Incorruptible Art

[Artem]

The newspaper "Kommersant", № 29 (4814), 17/02/2012


Incorruptible Art

In Madrid, ARCO is fair
 
Observers at the fair ARCO in the estimates converge - the crisis in the industry of modern art is, and it has to take into account
Photo: REUTERS /Andrea Comas /Reuters



Contemporary Art Fair

215 galleries from 29 countries gathered in the Spanish capital in order to work together, shoulder to shoulder to confront the financial crisis. This year's guest country was the Netherlands with 14 galleries of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, and most important art - design. From Madrid - Valentin Dyakonov.

ARCO was a guest last year's Russia, and then the invitation seemed pure politics: once in 2011 year, we have Spain, why not invite Cultural Trading partner at a major trade fair? But the gesture of the new director of ARCO Urrosa Carlos was right in the commercial sense. In the stands are relatively few, but have paid our five galleries: "Arch" from Vladivostok, the two St.-Petersburg - Marina Gallery Gisich and Anna Nova, and two in Moscow - Paperworks and "Triumph". It's funny that the co-director of "Triumph" Dmitry Hankin, walking through the ARCO-2011, spitting, and complained that the merchant is fine - neither Gagosian nor Jopling (London's White Cube). Apparently, his participation in 2012, Mr. Hankin has decided to show an example of top-end dealers in Europe and the USA. Especially since their number is steadily declining at the fair. At this time, symmetrical rows of dealers left the largest player in the past years, the Austrian Tadeusz Standing floe. The really expensive works assume that was not there. As always, the gallery-supermarket Marlborough brought the unfinished work of Francis Bacon for $ 15 million Willing to part with this amount of money for the sketch, even a life-size, was not found. Is there a trick to almost accurately determine the level of the fair of contemporary art, entitled "Index of Picasso." If Picasso stands on a lot and it is decent quality, then, fair working on collecting and sharks waiting for them to visit. At ARCO, besides not very impressive figures, there was only one painting, a very late (1968), in Milan Black Box for $ 3 million And it also did not take.

Be that as it may, the Russian galleries are not able to repeat last year's success. By the second day of the stocks AES + F and Vinogradov Dubosarsky in "Triumph" is not exhausted. On the walls were hung Paperworks Chtaka of Valeria, Julia Zastava and Yuri Albert. "Arch" is not got rid of the video installations and the main project participants of the 4th Biennial of Moscow Olga Kiseleva. St. Petersburg has not fared much better. We can assume that the status of the guest assumes greater interest and cordiality, but on how to earn the Dutch galleries, it is clear - there is a crisis, and it has to be taken into account. By the compilation of the issues is not all respondents told "Kommersant" gallerists from the Netherlands to the voice said that the choice of the guest curator of the program an honest and balanced. That's just bought a Dutch art sluggish and, most unpleasant, exclusively their own.

Local and American collectors were blind to the modest but profound work on the Dutch stands. It seems the entire country in unison decided to show their hand not sold. A stand was placed under the documentation of the gallery Art & Project, which existed from 1968 to 2001, and promotes a radical conceptualism and performance. On the stand did not sell. Gallery ZINGERpresents made a public benefit (only for Holland, true) initiative. On the stand hung with black painted copies of famous works of Dutch contemporary artists. Collectors asked to buy a portfolio of collages based on the exhibition for € 1430. Half of the proceeds will go to pay for training students of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, because of the crisis left without government support. The most interesting thing looked Stand Amsterdam Motive. It showed the duo Lonnie van installation Brummel and ARIS de Haan: a film projector shows we are gradually moving away from painting the Habsburg court painter Jan Cornelis Vermeyena dedicated to the conquest of Tunis by Charles V, the other - a tapestry based on painting. The viewer compares the details (tapestries made much primitive) and immersed in the history of imperialism, listening to the chirping of half-forgotten projectors. In general, the lack of color is more than compensated for the Dutch thoughtful, worthy of the glorious Mondrian. It is a pity that a foothold in the homes of the Spanish collectors failed.