James Rosenquist

James Rosenquist is presented through the diary’s recurring concern with artistic reputation and price: the narrator judges his work exceptionally highly while believing the market has yet to catch up. Across two entries, Rosenquist’s perceived undervaluation becomes a point of contrast with the prices commanded by other contemporary artists and a basis for predicting a future rise.

Market Standing

In October 1984, the narrator placed Rosenquist’s prices in the middle range, but separated market performance from artistic merit: despite those prices, the narrator considered him the best. The comparison took in Rauschenberg’s early works and pieces by Jasper Johns and Cy Twombly, which were described as achieving strong prices, as well as Tom Wesselmann’s sales. Rosenquist’s relative position in this list made the gap between the narrator’s critical judgment and the market’s valuation especially clear.

The 1985 Assessment

The following May, the narrator returned to the same concern after lunch with David Whitney. Peter Brant had bought a Rosenquist, and the narrator again judged the artist’s works to be underpriced. This was not merely a general preference: the purchase prompted a forecast about how prices might change if Rosenquist received a major exhibition. The narrator expected that such a show would bring more attention and push his prices upward.

Reputation and Value

The two entries establish a consistent distinction between present market standing and anticipated recognition. In 1984, Rosenquist’s prices were characterized as only moderate even as the narrator ranked him above his peers; by 1985, the narrator still saw the works as undervalued and connected their possible revaluation to a major show. Rosenquist’s significance in these passages lies in that unresolved discrepancy: artistic esteem is already emphatic, while market recognition remains prospective.