KCRW’s Edward Goldman on the Hot Seat

Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes has a series of posts up concerning allegations that Edward Goldman used his KCRW radio show to pimp artwork that he would then market to collectors, and that he would contact galleries after sales which occurred during his gallery tours (which people pay Goldman to participate in), asking for a percentage of the gallery’s cut from the sale as a commission. According to Green’s sources that cut was an astonishingly high 25%.

Of the two allegations out there, the first one, that Goldman artificially inflated the importance of art on his show, for the purpose of later selling that piece to a collector isn’t particularly troubling. I think anyone who’s been involved in the gallery side of the business knows how much of the art press out there has an agenda behind it. The second allegation, that Goldman approached galleries after people on his tours had purchased art due to the tour, is extremely troubling. If true, it’s extortion, plain and simple. What’s sad is that Goldman could likely have had some kind of legitimate, friendly agreement between himself and the gallery to take an agent’s commission arranged in advance. If he really does have the influence to drive sales, I have a hard time imagining most galleries being uninterested in working with him on that level.

As of now, all of Green’s sources are anonymous, but I’m of the bent that if Green’s willing to put himself out there then I’m willing to lend him my ear on this one. He’s managed to get Ruth Seymour, KCRW General Manager on the phone about the issue, and she’s about as receptive as a wall, completely uninterested in listening to accusations coming from anonymous sources. She also failed to respond to the ethical questions involved in the accusations in a general way.

I’m neither a KCRW listener (I’m a KLXU/KPCC) man myself – may my morning never become eclectic), so I’m not particularly familiar with Goldman. I’ve listened to his show a few times over the years, but I’ve got no real opinion as to his take on art, so I can’t really weigh in with an opinion as to his conduct. I can tell you, as a former gallery owner, if I had the same experience with a critic, I might just let him extort me – I’ve heard similar allegations about other Los Angeles critics, and there’s far too few of them, and it’s hard enough to get on their regular radar, that I can see why someone would let themselves be extorted, rather than be cut off. If I was going to make this kind of allegation about a critic, I’d probably do it anonymously, too.

So far, Green’s put up three posts about the issue, the first, outlining the complaint, the second, noting complaints by a second dealer, and a third post, in which he recounts his conversation with KCRW general manager Ruth Seymour. Other voices are chattering about it, as well. Garrison Frost, of the South Bay blog The Aesthetic, has noted the controversy, asking how it will effect Goldman’s local standing in the arts community.  LA Observed’s Kevin Roderick takes note of the situation. OC Art Blog’s Chris Hoff comments on the situation stating how it’s nice to see some of the covers getting pulled off of our massively unregulated industry, and includes a well said disclosure about his own site, to boot : I’m a total shill. Everything about this blog is a way to promote The Office and the art scene in OC. If the art scene in OC is healthy then The Office and my artist friends might be healthy. Just so you know…