mau mau....what the hell???

[artfuldodgers]

what is it with mau mau?? loads of praise, massive demand for his prints on release, but there barely worth what you pay for them??
i bought a traffic fox and i love the print, the expression on the foxes face makes me grin everytime i look at it, so when i heard about the limited run of 16 on wolf in sheeples, light. i thought cool, ill try and grab one of those, but bet ive got no chance. well i did, i was chuffed, thought it would be a reasonable investment for the future with such a low edition. nope. barely worth what i paid for it and been quite a few for sale on evilbay...ok, so it aint a great print to be fair, but, a sold out edition of just 16...? and then theres 3 monkeys.. massive interest, everyone wanting it and same thing..people are selling it for what they paid for it...?

so..what the hell is it with mau mau then..?

[eschiff]

buy what you like

[danmuppet]

U won't be able to retire off mau mau, just buy cause u love the image and enjoy it I really like his stuff and only buy his images I would hang!

[iamzero]

No expert but you may just have answered you own question? Hype is made, people rush over and snap up prints that they possibly don't want in the ever growing hope of making some easy money and then get stuck with them.

No brainer. Buy what you like. I like my Monkeys.

[artfuldodgers]

i agree, buy what you like, thats the only piece ive bought with my head not my heart..just dont get it..it sells out everytime, big demand, but zero resale.. iam not bothered in the slightest. i love my traffic fox and the wolf will sit in the tube until such time that i trade it or whatever.. not fussed. just curious as to the lack of resale value on such popular pieces..not seen it with any other artist..?

[anbesivam1]

Interesting thread...Essentially, this is quite a profound question...and can be paraphrased as, "How does one apply a monetary value to art?"

As you suggest, the usual rules of supply and demand should apply...right? low editions, massive demand... why can't you sell the print for more than face value?

So, there are other ways, art acquires it's intrinsic value. The most difficult one to engineer as a gallery is provenance. i.e. Who else important owns His art? Does Charles Saatchi own a Mau Mau for example. Ben Eine blew up when Sam Cameron chose "twentyfirst" to give to the Obamas.

Following provenance, is protection of asset value. Galleries like White Cube etc. spend a lot of time going to auctions which their artists are in...and then they bid until they are happy the value doesn't fall below the primary price (gallery price). Essentially this is difficult to do with work which has a low starting value (like Mau Mau). Mau Mau has not been attached to a formal gallery which can protect his stock value in auctions. This is why galleries will tend to blacklist "flippers" as it undermines the value of the art for serious collectors and art fans.

There are a few more things to consider but I don't want to bore you.

BUT, don't worry, I predict things will change...Remember, this was his FIRST UK solo show...he has been in the game for ages...If you look back in his website gallery you will see some amazing pieces which have never been released as prints. His collaborations are awesome. He is still as current as Banksy politically and ethically. He has shows in the far east planned. He has commissions with music artist...and he won't release editions of 600 ever.

Keep hold of your print...the wind is changing for Mau Mau. Continue to buy what you enjoy.

Bless Up

[artfuldodgers]

ummmm, yep, i can see that..doesnt always follow about someone important owning it though..take phlegm for example as far as iam aware hes not owned by the "importants" but his stuff is on the launch pad and rapidly going skyward (i LOVE phlegm btw) is that just down to pure talent with an attention to detail that is almost unrivalled (roa and blu excepted) ?
mau mau stuff is clever, always something more on the second look....

[stringer64]

I think some of Mau Mau's screenprints are gorgeous. I was lucky enough to get a full set of the portaits and a printers proof. Eventually I sold the set and covered the cost of all and the printers proof and more. Not selling that as it is beautiful.

[gentlemental]

I think poor resale price happens when there are more flippers than genuine buyers/collectors.

add that to the fact that buyers who really want a mau mau can usually score one eventually if they try hard enough.

the opposite applies to phlegm, as phelgm gain sudden huge interest from everyone from his last print, and flippers just got in on the action, and supply has always been sparse as scarce = high price on the bay.

i think mau mau's print are gorgeous. btw. bought one cuz i like it.

[misterx]

Don't think its applicable to all MM's work either.

WhackRonald and the Mermaids have all increased in value...

[deputydawg]

Without touching upon the content and quality of the work, it's simply supply and demand. Prices not rising, or in fact falling? There's simply less demand than supply. If anything it's a wake up call to those basing purchasing choice on the hyperbole of this place rather than gut instinct and knowledge of the artist.

