Three Birds with One Stone, 1994, by Felix Gmelin
After Victor Vasarely and Erik Dietman (1981) Oil on polyester, 74 x 71 cm
Swedish artist Erik Dietman's painting is an addition to a painting by Victor Vasarely from the seventies. Dietman's wife is said to have found the painting by the French-Hungarian 'hard-edge artist' Vasarely in a flea market.
'I have not destroyed it; I have improved it,' Dietman told me, referring to his painting Hard Age. 'Nevertheless, the market value fell considerably after the improvement.'
I first saw the painting myself in a gallery when I was a student at the Royal College of Fine Arts. I was fascinated by it. I realised that it was still possible to paint still-lifes. The picture became the basis for many of my own paintings at the time. Now the painting is current once more, as a picture of vandalism in Art Vandals.
Once I inquired about the price of Hard Age. The owner of the gallery completely disagreed with Dietman regarding the value of the work. In his view, the picture was both a Dietman and a Vasarely, which meant that he had to add the two purchase-prices together.
I have offered my own services to the gallery, proposing to increase the value of their exhibitions by making additions to the works on display.
felix gmelin
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