Investment idea: invest in the work of German expressionists

ARTinvestment.RU – 16.10.2008,10:25

MARK FRENCH grazing horses III
Source: artquid.com


Lionel FAYNINGER Jesuits III
Source: artnet.com


ALEXEY YAVLENSKY
Shokko in wide-brimmed hat
Source: artinvestment.ru


Ernst Ludwig Kirchner,
Street. Berlin
Source: artnet.com


Emil Nolde
A girl with light red hair
Source: artnet.com

In recent years, the most emotional paintings at auctions avant-garde enjoyed tremendous success. Expressionist, as at that time the French Impressionists, became favorites of collectors. Works by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde, Franz Marc, Alexei Yavlenskogo then set the price and the case records. Art + Auction magazine recalls the history: In February, the picture of Franz Marc (Franz Marc) «grazing horses III» was sold at Sotheby's for a record 12.3 million pounds (24.3 million dollars) in one and a half times higher estimeyta in November 2006 masterpiece Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner) «On the street. Berlin »brought to the auction Christie's 38,1 million dollars, in May next year« Jesuits III »Lionel Fayningera (Lyonel Feininger) went to Sotheby's for 23.3 million dollars and a real masterpiece,« Waterfall »Make a brush same Sotheby's in November, sold for 20.2 million dollars.

The works of these artists, as well as by Vasily Kandinsky , Max Bekmanna (Max Beckmann), Gabriel Myunter (Gabriele Münter), Emil Nolde (Emil Nolde) now enjoy extremely high demand from collectors and investors. According to the artprice.com , 100 Euro, it is invested in 1998 in the work of Franz Marc, by September 2008 would become the 275 euro in the work Yavlenskogo - from 222 euros in the works Fayningera - at 192 euros, in product Kirchner - at 168 euros, the work of Nolde - at 181 euros.
«symbol» big success expressionists works at auctions became, of course, the legendary sale of «street scenes» Kirchner. This picture was one of the main exhibits in Berlin Museum Group «bridge», but returned to the heirs of the rightful owners as a result of restitution. In Christie's auction catalog product Kirchner focused on the entire 12 pages. «On the street. Berlin », even compared with« Avinonskimi girl »Pablo Picasso (Pablo Picasso), written several years earlier (interestingly, now that both the work on display in the neighborhood in the New York museum of modern art - just on different floors). «Street Scene» estimated at 15-18 million dollars and left for 34 million (38.1 million, taking into account the commission the auction house). In 2006, all the work Kirchner, sold at auction, had 42.29 million euro. In 2007 and 2008, its price index shows steady growth.

Artworks Comrade Kirchner on a group of «bridge», Emil Hansen Nolde, too, have the broker's success. Already in 2002, Nolde was one of the most successful (in sales) German artists: the public auction of his works were sold, totaling 4.6 million euros. And in 2006 the work of Nolde had at least 20 million! Some of his belongings were sold for amounts in excess of one million dollars (at the auctions in Germany, Switzerland and the UK). 20 June 2006 was a personal record Nolde: his «The girl with light red hair» 1919, went to London's Christie's for 1.85 million pounds sterling (2,7 million euros). A strange person girl charuyuschee and disturbing at the same time, serves to illustrate one of the main themes of his work - the theme of duality masks. At the same auction (auction Christie's, on the German and Austrian art) has been achieved yet another impressive result: seascape entitled «Sunset», written by Nolde in 1909, brought 1.7 million pounds (nearly 2.5 million Euro).

London auction, which took place in February and June 2008, were successful not only for sellers of Kirchner and Nolde, but also for the owners of the paintings of other participants «Bridge» - Max Pehshteyna, Karl Schmidt-Rottluffa (Karl Schmidt Rottluff), Otto Muller (Otto Müller) and Hekkelya Erich (Erich Heckel). For example, at the June Sotheby's Work «Camels at the circus arena» Pehshteyna exceeded estimeyt three times and went for 1.7 million pounds (3.35 million dollars).

Experts called several reasons for this success.

According to Helena Newman (Helena Newman), division vice-chairman of impressionist and modernist Sotheby's and a specialist in German and Austrian Expressionism, fifteen years ago, the paintings and graphics of representatives of this trend were bought for private collections in Germany. Now the serious collectors of all nationalities seek by all means have become in their collections at least one work of German expressionists. Expressionist steel ornament status in the same assembly, which previously were impressionist.

Raising the status of expressionism in the art market is partly attributed to the decrease in the number of high-impressionisticheskih works. Vivid colors, sverhemotsionalnye scenes and attention to the spiritual life of man, typical of the artists «Bridge» and «Blue rider», attracting collectors of all ages. Humanistic message of creative expressionists painting distinguishes them from the «cold» postmodernism, from whom and gatherers, and the public have already podustat.

In that expressionism came into vogue just now, blamed the mixed attitude towards the artists of this field.

