Review of the autumn auction

[SergeiSK]

or a half billion dollars for your pictures
The biggest auction houses are beginning a series of autumn auctions: Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips de Pury exhibited at the November auction of art, worth about 1.5 billion dollars. The main emphasis is, as usual, the modernists, Impressionist and modern art. Alone are works by Andy Warhol at auction represented 19, but according to experts on the market, for everyone this may not be enough.
The abundance and diversity of positions in the catalogs of two major players in the market - Sotheby's and Christie's - suggests that for the first time since the business ceased to be afraid of the phrase "financial crisis", the proposal is satisfied that there is demand. Art dealers and gallery owners in one voice asserting that new buyers in the market has become very much and they are not ready to be carefully selected for their work is not an existing collection. Do buyers have money and they want to spend it.
In 2010, a record value of works of art was broken twice. In February, "Walking Man by Alberto Giacometti was sold for 104.3 million dollars, and in May of this result blocked the painting" Nude, green leaves and a bust of Picasso, sold for 106.5 million. Due to such a successful combination of events by those who held their paintings to the best times, finally got an opportunity to sell them. Auction houses took advantage of this opportunity.
Autumn auctions start at Sotheby's auction on November 2. Main lot of the auction, of course, is "Seated Nude on a couch" by Amedeo Modigliani, the estimated value on it is not stated, but the cost of this work is not less than $ 40 million. Sotheby's also offers a "pond with water lilies" Monet, estimated at 20-30 million, and "Dancer in the chair on the floor chess" by Henri Matisse (10-18 million dollars). Also put up for auction a rare sculpture by Matisse - a tribute to the popularity of this form in recent years - "Two Negro women."
Another sculpture of Matisse's "Nude female figure from behind IV" definitely stands out and the auction house Christie's, which offers a modernist and impressionist on the following day, November 3. This is an extremely rare work of art-deco style, the fourth in the series, which is considered the top art of Matisse as a sculptor. "Nude" has not put up for auction, but it is estimated relatively modest - in the 25-35 million dollars.
Among the top lots of the auction and the statue of the former record holder Giacometti - Venetian V ", estimated at 8-12 million dollars. In 2008, another "Venetian" Swiss sculptor, bought for 14 million - and reportedly gave his wife - a Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. Christie's also offers outstanding picture occasional helper major auctions Juan Gris. His work "Violin and Guitar" is estimated at 18-25 million dollars.

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In addition, both auction houses could not have done without the work of Picasso. Sotheby's auctioned the painting "Man and woman with bouquet" (8.6 million dollars), and Christie's - "Motherhood" (10.7 million) and "Head of a Man" (7.5 million). In the range of value between one and five million dollars represented almost all the major artists of the late XIX - early XX centuries: Munch, van Gogh, Klimt, Degas, Leger, Pissarro, Klee and others.
Most amazing of all, the fact that contemporary art is represented at the auction even larger than the modernists and the impressionists. However, this is the one true explanation: in recent years, contemporary art is far more profitable than any other. This season is dominated by Andy Warhol, with almost two dozen works.
Flagship auction Christie's - "Big Bank Campbell's soup with a can opener, estimated at 30-50 million dollars. This early work, written in 1962, and the first picture of Warhol, got on a museum exhibition. The added value it attaches to the fact that the great works of Warhol Soup Campbell's (the size of the picture at 182.9 132.1 centimeters), there are only about a dozen. Sotheby's also proposed to establish in 1962, Coca-Cola, estimated at 20-25 million dollars.
Quite unexpectedly in this tandem joined Phillips de Pury, who put up for auction one more picture of Warhol's 1962 - "Men in her life." Estimated cost of the lot is not announced, but experts believe that it is cheaper $ 40 million this picture is not worth it. Total Phillips de Pury hopes to help out at contemporary art auctions of $ 80 million.
And Christie's, Sotheby's and have something to boast of and in addition to Warhol. For example, Christie's put up for auction now, "Oh ... Well," Roy Lichtenstein, whose assessment is also not listed in the directory and, therefore, quite high. If this picture is find a buyer, the price of Liechtenstein, is likely to update the record, which amounts to 16.3 million dollars. Also put up for auction one of a series of sculptures by Jeff Koons, "Bell", estimated at 12-16 million, and two works by Mark Rothko, the evaluation of more than $ 10 million.
It is noteworthy that both auction houses have paid attention in recent years obtaining the incredible popularity of the German giperrealistu Gerhard Richter. Sotheby's puts it, "Abstraction" (5,5-7,5 million) and "Sailor" (8.6 million), and Christie's - painting "Two Candles" (12-16 million). Richter entered the top ten most expensive of living artists in 2008, when his "Candle" was sold for more than 13 million dollars in the evaluation of all three and a half million.
Liechtenstein, estimated at 12-18 million dollars, and the work of Mark Rothko's "Untitled" (20-30 million dollars). Represented in the catalogs of both houses and other traditional auction of contemporary art names: Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Francis Bacon, Jasper Johns, Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
At any one time, even if it falls on the financial crisis put up for sale some pictures with multi-million appraised value can be justified. Even if some of these paintings. However, the abundance of which offer the auction houses this fall, and the corresponding range of prices only seem natural from a business standpoint, but not in terms of art.
Find out the reason why the auction houses, examining the current demand, set prices for these are the pictures (and the total cost of half a billion - is still very much) is almost impossible. In the auction catalog does not write about it, and canvas and paint in the currency is not convertible. In fact, the reason may be the only one: if Warhol now can sell for $ 50 million, why not do it. Because the number of new customers is growing and the number of patterns is limited, so the best of them can be sold very expensive.
Art dealers are very concerned about the dynamics of market prices. And not in vain, because, according to head of Christie's in North and South America, Mark Porter, a dozen very wealthy buyers can radically change the situation. " Director of Acquavella Galleries in New York, Michael Findlay did not see in upcoming auctions surprising: "There is no recession, or some sharp growth - business as usual" .
Alex Kadaner