[georg mamin]

Part 1. Birth of a Masterpiece

In February 2011, after a frosty walk into the store, we Sauninym Dennis sat with him in the workshop and discussed the challenge. Dennis has been invited to participate in the exhibition "Geniuses and Masterpieces," which was scheduled for the summer in St Petersburg Manege * (1). Name of the event requires. Therefore, we wanted to play safe and to create an absolute masterpiece, which will be recognized by his contemporaries. For a precise formulation of the problem, we decided to explore the views of art consultants and collectors to understand that from their point of view, is a sure sign of a masterpiece. Dennis has promised to talk to Petrograd friends, and I have myself in Moscow.

A couple of weeks, something cleared up, and we have summed up.

All of our respondents felt that now the artistic value of works is identified with its auction price. Therefore, the most appropriate solution, according to general opinion, was the acquisition of the masterpieces of modern art at large international auctions. This is especially Christie's and Sotheby's. Particular attention is paid to the experts advised the trend behavior of prices - there were times when hopes have submitted the names do not pass the test of time and out of fashion.
This observation alerted us and forced to make a more detailed analysis. It was found that about half of the contemporary artists whose works were sold at Christie's and Sotheby's over the past 25 years, today, are not represented in the auction catalog. They went out of fashion, and so many collections are impaired.

Also, experts recommend a second, less reliable way to find Masterpiece - an appeal to the well-known modern art galleries. It is assumed that there has already made an initial selection, and art galleries in the future is likely to get into the auction catalogs. Of course, it is necessary to pay attention to your beloved's participation in exhibitions, events, biennials, the presence of works in museum collections, his activity in the art-coterie and mentions in the press.
To test this method, we made a simple test. We have compiled a list of persons who have received over the past 25 years, "Silver Lion" Venice Biennale - the cherished dream of a modern artist, and gave the watch connoisseurs. The vast majority of the names meant nothing to them.

And finally, the general opinion of experts, if you like the work of just a good artist - then hang it over the sofa at home and relax. Of course, if you are not an art dealer who has the money and hope to translate this into the category of well-known artist and long-term.

Thus, we conclude that the main criterion for a modern masterpiece is an opportunity to buy or sell it at the leading international auction house.

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Indeed, imagine, you come to visit the person and on his wall (floor area) you can see a certain piece of modern art. Certainly, if you're not in the "trend" and not an expert, it does not make a strong impression on you, except that negative. But you know that the owner bought this thing at Sotheby's for a lot of money. Right there in your eyes, he gets face anyone who knows what's what in the arts, and the thing itself already seems worthy of interest - not for nothing was there for her as paid.

And so, taking into account all these considerations, we had to create a masterpiece of the exhibition "Geniuses and Masterpieces" ... In this situation, there was only one true opportunity - to take the beaten path of conceptualism, when the object of art can be any object, phenomenon, process, as conceptual art is pure artistic gesture.
After much deliberation it was decided that, of course, the best embodiment of the character Masterpiece - liquidity at Sotheby's or Christie's, would be a safe with a personally invested in him by the artist a million dollars (ask Mr. A. refrain from compiling).
This is safe with copyright million, depending on its shape and size, collector spectacular places on the wall, a beautiful cabinet or put on the floor. At any time, regardless of the level of popularity of the author, this work can be put up for auction with a guaranteed estimate. In this unique and protection against counterfeiting of banknotes provides a list of numbers. Also, if desired, the owner of the product may offer for sale certain bills, like material objects of pure ideas.
We had almost decided on this option, but any ideas of Denis. He drew attention to the fact that the value of Masterpieces checked the time - the money is subject to inflation. And then he, as not a pure conceptual, wanted to create a man-made symbol.

In general, Denis proposed the ideal solution - the author a gold bar weighing 12 kilograms. We decided that this masterpiece will look spectacular under the armored glass sarcophagus. And during the show in the Arena will be calculated daily guaranteed auction price Masterpiece on the basis of rate of gold, and reflect on its true artistic value.

To give the author's unique billet brutality, it was decided to order its production by casting. Dennis sat down to sketch the development of the model, and I was instructed to seek an interested collector for investment activities.

Searches were not as long as we had expected. Current investors in the art is primarily concerned about the growth of their investments and, as a devil fears holy water, afraid to appear in the eyes of the losers (so you hear and, as a rule, only profitable acquisitions). In our case, the preservation of art embedded in the guaranteed schedule of centuries-old rising cost of precious metal * (2). By the way, at that time twelve pounds of gold was worth slightly more than half a million U.S. dollars.

And then the fun began. Like a fox's tail out of the hole, we were pulling into the light of God, a figure collector.

Indeed, the history of Art is inextricably linked to collecting. All that we are in museums - great masterpieces of the past - all of it is collected and stored by collectors.
And then, after passing the historic stairs collectors - people with power and influence, we got to the first collectors in the history of Art - tribal leader. It was he who freed the artist from the responsibilities of hunting, and allowed to paint the walls of the cave.

To show the evolution of the first collectors of collectibles to the modern investor in art, it was decided to create a series of six portraits of collecting and crown this historic process is a perfect masterpiece (author's Gold Bar 12 kilo).
It remained to give the ship a name and let him sail.

Here, we have decided not to split hairs and call the work "a masterpiece, and The Collector. Ordinary Story "* (3). Participation has been issued and sent to the Organising Committee.

But it is still just beginning ...

George Mamin (curator)
info@cfart.net
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explanation:

A. * Manege (St. Petersburg) - the central art galleries of St. Petrburga with an area of ​​4500 sq. m exhibition. meters
Two. * Schedule changes in gold prices over the past 10 years, http://cfart.net/NS/af-164119.png
Three. * "A masterpiece, and The Collector. Ordinary Story "- the full version of the draft http://cfart.net/gish.php