One of the distinguishing features of the group «Blue Rider» a cosmopolitan and a desire for the exchange of ideas between artists from different countries. «Core» group of Russian artists were exactly - Vasily Kandinsky , Yavlensky , Verevkin Marianne . Instead, artists «Most» (Kirchner, Pehshteyn, Nolde and others) raised to shield his «German». At the beginning of XX century in the history of art the concept «national identity», a letter explaining the manner of artists inherent «racial characteristics». According to this concept-expressionist painters (as opposed to academic art, the following Renaissance models) advertisements are true carriers of the German spirit. Chaotic organic form, dark and angularity of painting allowed theorists talk about the commonality of expressionism in German Gothic art, and even the ornaments of ancient Germanic tribe Ostrogoth. Nationalist views differed not only «Bridge», but also other artists of that time. Many expressionist (as well as the Italian futurists) supported the First World War. Franz Marc and August Macke (August Macke) volunteers went to the front and died. After the war, during the Weimar Republic German artists-modernists have been «a horse» and enjoyed the support of the State: Their paintings were bought by museums in large numbers, many of course become professors of prestigious educational institutions. Designer «Bridge» Karl Schmidt-Rottluff even got an important government order - create a new «eagle» for the republic.

But with the coming to power of the Nazis, everything changed. Pictures expressionists, as a symbol of Hitler hated the Weimar Republic, had been declared «degenerative» art. Many «racially unreliable» artists (Kandinsky, in particular) had to leave the country. Hitler prefers naturalism in art, did not accept the idea of expressionism as an art, carol «German spirit». Despite this, after the Second World War, the popularity of art expressionism in Europe was very low, largely because of the prevailing societal attitudes antigermanskih; expressionist still could not forgive nationalist views, which many of them bravirovali the beginning of the century. But in the newly established Federal Republic of Germany expressionists painting unjustly humiliated Hitler, once again gained support from the state. It was during this period were established museums participants «Bridge», and their images adorned the interiors of government buildings. In eastern Germany, of course, related to the expressionists were totally different: they considered their art as a symbol of bourgeois decadence, which, however, admired the young dissidents. After the fall of the Berlin Wall came the opportunity to finally clarify its attitude to art expressionists - and created a market.

The first auction devoted to German and Austrian modernism, took place at Christie's 15 years ago. A little later it took up the art of Sotheby's. Then at the auctions appear to forty works, attracting schitanoe number of collectors, who realized that the paintings of German expressionists greatly underestimated. But every year the market is increasing, and now the demand for the work of expressionists high as ever. But the peak of this demand, according to experts, is still ahead.

today «expressionistic boom» is our duty to not only decrease the number of first-impressionistic works in the market, but also large-scale exhibitions and projects of museums and galleries. In 2003, one of the major events in the world of art has become a huge retrospective of Max Bekmanna at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Two years earlier, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis said the exhibition «Franz Marc and the Blue Rider" ». Popular and Austrian expressionist, including Egon Schiele. For the modernist paintings of Austrians and Germans are new institutions - for example, the New York Neue Galerie, opened in 2001, Michael Werner Gallery. In June, opened after a large-scale reconstruction of the museum Franz Marc in the Bavarian town of Kohel-am-Zee, where you can see the painting of the «expressionist-record», as well as works of Kandinsky , Klee, Myunter and others. And on 25 September at the Paris Grand Palais opened first Emil Nolde Retrospective .

Yes, the art of expressionism has long been a not very popular among collectors, but museums have long pribrali to hand most of the major works. First pictures of the same brand, and Kirchner, Heinrich Kampendonka (Heinrich Campendonck) and other artists appearing at the auctions are very rare. Most works of German expressionists sold in auctions, and in this schedule. Does this mean that buy expressionist work of the museum will soon be as difficult as painting of the Impressionists? Live - see. At least, if such works in the foreseeable future, will they make a sensation. According to Robert Landau (Landau Fine Art, Montreal), when suddenly the market appears triptych Max Bekmanna, he would take no less than 40 million dollars. A good «Kirchner» (especially the famous «outdoor stage»), according to experts, can yield 50 or even 60 million.

Nevertheless, there is «expressionist» in the spirit of the representatives of this course is not very popular with buyers. Every year, dozens of works remained unsold. For example, in June of this year's London Christie's offered a landscape by Otto Dix (Otto Dix) for 50 thousand pounds. Dix is known primarily for paintings that resemble nightmares, with a lot of ugly, grotesque characters. Therefore, its landscape, not respective brand «Otto Dix», no one wanted to buy. While the work «with ugly creatures» diverge in bid to cheer: for auction Villa Grisebach, held in May, one of the pieces went for 180 thousand euros at estimeyte 50-70 thousand.

Finding German modernists beginning of the century is seen close to many famous works of Russian artists of the same period. The love for bright colors, the interest in primitive desire to portray the spiritual world of relatives expressionism artists such authors as Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova , as well as Marc Chagall and Haim Soutine ... Russian collectors have already made several major purchases. In particular, record the purchase in February Yavlenskogo ( «Shokko in wide-brimmed hat») according to the foreign press has committed our compatriot.

Julia Maksimova

Sources: artandauction.com , signandsight.com , economist.com , artprice.com , artinvestment.ru