The Affordable Art Fair – Spring 2010

The Affordable Art Fair returns to Battersea Park on 11-14 March 2010, where 120 galleries offer a stunning array of contemporary art from just £50 up to £3,000.

This spring, AAF features an exciting line-up of special events. The Contemporary Art Society will run a series of informative talks about collecting art, whilst the AAF Education Programme – under the theme of ‘Park Life’ – is hosting plenty of hands-on, family-friendly activities, all of which are fun, enlightening and, best of all, free.

Visiting & Tickets

Opening times

Wednesday 10 March   Private View  5.30-9.30pm

Thursday 11 March      11.00am – 5.30pm
Drinks Reception   5.30 – 9.30pm

Friday 12 March          11.00am – 6.00pm
Saturday 13 March      11.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 14 March        11.00am – 6.00pm

Admission

Book your tickets now to save money.
Advance ticket sales close on 8 March.

In advance     On the door

Charity Private View*           £25                  £25
Drinks Reception                    £20                  £20
Adult weekday                        £10                  £12
Adult weekend                        £12                  £15
Concessions weekday           £8                     £10
Concessions weekend            £10                  £13
Children under 16                   Free

*Buy tickets directly from the fair’s beneficiary. The Place2Be, in association with Quintessentially Foundation, is a school-based counselling service. Tickets are available from 020 7923 5521 and events@theplace2be.org.uk

Venue

Battersea Evolution
Battersea Park
London
SW11 4NJ

Map and directions

Giacometti record sale

When I first heard about that sculpture and how much it has fetched on auction at Sotheby’s London last Wednesday I thought it to be a joke at first. £65m… that is a 65 with six(!) zeros… Well, that should help the bank to get back on track and kiss the economic crisis goodbye.

Here are some excerpts from recent reports:

The stupendous price of £65m fetched by Giacometti’s “L’Homme qui marche 1” (1961) at Sotheby’s on Wednesday was seen by dealers leaving the sale as signalling a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of the art market. “The money was there, but nothing was available to buy, so the moment good things came back for sale they were going to perform incredibly well,” said Richard Nagy, who described the whole sale as evidence of “pent-up spending”. Financial Times

So big spenders are cutting back? Clearly not all of them. A sculpture of a grimly determined walking man by Alberto Giacometti tonight broke records by becoming the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction when it was bought for £65m. The price, achieved at Sotheby’s in London, was five times more than its estimate of £12m-18m, and beat the record set by Picasso’s Garçon à la Pipe in 2004. That sold in New York for $104,168,000. The Guardian

A life-sized bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, the Swiss artist, has became the most expensive piece of art to ever sell at auction after it sold for more than £65million. The Telegraph

Whatever happens to the broader economy, there will always be super-wealthy individuals who look at the art world either as a passionate collector or a shrewd investor or both. There are institutions, some with state backing, in the market for rare works to fill museums and galleries that have sprouted up, particularly in the Middle East. And while Russian buying may have slowed, China and India have made up for it. Reuters

L’Homme qui marche 1

L’Homme qui marche 1, 1961

Windsor Contemporary Art Fair 2009

Royal Windsor Racecourse
Friday 13th – Sunday 15th November

It’s the fifth year for the Windsor Art Fair and it has established itself as one of the most prestigious arts events in the Thames Valley attracting exhibitors and visitors from all over the country.

Visitors can expect to see an inspiring range of artwork from over 100 exhibitors including original paintings, photography, drawings, limited edition prints, sculpture and glasswork.

The fair showcases contemporary and fine art at its best from both well established names and new talent all under one roof with prices ranging from £30 – £3000. New and experienced collectors can view and purchase work in an informal yet stimulating atmosphere with music, art workshops, a café and wine tasting over the 2 days.

A catalogue is available giving details about the exhibitors enabling buyers to contact artists after the event to commission or buy further work. The catalogue also highlights the many mediums on display at the fair, explaining the techniques.

Art lovers have the opportunity to buy directly from the artists, understand their inspiration and establish possible long-term relationships.

Venue
Royal Windsor Racecourse
Maidenhead Road
Windsor SL4 5JJ

Opening Times
Friday 13th November 6pm – 9pm (Private view – tickets £10 or by invitation)
Saturday 14th November 10am – 5pm
Sunday 15th November 10am – 5pm

Ticket Prices
Tickets are available on the door.
£6 per person
£4 for concessions
Children under 12 free.
Art fair catalogue £1.

source: http://www.windsorcontemporaryartfair.co.uk

New Medieval and Renaissance Galleries

The V&A will be opening their new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries next month (November 2009) as part of their 5-years future plan.

