Thomas Kinkade does superheroes now?

[possumgrease]

This is unsettling.

https://thomaskinkade.com/art/batman-su ... 16fd43adaa

[Aram]

meh.

[bobby97801]

I'm not sure who the artist is, but Thomas has been dead for 6 years.

[IMJ]

I'm not sure who the artist is, but Thomas has been dead for 6 years.

Yup... it's a piece from Kinkade studios, but not the man himself.

[Chiclo]

Eh, you go where the money is. And now that money is in superheroes.

[greg]

The Thomas Kincade story is almost like if "the story of Beanie Babies" could be about a single person.

[ilzuccone]

The Thomas Kincade story is almost like if "the story of Beanie Babies" could be about a single person.

kincade went to my college. his story is fascinating. two lawyers approached him with a business idea. That idea worked. they all made a lot of cash. so did many others. one of my instructors had a friend who did the layouts (pencil drawings the painters would paint over) for kinkade. he pulled in over 100k a year doing this.

Anyway my point is there were far more people behind kinkade's art then they let on.

[greg]

The Thomas Kincade story is almost like if "the story of Beanie Babies" could be about a single person.

kincade went to my college. his story is fascinating. two lawyers approached him with a business idea. That idea worked. they all made a lot of cash. so did many others. one of my instructors had a friend who did the layouts (pencil drawings the painters would paint over) for kinkade. he pulled in over 100k a year doing this.

Anyway my point is there were far more people behind kinkade's art then they let on.

Interesting!

So, he was more of a 'Mary Kay' figure at the top of a pyramid, where the local retailers had all their money tied up in inventory and basically no one benefited long-term, except at the top.

[ilzuccone]

The Thomas Kincade story is almost like if "the story of Beanie Babies" could be about a single person.

kincade went to my college. his story is fascinating. two lawyers approached him with a business idea. That idea worked. they all made a lot of cash. so did many others. one of my instructors had a friend who did the layouts (pencil drawings the painters would paint over) for kinkade. he pulled in over 100k a year doing this.

Anyway my point is there were far more people behind kinkade's art then they let on.

Interesting!

So, he was more of a 'Mary Kay' figure at the top of a pyramid, where the local retailers had all their money tied up in inventory and basically no one benefited long-term, except at the top.

[Zhuge1]

It's fascinating to me that people spend some significant cash on Kinkade art. I understand that his style speaks to some -- but when you look at how many editions might exist for each work that he did, it's clear that these are primarily posters. Here's a description on the Kinkade site that explains the differences.

Also an older Washington Post article provides guidance to potential buyers of the works since often folks don't really know what they are getting.

I've been to art auctions where his works were included and recall several of his prints coming up with the auctioneer claiming they were "signed" using some sort of DNA process (meaning he had not actually hand-signed the work).

[greg]

I've been to art auctions where his works were included and recall several of his prints coming up with the auctioneer claiming they were "signed" using some sort of DNA process (meaning he had not actually hand-signed the work).

That could be related to the PSA/DNA program for certifying authenticity for sportscards and memorabilia. It doesn't have anything to do with autographs. It means that there's a "detectable" DNA code added to the item so that it doesn't need to be authenticated again in the future (other than checking the code).

I assume that even freshly-printed lithographs of Kinkade art were also being counterfeited when they had value. So, you would want to be sure you were buying an "authentic mass-produced copy" rather than a "counterfeit mass-produced copy".

[Zhuge1]

Somewhat ironic that there's a graphic that explains Kinkade's edition structure. It's accurately shaped to illustrate the scheme of his art:



Regarding the "DNA Signature" -- I've read conflicting things. One article mentions that they made some ink using some of his blood which is what they used to stamp those signatures.

[Sven the Returned]

Eh, you go where the money is. And now that money is in superheroes.

Not much money sadly.

[paradise]

Eh, you go where the money is. And now that money is in superheroes.

Not much money sadly.

Agree, we sell them, and stock a few but people are not biting.

[greg]

The problem with Kinkade superhero artwork is that it blends two unrelated things in such a way that they're not better together.

The original Kinkade artworks (classic towns or churches or landscapes) were perfect for generic Americana home decorations, particularly at Grandma's house (or at least puchased as a gift to Grandma).

Putting an image of Superman or Batman into a little Downtown U.S.A. scene actually makes it less likely for Grandma to enjoy it... but keeping all the Grandma flavor as the background makes it less likely for comic fans to take seriously.

The whole is worse than the sum of its parts, and I can't picture the intended customer.

[slym2none]

I can't picture the intended customer.

Nice pun. Subtle as the 'b' in the word "subtle".



-slym

[Chiclo]

I can't picture the intended customer.

Nice pun. Subtle as the 'b' in the word "subtle".



-slym

Heh. He cannot give a picture to an intended customer.