In 2009, after installing his solo show at Marianne Boesky Gallery, artist Yoshitomo Nara went to Niagara bar on Avenue A in the East Village to celebrate. Over the course of what sounds like an exuberant night, he doodled a series of murals portraying various spunky rocker girls around the bar (before capping it off with a night in jail for continuing to draw on walls, in the subway). Nara’s career, like the East Village, has taken a sleeker turn in recent years: a decade later, one of his paintings recently sold for $24.9 million. In turn, speculation about the value of those bar doodles has brought unwanted attention to Niagara’s most distinct feature, with one art adviser recently telling ArtNet that they could be worth around $5 million.
Tim Blum, who represents Nara, told the outlet that while he wouldn’t speculate on the value of the work, it was, as ArtNet put it, “a legitimate work of art, if one executed in a very unusual way, and should be treated as such.” It doesn’t hurt that these drawings are steeped in “historic NYC mystique” (a la the CBGB awnings) with some clear references: one figure is shown shouting The Ramone’s “Hey! Ho! Let’s go!” Their home being part of a famous NYC music landmark gives these particular drawings something special no other work of Nara’s could create.
One would think that Niagara would be proud of their punk rock panorama, but this past Sunday night I discovered quite the opposite. Within five minutes of snapping a photo of the mural, I found myself standing on the sidewalk facing the manager and bouncer, both blocking the door while sternly wishing me a good night. A few moments before, my companion had asked the bartender what he thought of the murals and the new buzz around them; he told her, “I can’t talk about that. The last time I did that, I got in trouble.”
The closest thing to an answer I received about why the bar is so shy about their most interesting feature was from the manager, who, after ushering us onto the sidewalk, simply stated: “We can't have any press in here.”
Emails requesting a comment from the bar owners also went unanswered.
Is the cool reception and paranoia based around a fear of additional attention interfering with the sale of the work? At least one bartender at Niagara doesn’t think so, telling CNN the artwork “has been a part of the bar for a long time and will stay that way.” David Schrader of Sotheby’s also told CNN the $5 million estimations were a bit high, due partially to the fact that “as you go down in materials used, you'll have a pretty big decline in value," Schrader also added that this site-specific art "wasn't meant to be sold."
Where does Nara land in all of this? According to Blum, Nara doesn't want to see the drawing sold. And while it is signed, without authentication the mural will fetch a lower price. "It was done in the spirit of the moment," Blum told Artnet. "Nara isn't interested in any kind of monetization discussion, but it's certainly worth some money."
While the drawings are on the wall of the building and thus not easily removed to sell, people can be quite motivated to do just that when the value is high enough. Banksy pieces, for example, have spurred people to cut them out of buildings in Los Angeles and New Orleans, to cart them away on tractor-trailers for auction. It’s not possible to predict with any certainty whether the Nara murals will meet the same fate, but considering he is one of the top five most valuable living artists, it certainly wouldn’t be unheard of for them to be separated from their current home.
The murals occupy an interesting place, simultaneously representing the art market and the physical neighborhood of the East Village; two things with a perceived value only because a large enough majority of wealthy people have agreed upon it. If the march of new condos in the East Village is any indicator, you might want to try to see the Nara mural in person sooner rather than later, before it ends up hidden away in the living room of the highest bidder. But if you want to take any photos of them, be sure to be discreet about it.