[damien123]

no point worrying about the price, nothing i have ever bought has gone up in price ha

[fingerz]

^ hahaha ...... same here ....

[yeah]

May 15, 2012 22:15:10 GMT 1 artfuldodgers said:

what is it with mau mau?? loads of praise, massive demand for his prints on release, but there barely worth what you pay for them??
i bought a traffic fox and i love the print, the expression on the foxes face makes me grin everytime i look at it, so when i heard about the limited run of 16 on wolf in sheeples, light. i thought cool, ill try and grab one of those, but bet ive got no chance. well i did, i was chuffed, thought it would be a reasonable investment for the future with such a low edition. nope. barely worth what i paid for it and been quite a few for sale on evilbay...ok, so it aint a great print to be fair, but, a sold out edition of just 16...?

so..what the hell is it with mau mau then..?

well done, you were one of the people who stopped me getting a print I wanted. i was actually 4,000 miles away at the time, with a terrible internet connection and just happened to be on line (once a day) barely 10-15 mins after the email went out. I confidently emailed and was amazed when they said they had sold out. Not even emails to Chris (who I know) could get me one because they really did have just those 16 and no others (which they usually have).

the answer is simple. If people only bought what THEY really wanted, then most of the time people will actually be allowed to get what they want.

[iamzero]

Maybe it's your lucky day as dodger doesn't like the print that much and may sell it to you for cost if you ask nicely... Everyone's a winner?

[ruggs]

May 15, 2012 22:15:10 GMT 1 artfuldodgers said:

what is it with mau mau?? loads of praise, massive demand for his prints on release, but there barely worth what you pay for them??
i bought a traffic fox and i love the print, the expression on the foxes face makes me grin everytime i look at it, so when i heard about the limited run of 16 on wolf in sheeples, light. i thought cool, ill try and grab one of those, but bet ive got no chance. well i did, i was chuffed, thought it would be a reasonable investment for the future with such a low edition. nope. barely worth what i paid for it and been quite a few for sale on evilbay...ok, so it aint a great print to be fair, but, a sold out edition of just 16...? and then theres 3 monkeys.. massive interest, everyone wanting it and same thing..people are selling it for what they paid for it...?

so..what the hell is it with mau mau then..?

You hit the nail on the head when you said "makes me grin everytime i look at it." My son has Mau Mau's in his bedroom and every time I look at them they make me smile. He adds real humour to his serious art messages. Won't ever be worth a fortune but I like it for what it is.

[artfuldodgers]

May 16, 2012 13:19:19 GMT 1 iamzero said:

Maybe it's your lucky day as dodger doesn't like the print that much and may sell it to you for cost if you ask nicely... Everyone's a winner?

Thanks but I didn't buy it to flip it. I bought it as an investment, people buy art for many different reasons. I buy because I like it or as an investment, but not to flip it, Iam lucky enough not to need to do that to earn money. It's in the for sale section, but only to trade, not as a cash sale.

As for the guy moaning cos he didn't get one, tough.
Try harder next time, don't whine at me cos I did get one, I actually wanted the print also, whine at the flippers on eBay. And if you wanted it so badly why didn't you buy one either from eBay or here, readily available which is part of the point I was trying to make.

[cymruplan]

I bought it and it got lost in the post so that actually brings the run number down to 15. Might add a bit more value to your print artful!

[iamzero]

How many days do you have to have a print before flip becomes an investment sell???

[artfuldodgers]

May 16, 2012 23:20:17 GMT 1 cymruplan said:

I bought it and it got lost in the post so that actually brings the run number down to 15. Might add a bit more value to your print artful!

Lol!!! Awesome.

[artfuldodgers]

May 17, 2012 7:16:15 GMT 1 iamzero said:

How many days do you have to have a print before flip becomes an investment sell???

That's actually a good question. For me, a flipper can either be found on a dolphin, a scuba diver or on eBay within a week or two. I've only ever sold one piece and that's a long story that I won't bore you with.

[damien123]

i bet your trying to trade it for something worth more than this at cost though :-)

[artfuldodgers]

May 17, 2012 8:48:52 GMT 1 damien123 said:

i bet your trying to trade it for something worth more than this at cost though :-)

Very cynical.. Tut tut. If you read my thread you will see it says cash adjustment either way. Glad to trade it at cost.... Against something I like at cost.