Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Francisc Bacon 's New Record and other results @ Christie's - Nov 12 , 2013

 
source : (AFP)
New York City — A triptych by British painter Francis Bacon -- "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" -- sold for $142.4 million, smashing the world record for the most expensive piece of art auctioned.
The work by the 20th century figurative artist, who lived from 1909 to 1992, had never before been put under the hammer until Christie's flagship evening sale, on Tuesday. It was bought by a New York gallery.
"What's amazing for us to see is obviously the highest price ever paid at auction for a work of art, the Francis Bacon," said Brett Gorvy, head of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's.
The most expensive artwork ever was a Cezanne that sold for $259 million in 2011. But that was a private sale, not an auction.
Gorvy named Acquavella Galleries, which is based in New York, as the buyer at a spectacular auction that broke a string of records and totalled sales of $691.6 million, the highest in auction history.
Hammered to an outburst of applause, the Bacon surpassed the previous record of $119.9 million fetched by Edvard Munch's iconic "The Scream" by rival house Sotheby's in New York in May 2012.
Bidding lasted six minutes and was split by would-be buyers on three continents, opening at $80 million and escalating in seconds.
"An historic moment," said auctioneer Jussi Pylkkanen at $126 million as he drove the price yet higher.
The triptych, the only one not in a museum to date and executed almost 25 years after Bacon and Freud met, is the most expensive single lot offered in the New York November auction season.
Officials said it was particularly special because Freud, a close friend of Bacon, went on to become a hugely important artist himself in later years.
The previous record for a Bacon painting was $86 million in 2008.
Christie's sold a total of 63 lots of post-war and contemporary art for $691.6 million, the highest total in auction history.
In total Christie's broke a further 10 world records.
It sold the giant orange "Balloon Dog" sculpture by Jeff Koons for $58.4 million, making history for the sale of a work by a living artist and history for a piece of contemporary sculpture.
It is one of five different colored such pieces by the American, who has most recently collaborated with Lady Gaga providing artwork for the pop diva's third album, "Artpop", which was released on Monday.
"We're also incredibly proud to see the highest price achieved for a living artist, Jeff Koons, well deserved for the 'Balloon Dog'," Gorvy told a news conference.
The statue, on display outside the auction house in Rockefeller Plaza, was eagerly snapped by tourists and art lovers outside. Several police officers mounted on horses sat guard late Tuesday.
The previous record for a Koons piece was $33.7 million.
Other artists who achieved world records were Christopher Wool whose "Apocalypse Now" sold for $26.5 million, Wade Guyton, Vija Celmins, Lucio Fontana, Ad Reinhardt, Donald Judd, Willem De Kooning and Wayne Thiebaud.
With Impressionist and Modern art harder to come by and many of the great works in museums, art officials say contemporary work has driven an explosion in prices in a flourishing market.
"Tonight we showed ultimately the strength of this market and the diversity of this market," said Gorvy, insisting that the value of post-war and contemporary art would only increase "incredibly".
"I really believe we are at the beginning of something. This is not a bubble. This is not something which ultimately doesn't have great foundation stones," he added.
He said collectors had bought "very sensibly" and "very aggressively with a lot of competition".
Buyers from 42 countries registered to bid on Tuesday and despite tremendous interest from emerging markets in Asia, the Gulf, Russia and Latin America, Americans dominated.
"A terrific, exciting night," Doug Woodham, president of Christie's Americas, told a news conference.
"The new world record for auctions anywhere in the world which is a phenomenal evening of amazing masterpieces," he added.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Top 10 Artisti Contemporani Romani de Colectionat