The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Medieval and Renaissance collection is outstanding in its depth and range, and contains some of the greatest surviving treasures of the period 300-1600 and McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) is the architectural bureau which was appointed to design the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.

The new galleries will be the biggest part of the world-famous museum of Art and Design and will be located in the east wing over level 1 and 2.  You can see the floor plan here.

***

One of my favorite items from the Renaissance Collection is The Book of Trades (Das Ständebuch):

published in Augsburg in 1568

published in Frankfurt in 1568

The Book of Trades was published in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1568, with text by Hans Sachs (1494–1576) and illustrations by Jost Amman (1539–91). It features detailed woodcut illustrations of various professions, each accompanied by a short poem in rhyming couplets and provides a fascinating insight into the diverse trades and crafts practised in 16th-century Nuremberg.

Hans Sachs was born in Nuremburg in 1494. A cobbler by trade, he had also learnt the art of the ‘Meistersinger’ or ‘master singer’. This enabled him to compose poetry and music. When he died, in 1576, his works numbered more than 1700. They included comedies, topical poetry and short plays to celebrate religious festivals.

In the ‘Book of Trades’, Sachs emphasises the importance of hard work and modest living to achieve a pious existence and a harmonious society. His views reflected the Protestant doctrines of Martin Luther, whose beliefs had been rejected by the Catholic Church at Nuremberg in 1522.

Sachs’s descriptions are not an entirely faithful reflection of Nuremberg society. He makes derogatory and anti-Semitic references to the Jewish community, even though the town had expelled the Jews in 1499. His attitude to pilgrims reflects his Protestant sympathies.

source: V&A

Art Fair Autumn 2009

It’s the time of the year again: Art Fair time!

One of the forthcoming art fairs is the famous FRIEZE ART FAIR 2009 which will take place from the 15th to the 18th October. Tickets are available online or on the door.

Frieze Art Fair 2008

I must admit that I am a little curious although I still think it it more a show run than a serious trade fair. It would be nice to see some new trends etc. but I will be in Italy on that particular weekend and will give that fair a miss.

Instead I might go and see the Affordable Art Fair this year. It will take place the week after and run from the 22nd to the 25th of October.

Affordable Art Fair

See you there… :)

Money, money, money

The recession is certainly affecting all of us one way or the other but what to do to get a little bit of extra cash?

Well, most of us have probably seen TV programs such as ‘Cash in the attic’, ‘Antiques Roadshow’ etc. and wonder if they have something that might be worth a fortune, even if it is just a little fortune. And there are many ways to find out if we have little treasures at home without going national on TV.

When you think ‘auction house’ you probably think Sotheby’s and Christie’s straight away but there are many, many more.
Most of them have specialists on pretty much everything you can imagine: books, prints, drawings, paintings, gold, silver, jewelery, clocks, furniture, china etc. etc. etc. These auction houses usually offer a free quick valuation service which can give you at least an idea of what you have and if it is worth something. If you want a detailed valuation, however, you have to be prepared to pay a certain fee.

As an art historian I am quite down to earth with my little treasures and didn’t expect them to be worth a million but I was intrigued to find out what they might be worth. You can always check Artprice and artnet to find out what similar items were sold for in the past but if you want full access to these databases you will have to pay for subscription.

Hence – to get a second opinion – I went to the valuation day of my nearby local auction house Rosebery’s in South London last Saturday and took two of my originally signed engravings by Richard Müller and a golden bracelet with me. The engravings are dated 1912 and 1915 and the bracelet is, as I found out after a little research, late Victorian although in mint condition because it has been very well looked after.

Victorian bracelet

My research showed me that you can get late Victorian bracelets for around GBP 800-900 and that my engravings might be around the same price each. Well, I was very happy to find out that my research was more or less correct and that I could get even more for the prints. It’s nice to know that there are at least a few treasures in my home but I don’t intend to sell them just now.

What treasures have you got at home?

Tomorrows artists

Ever wondered how some came into possession of very famous and valuable artworks?
Well, you would either need a lot of money to buy a work of art at one of the big auction houses or you have a feel for trends and upcoming artists and buy something of a young artist that you like and/or think might be the next big name in the art world.
But how do you know? You don’t, you just have to take the risk but it might be worth it.

There are many young talented artists out there and if you go online you will find thousands of websites… or you go to 100artworks and browse their collection. Go and see for yourself because I guarantee you that there is something for everyone.

100artworks is one of the UK’s top up and coming urban art galleries styling modern, contemporary, abstract prints and canvas artworks by a wide range of guerilla artists. Buy and browse graffiti, urban and street art in our online gallery. All of our artworks are either one of one originals or signed, numbered and limited edition.

