seriously that the economic value I get from art can be measured in pleasure. Human pleasure may be something you don’t place an exact value on – so what? We have various offices and art in our offices makes them spaces that I enjoy being in. It is a pleasure to buy the art and put it there – and a pleasure to see it.
From the Canter Holland Collection ~ This etching by Mychael Barratt hangs in our London office, you will find something new every time you look at it. Title: A London Map of Days.
Don’t be the richest man in the graveyard !
Why Canter Holland get involved with Printfest is not because we think we will get more clients for our business. It is because we like to be involved with something that is so very good at connecting good artists with people. And you know I think the moment when I, like so many other art lovers, take the plunge and buy a print, I think that we’re very clearly giving ourselves a pleasure, spending some of the money we have accumulated. The Dutch phrase here is ‘don’t be the richest man in the graveyard’.
