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| Historic Highlights of the Season Marita Batņa, Culture Theorist | |
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Disarray and uncertainty belong to the past. Since the beginning of the year, harmony has been restored in the art market, but there is still movement. Sellers had to adjust their expectations to levels where buyers would consider spending their money. The market has been affected by changes in players' structure and trends. Risky contemporary art is no longer the main driver. As a direct consequence of the world's economic crisis, the Chinese and Russian art markets have been weakened - recently these were rising rapidly. The most attractive sectors are Modernism and Impressionism. The 3-5 February 2009 auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in London reached their turnover targets, however this was due to reduced price estimates. The most active, so far in 2009, have been collectors from developed countries, and many are eager to make the most of the reasonable prices. The Sale of the Century - the Auction of the Saint Laurent and Berge Collection There is a strong demand for quality art - the message, frequently repeated these days, was proved true by the sale of the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) and Pierre Berge (born 1930), organised by Christie's at the Grand Palais, Paris. A massive three-day (23-25 February) auction acquired the "sale of the century" title, raising 373.9 million euro which is to be used in the fight against AIDS. There was not even a hint of the lack of funds or interest: almost the entire set of 688 works was sold, and 77 lots went for over one million. The results can be explained to a large extent by the provenance of the collection, as well as Saint Laurent's name. The greater part of the collection was made up by the treasures of Modernism and Impressionism, Old Masters and 19th century art, as well as decorative art. The highest price - 35,9 million euro was achieved by Henri Matisse's Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose (1911), at almost double the estimate. In a long series of records, two outstanding works attracted tremendous interest. Eileen Gray's elegantly designed Dragon armchair (1917-1919) in Art Deco manner and made for the wealthy Suzanne Talbot in Paris, fetched 21.9 million euro, although the pre-sale estimate had been 3 million. A perfume bottle Belle Helene - Eau de Violette (1921) created by Marcel Duchamp with the assistance of Man Ray, and featuring Duchamp's female alter-ego, reached 8.9 million euro - well over the original estimate of 1.5 million euro. | |
 Kaspars Zariņš. The Lord's Supper. From the Wurth Collection. 2007 | |
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Works by Johann Walter-Kurau from private collections in Jelgava. Contemporary art works from Latvia acquired by the prestigious Würth Collection. Recent historical events are to be highlighted in Latvia as well. First, the "homecoming" of Johannes Walter-Kurau (Jānis Valters, 1869-1932) to his native Jelgava, with an anniversary exhibition at the Ģederts Eliass Jelgava History and Art Museum (7 February-16 April, 2009). Most of the exhibition consists of the artist's works done in Germany, and is from the collections of the organizers Sabatier Galerie & Kunsthandel KG and Torsten Sabatier, as well as the descendants of the artist. Together with Walter-Kurau expert Kristiāna Ābele the organizers are also offering a catalogue in three languages. The exhibition will later go on to Germany, to Berlin (17 September-29 November, 2009). The international significance of Walter-Kurau and other Latvian masters was promoted by their education in Russia and activities in Europe, however an exhibition such as this one emphasizes association with Latvia. The exhibition was noted in the lot information for the work Nude with dolls (1913), which sold at the Christie's Russian art sale on 26 November, 2008, for 45,600 pounds (that is, triple the estimate). The collecting tradition in Germany has also had an influential role in a significant event relating to Latvian contemporary art. One of the world's most distinguished art collections has been built up by a German industrialist, the billionaire Reinhold Würth. The majority of around 12 thousand pieces in his collection can be said to represent the "gold reserve" of 20th century European art. The collection is now being augmented with contemporary art. In recent years, the attention of Würth's advisors has been drawn to works by locally recognized Latvian artists. Lobbying was done by Anna Sausverde-Ellger, who, well-established in gallery circles in Germany and running her own Art Promotion02 gallery, has been organizing Latvian artists' shows in Western Europe since the 1980s. Late in 2008, negotiations were completed for the sale of five works by Kaspars Zariņš and two works by Ritums Ivanovs, all of which were acquired for the Würth Collection. All works are of large scale and made in 2007. A place in the Würth Collection, which features the greatest names of the world's contemporary art, is a cosiderable contribution towards heightening the image of Latvian art. Another important aspect is the prospect of exposure, considering there are 12 Würth museums and exhibition spaces in company facilities all across Europe; works are provided on loan as well. These recent events should not just be labelled as cultural links between Latvia and Western Europe, but rather viewed as a bridge to the international art scene. | |
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