How does it look in numbers this year compared with 2007 and 2006?
The year 2007 was very successful for Christie's: 6,3 billion dollars - is 25%more than in 2006 ($ 4.67 billion) .793 works were sold during 2007 for amounts in excess of one million dollars. This, of course, very different from how James Christie was selling things in the XVIII century. In the first half of 2008 sales were 3.5 billion dollars, and although the second half year figures are not yet ready, the essential difference is already apparent. But in the near future, however, we will be very interesting sale and we will evaluate how people adapt to changes in the market.
As Christie's solves the problem of the crisis?
We maintain a policy of cautious optimism about next year. It is about quality. In times of crisis is very important for Christie's and other auction houses to offer only the best, since the quality - is the only category to withstand the test of time. Unlike stocks, art - a thing flexible. You, of course, invest and multiply their money through a work of art, but you can also hang a work of art on the wall and get him aesthetic pleasure. Other forms of investment have different properties.
The crisis in the first place, it changes, and changes allow renegotiation. In our case, placement for the sale of collections by Yves Saint Laurent - a contribution to the revitalization and stabilization of the art market. Agreement for the sale of the collection was reached six months ago, and now it will be sold in the light of the revised reserves and estimate:. This is a great chance for those who have not lost all the money in a crisis and think about their investment security. This collection is heard everywhere, and things with a similar provenance have a guaranteed value in the future. Pay attention to what people say, which is discussed in the newspapers, which appear in the collections of the leading financial publications. Collection Yves Saint Laurent certainly heard everywhere. In addition, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge bought the best. This is of great importance for the auction house Christie's. Because for us, too, rests on the quality. We would like to see our collection reflects the most interest to us works of art that we grew up together with them on the basis of quality ...
DOSSIER:
Matthew Stevenson - Director of impressionism and modernism, the head of the department of evening sales of auction house Christie's; art historian, a graduate of King's College, London and Christie's Graduate Training Programme, the past ten years, is an expert on the art of the XIX and XX centuries. auction house Christie's.
Christina Krasnianskaya - art critic, art director of the international art galleries' Eritazh
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