A New Concepts In Murals

From the cave drawings of Lascaux to Michelangelo's soaring Sistine Chapel, from Diego Rivera's revolutionary images to pop-meister James Rosenquist's jazzy abstractions, history's great artists have been inspired to create monumental art for monumental spaces. Murals are an ages-old art form that can deliver a social message, identify a space or simply amuse the eye. But murals have built-in problems, requiring a unique kind of talent, infinite patience and that rarity in modern life, the luxury of time.

Rick Farrell design for Tahitian Noni, used in all company materials and as a mural (shown here) at the Tahitian Noni Booth, The Leadership Convention, March 2004, The Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV.

Now one agency, Richard Solomon™ Artists Representative, New York, NY, is changing that with a revolutionary new concept: Art on a Grand Scale™, a division of the agency devoted exclusively to fine art digitally reproduced specifically for grand-scale spaces. It's a concept that lets art buyers commission, reproduce and apply fine art to any grand-scale space, at record speed and budget-conscious cost.

With more than 20-years' experience in representing the world's finest popular artists, and with more than 100 prestigious industry awards to its credit, Richard Solomon Artists Representative was perfectly positioned to sense a seismic shift in the business of art. Plans were expanding, budgets were shrinking and popular art stood at the precipice. Recognizing the digital revolution as the means to a new art form, Solomon conceived Art on a Grand Scale as a never-before service providing fine art for large spaces in a commercially viable way.
 

Reading has never been this good! Gary Kelley mural, used in Barns & Noble Manhattan locations.

Art on a Grand Scale is designed as a one-stop shop for commissioned large-scale art and a unique showcase for the work of today's most sought-after artists, muralists and emerging stars, including such  widely  recognized  artists as  Garry Kelly and Brad Holland. A visit to the Manhattan offices lets art buyers view and compare the wide-ranging work of this select group in a single visit, handily circumventing the time-consuming and tedious process of researching and visiting individual studios. If a visit is impractical, portfolios can be shipped.
 

Whether the project is a monumental work for a cavernous hotel lobby or corporate space, an identifying design for a chain of restaurants or a dramatic focal point for a trade show booth or museum, Art on a Grand Scale can create the art that transforms space from mundane to memorable. Adding service to the solution, the skilled team at Richard Solomon Artist Representative guides each client through the entire process, from suggesting an appropriate artist to recommending top fabricators and installation experts.

Once an artist has been selected and a decision made on theme and style, the artist begins work on a small-scale rendering of what will become a grand-scale work. The art is designed to be reconfigured easily to any space necessary, an especially important detail where the work is to be installed in several different (and often dissimilar) locations. All the while, the Solomon team assists in guiding both artist and client to appropriate solutions, in an atmosphere of complete cooperation. "Most fine artists are ‘lone wolves,'" says Solomon. "Our artists are accustomed to working collaboratively and effectively with a project's design team, from client to architect and installation crew."

Shopping at this mall can only be a Joy! Mural by Loren Long, Stone Brair Mall, Frisco, TX.

Traditional murals are a laborious and time-consuming undertaking that has made them prohibitively expensive for many commercial projects. A large mural can take as long as a year to complete and, depending on the celebrity of the artist, bear a price tag in the stratosphere. Through cutting-edge digital reproduction technologies, Art on a Grand Scale can shorten that time to as little as four weeks (depending on the complexity of the project), a feat that would be physically impossible with traditional mural techniques, thus reducing cost dramatically. And where muralists traditionally charge by the square foot (for example, multiply a large work by 50 retail shops!), Art on a Grand Scale charges a single creative fee for the original art work (which remains the property of the artist unless otherwise negotiated) and rights to reproduce the image for any use, from letterhead to menu covers. Says Richard Solomon, "We do custom solutions at real-world prices." The fact that they also produce stellar art is what sets this agency apart from all others.
 

The quality removes forever the mass-market stigma from digitally reproduced art, a negative perception that, until now, has made digital applications unacceptable to a more sophisticated art buyer. Art on a Grand Scale isn't digital art at all, but fine art created with impeccable style.

Solomon believes that Art on a Grand Scale reflects a new 21st century attitude and an intelligent use of ever-expanding technologies that bring grand-scale art into a new historical era. What the client gets is a winning hand: originality, versatility, speed and economy. As Solomon puts it, "The confluence between fine art and public space is now completely linked!"  eb

Kent Braton graphics, 2004 Write Brothers Exhibition, Write-Dunbar Interpretive Center, Daton OH.