  Se vorbeste mult, in ultima vreme, despre rentabilitatea investitiei in arta. Probabil ca asa e, dar asta se intampla in tari unde piata de arta este dinamica, valorile sunt mari si exista fonduri mutuale si organizatii financiare ( nu detaliez) care fac asta in mod stiintific. Nu pot declara mai nimic despre micuta piata de arta romaneasca, unde segmentul "contemporan" abia acum incepe sa-si ia avant. Am observat insa un lucru: marii clasici, au fost si ei contemporanii cuiva! Cine a cumparat arta "generatiei" sale a facut o investitie buna pentru urmasi si, aici, trebuie sa ma credeti pe cuvant.       Intrebarea fireasca cu care mi se pune mai tot timpul de catre oameni dornici sa cumpere arta dar neavizati este " ce cumpar? " iar apoi "ce garantie am?" Raspunsul meu este acelasi, unul singur care cuprinde ambele intrebari "cumpara ce cumpar si eu!" Lucrez si promovez de ani buni autori contemporani cunoscuti. Nu mi-am propus sa fac "branduri" din ei  pentru ca nu asta e raspunsul in timp. Initial, comercial,a brandui un artist pare o idee buna, dar in timp se dovedeste a fi voalatila. Personal sunt interesat in primul rand de caractere, de artisti cu calitati morale puternice, cu cei sapte ani de acasa, de artisti care muncesc mult, sustinut si care nu sunt dornici de succes imediat. Modestia mi se pare o calitate importamta la un om. Doua atribute combinate, reduc numarul potentialilor "candidati" dramatic si face ca numarul artistilor de colectionat sa scada: munca sustinuta ( cel putin sase ore zilnic, cinci zile pe saptamana), si sa nu consume alcool ( nu abstinenta, doar ocazional).  Avand in vedere ca am redus enorm numarul artistilor de la cateva mii la cateva zeci, incepem sa ne uitam catre estetica, catre calitatea propriu-zisa a lucrului si catre conceptul artistic, limbajul plastic, care trebuie sustinut si dezvoltat in ani. Un artist care-si schimba prea des atat paleta cromatica cat si stilul il consider confuz, imatur si instabil.
In concluzie exista artisti a caror cota a crescut in mod natural in ultimii ani si care merita "investigati". Lucrurile lor sunt placute ochiului, bucura oamenii, innobileaza locurile si, in timp, (cateva decenii) vor valora enorm.  Spun asta pentru ca se produce din ce mai putina arta de calitate in ciuda faptului ca producem mai multi absolventi de la Revolutie incoace, iar marketingul si PR-ul nu sunt intrumente propice sa creeze valoare pe termen lung in arta.
Va recomand cu placere cateva nume care sunt cautate in piata si vor avea un impact clar in istoria artei: Matei Serban, Dragos Raicu, Cornel Lazia. Spun asta pentru ca stiu cine cumpara, ce cumpara si de ce ii cumpara pe acesti autori.
 Matei Serban, in momentul de fata, e greu de "prins". Lucrarile sale nu sunt ieftine, ultimele lucrari, e adevarat ca sunt mari, sar de opt mii de euro dar merita cu varf si-ndesat. Probabil ca o sa revina la formate mai mici unde pretul o sa scade, firesc... sau nu!
Dragos Raicu, de care nu ati auzit probabil, e sold out! Nu poate sa produca cata cerere este. In momentul de fata e waiting list. Lucreaza de o acuratete bolnava, as putea zice, mania celor mai mici detalii face ca timpul de lucru sa fie foarte mare, in concluzie nu poate sa produca la acesti parametri calitativi cat ar putea vinde.
Cornel Lazia e un fotograf serios, ordonat, poate singurul fotograf roman care vinde forografie constant printr-un sistem clar de editii limitate (pe bune, nu doar vorbe).
Avand in vedere ca tranzactionez exclusiv arta contemporana de 24 de ani, ca nimeni nu imi poate pune la indoiala etica si moralitatea in business ( as fi inchis daca eram implicat in porcarii si fraude) ma hazardez sa va fac un top 10 artisti de tinut sub lupa, luind in considerare urmatoarele criterii: munca sustinuta, etica si respect fata de colectionari, putere de intelegere a businessului de arta, fara vicii, preocupati sa urmeze propriul sistem plastic, raport corect calitate pret in ordine aleeatorie acestia ar fi:
 1. Matei Serban Sandu
 2. Dragos Raicu
 3. Cornel Lazia
 4. Francisc Chiuariu
 5.  Aurel Tar
 6. Laura Covaci
 7 .Paul Hitter
 8. Murivale
 9. Mircea Roman
10. Adrian Ghenie

N.B. Personal nu ii colectionez decat pe primii doi. Pe Murivale l-am cumparat acum doua decenii dar am facut "exit" (prea devreme dar la vremea respectiva traiam in US si imi restrangeam portofoliul din Romania) si nu mai detin lucrari. Pe ceilalti nu ii cunosc personal dar ii urmaresc cu mare atentie. Probabil ca nu am sa-i cumpar niciodata dar asta nu inseamna nimic in raport cu valoarea lor. Sunt adeptul unui portofoliu restrans de autori dar bine consolidat.