Dilemma

What is it about teenagers that makes adults wanna scream at them and shake them and strap them down to a chair until they’re grown out of their hormonal roller coaster? We’ve all been there ourselves and it is often difficult to remember what we felt like when we were 15 or 16 but most of us just roll their eyes at teenage behaviour or maybe feel the urge to tell them off.

Some teenagers, though, are so out of line that they become criminals and have to be fined if not even jailed. But where is the line between annoying but harmless pranks and criminal behaviour?

Who decides what is criminal and what not. Theft is theft, isn’t it?

What if the theft is meant as a prank and to demonstrate the absurdities of life… or ART!?

Well, the result is a very angry Damien Hirst who is now in a vicious feud with a teenage artist over a box of pencils. Yes, a box of pencils and an admittedly creative collage of Hirst’s For the Love of God diamond skull.

One of Cartrain's takes on Hirst's For the Love of God

If you haven’t read about it yet: 17-year-old graffiti artist Cartrain has used pictures of the diamond skull in  collages and offered them for sale online in 2008. Hirst reported him to the Design and Artists Copyright Society and a string of legal letters were sent to Cartrain’s art dealer.

In July this year Cartrain then went to the TATE into Hirst’s installation ‘Pharmacy’ and removed, as some sort of revenge, a “rare” pack of Faber Castell Mongol 482 pencils that were part of of the sculpture.  He then created a “wanted”-style poster that read:

“For the safe return of Damien Hirst’s pencils I would like my artworks back that DACS and Hirst took off me in November. It’s not a large demand… Hirst has until the end of this month to resolve this or on 31 July the pencils will be sharpened. He has been warned.”

Hirst took this as a serious threat and, together with the TATE, has pressed charges against Cartrain who was arrested by the Art and Antiques squad from New Scotland Yard and had to appear in court on Fri 11 September 2009.

Hirst's Pharmacy

Now, I really am in a bit of a dilemma here: reading about this story makes me laugh and growl at the same time. Teenagers can be annoying and a theft is a theft but on the other hand I don’t, and I repeat, I do not like Damien Hirst and this whole thing shows me once more that he is a humourless and greedy person. Every artist at any time had to put up with plagiarism but other than Hirst many artists in the past saw both sides of the medal… plagiarism can also be some sort of appreciation and admiration for the artist’s work and if anything at all is also propaganda.

In Hirst’s case, however, it isn’t even plagiarism but ‘further development’ and interpretation of his artwork. I can’t help but think

“Shouldn’t he be flattered or at least amused by the reactions his works are causing?”

“Wouldn’t it be cleverer to have moved forward after the collages appeared online and get in touch with the kid?”

“He could have used the occasion to get involved in supporting young artists and for once, just for once, could have made positive headlines in the news!!!!!”

But Hirst’s behaviour doesn’t appear to be better than that of a teenager.  An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth seems to be his motto. How pathetic!!! Hirst’s should have stood above it all but instead demonstrated once more that he is a grabby fraud who doesn’t care about art or the artist community.  Artists usually create art to provoke some sort of reaction but Hirst has now proven that he only creates art to make money. And it is clear that he can’t think ahead to realise that every sort of interpretation of his art by others is also publicity for his own art.

How dumb, how very very dumb of him!

images: Rex Features

Sackler Collections on sale

Following up on yesterday’s post, there is more on sale of the famous Sackler Collections.

Sotheby’s New York is holding six auctions over the next five months containing several hundred objects from the Sackler Collections. Altogether Sotheby’s is hoping for a $15 mio. turnover. See their press release here.

Fine Chinese Furniture, Works of Art & Carpets
16 September 2009

Lot. 10

Further dates:

Important English Furniture & Decorations
16 October 2009

Impressionist & Modern Art
4 & 5 November 2009

American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture
3 December 2009

Antiquities
10 December 2009

Important European Terracotta & Bronze Sculpture
26 January 2010

source & images: www.sothebys.com

Asian Art Week

It’s Asian Art Week in New York this week and Christie’s is holding dedicated sales on Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, South Asian Modern+Contemporary Art , Indian and Southeast Asian Art and Japanese and Korean Art.

One of the specials of these auctions is that the Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art sale includes pieces from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections.

Arthur M. Sackler (August 22, 1913, Brooklyn, New York – May 26, 1987, New York City) was an American psychiatrist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He attended New York University School of Medicine and graduated with an M.D.

Sackler was also a scholar of the arts. He endowed galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Princeton University, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University in Beijing, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C., and the Jillian & Arthur M. Sackler Wing at the Royal Academy, London.

Favorite auction lots of any of the above sales:

A Miniature Lacquer Writing Box (Suzuribako), Edo period (19th century)

Kano Tsunenobu (1636-1713), Dragon ascending clouds

sources & images: www.christies.com