Maastricht Art Fair

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been fortunate enough to spend some time in Europe for the Maastricht Art Fair. Many of the clients that I represent prefer contemporary art, but every so often I'll come across someone who is really interested in finding some quality old master pieces. I'm actually finding that many people are turning to old masters in this recession because they are thought to hold their value better than other styles of art. It is a tried and true painting style that never had that major spike in prices - and thus never had the dip. 

This fair is a force to be reckoned with - and while it has seen a bit of a decline in interest in recent years - dealers are still bringing high quality works of art to market. I'll give a bit more of an update once I have a chance to sit down and breathe a bit. 

Armory Show

Just a quick reminder to all you art-minded folks that you ought to get out to see the Armory Show in NYC this weekend. It should be a great art fair with some really wonderful pieces. I always look forward to this show. 

The first step to learning about collecting is learning about the art - especially the types of art that you like or would like to start collecting. 

Have fun!

Here is the information for anyone who'd like to see it:

Website

Dates and Times:

Piers 92 & 94

Twelfth Avenue at 55th Street
New York City

The Armory Show 2009 Opening Day takes place Wednesday, March 4th for invited guests.

Opening Hours:
Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 7 Noon to 8 pm
Sunday, March 8 Noon to 7 pm

Tickets: 

Advance discount tickets are available online: PURCHASE TICKETS

Admission tickets are available at the door during show hours.

Ticket prices

General Admission US$30
Students US$10
Groups (10+) US$15
Run of Show Pass (4 day) US$60
The Armory Show/VOLTA Dual Pass US$40

YSL Auction

Now that I've given you all a little bit of an overview of the art world - don't worry I'll keep writing and keeping you informed - I wanted to note that one of the biggest sales of my lifetime has just happened in Paris. Christie's held a three day, six auction sale for the estate of the late Yves Saint Laurent. All the proceeds are going to his partner's foundation for research into AIDS. Well, the sale went phenomenally well selling over 96% of all items for $477 million. Yes, you read the right - almost half a billion dollars for an art, decorative art, and furniture sale. Incredible right.

So while all the world is worried about finance there are people who have the money to spend $28 million on a "Dragons" chair. The sale may well save Christie's this year (no such luck for Sotheby's yet) and will hopefully show the world that we're not in a permanent downward spiral.

Navigating Auctions

Auctions are one of the more scary elements of the art world. They are big, they are public, there is a lot of money changing hands and there is a whole world of auction language and procedures. I want to give you a couple of tips of the trade to help you navigate this world. And once you get in there and start your bidding, you'll find out that there is really nothing to be afraid of. In some ways auctions are the least scary of any of the art world entities - at least they are transparent. 

Bidding: remember to register for a paddle number if you're interested in making a bid.

Phone Bidders: many of the big-time bidders in the art world don't actually make it into the auction room. They may use phone bidding to make a buy or may ask an art consultant, like me, to purchase the piece for them. 

Chandelier Bidding: This is a somewhat controversial procedure in which the auctioneer takes fake bids in order to rev up energy in the room. It's not illegal because he never goes above the point where a piece could actually sell -- all this fake bidding is done before a piece meets a reserve. 

Catalog: get a catalog well before you're ready to attend the auction so you can look over the estimate prices (how much the auction house thinks things will sell for). This also gives you an idea of the reserve price - the reserve MUST be below the low estimate and is usually 70-90% of the low estimate. 

Now remember don't be intimidated. While auctions used to be primarily trade (gallerists, dealers, etc.) many more public figures are attending. But you can see one of these "Trade" auctions by attending a rug, jewelry or wine sale. Have fun!

Lower East Side Galleries

Since the New Museum moved into the Lower East Side of NYC not long ago, several (well...maybe 45) galleries have shifted operations and moved their locations into the area. It is making the LES into a bit of a hotbed of artistic creation and innovation in the gallery scene. I had the pleasure of attending an opening at one of these new, hot galleries recently. 

The show, called This Has Been, is about the intersection between creation and technology, old and new, start and stop, analog and digital etc. It was a show that was well-curated with some really great artists who I was unfamiliar with. Michel de Broin is a well known Quebecois artist who creates giant fluid sculptures out of common objects - his piece in the show was a fireplace made to look like a television set. It was so clever while still being very beautiful and sleek. I very much enjoyed it and if I were making more money than I am right now I would have bought it up in a second. There was also an artist called Anne Deleporte - she created a giant wall mural out of newspaper which she then selectively painted over to leave only clever sayings or pictures. I really enjoyed the show a lot and would recommend that anyone out there with some free time hanging around the LES (as many of you are want to do) should stop by. 

The gallery is called On Stellar Rays and is located at 133 Orchard St. 

Navigating the Art Fairs

If you're from a big metropolitan art city like New York, navigating the art world if your city is half the battle. So if you can master the galleries (or at least get a good feeling about getting around them) you're nearly there. But if you 1) are not from London, Milan, NYC, Beijing, etc. or 2) have exhausted your interests with your local art you need to expand your agenda and take to the art fairs.

Art fairs are an amazing way to see international galleries of all sort with really great quality art. If you live in the US, Miami Art Basel is the place to go. Not only will you get a whole slew of art from the best galleries in the world all in a single convention center in Miami (what more could you ask for) but there are a plethora of satellite fairs in and around Miami. If you live in Western Europe you might find yourself visiting the Frieze Art Fair. If you live in China or Eastern Asia you might find yourself visiting the Shanghai Art Fair. Maybe I should profile the different art fairs because they are all different and interesting in their own way. 

Navigating the Galleries

One of the prime roles of an art consultant (whether dealing with commercial/corporate clients or private clients) is being able to navigate the art scene in a given city. I've spent way more time than I'd care to admit traversing the streets of New York City's gallery districts - Chelsea, 57th St., SoHo, Williamsburg, The Lower East Side, etc. Where there is a gallery, you'll more than likely find me there. 

All this wandering and looking and studying has made me something of an expert in the gallery field. I know quite a few of the gallerists personally, I take a strong interest in knowing what shows are up now, which are worth seeing, which are especially well or poorly done. It's all part of the job.

One of the first things I do upon meeting a potential client is to try and get a feel for their personal likes and style. We might go through MOMA and wander through picking through an "ideal" collection. Do they like modernist, dark colors, pastels, uplifting depictions, photography. Once I get a basic feeling for this, I can then narrow down which galleries the client would most enjoy. It's then that we get serious about our work. It's up to me to put together a sort of travel itinerary of galleries and finally get the client out there to see some art that's for sale.