In June, an influential resource artprice.com described some authors the most expensive sculpture. The most famous work is now done with the help of an entire factory assistants. Some artists even have developed a flow production of copies of their master

One of the major trends of today's art market - the popularity of sculpture and installation. Rich buyers are prepared to put millions of dollars for works of Jeff Koons (Jeff Koons), Demiena Hurst (Damien Hirst) and Takashi Murakami (Takashi Murakami). Sculptures of these relatively young (all born after 1945) the artists sold at auction for seven, sometimes eight sum. In 2007, over a million dollars and has sold more than 14 sculptures, and the first five months of 2008 th - already 18!

works, which are now sold in such huge amounts represent a new, emerged only in the second half of XX century, the type of sculpture. In the time of classic artists, as well as the great modernists, such as Konstantin Brankusi (Constantin Brancusi), Aristide Mayol (Aristide Maillol), and Alberto Giacometti (Alberto Giacometti), «to create sculptures» vytesyvat mean, cut, sanded and urezyvat, ie remove mass of material in order to obtain the image. Today's well-known artists to invent the concept for its products, and all the «black work» to create them have multiple assistants. Part of the work created with the help of invited experts, including engineers, because the new art requires complex technical calculations. Sculptors working even large, and giant forms, such as Anish Kapoor (Anish Kapoor), and Richard Serra (Richard Serra), seeking to go beyond the boundaries of the possible, experimenting with materials, technology and size of works.

Another very important characteristic of modern sculpture (and modern art in general) - the desire to produce masterpieces in large quantities. This strategy is called a people-friendly. Someone may go to auction and buy a fashion artist for a sculpture or two million dollars, and somebody comes in and buys a reduced copy of the same work in just a couple of hundred. The difference only that the «million» product will be one of five copies, and its cheap «clone» is one of the two or three thousand replicas.

For fans of Koons, Hirst and Murakami now expanse present: in order to boast the famous sculptor of the original, you can buy one of the many signed replicas of his works. Although replicas also have to hunt: they razletayutsya like hot cakes and of course, growing up in price. In 2002, the author's copy of the famous «Inflatable Dog» Jeff Koons, made of metal porcelain in the number of 2 300 copies were sold at a price of 1 200 to 1 800 euro. Now, if you want to buy a dog, will have to lay out three to five thousand euro. So much went and «Puppies», 45-cm porcelain vazochki produced in quantities of 3 000 copies. Yes, prices for works of Jeff Koons does not stand on the spot, because he is the author of the most expensive sculpture in the world. June 30, his «Flower of balloons» was sold at Christie's for 25.6 million . Prior to this, the most expensive of his work was considered trehmetrovoe «Suspended heart», sold at Sotheby's November for 23,6 million dollars. And it «heart» (weighing nearly two tons) were put up for auction shortly after its purchase the previous owner, Adam Lindemann. This is also a trend: the work of fashionable painters are up for auction soon «the plant», bypassing galleries and exhibitions. With regard to Jeff Koons, it was not always engaged in manufacturing inflatable dogs and hearts of chrome-plated steel: in the 1980's, he started as a creator of installations from vacuum cleaners, basketball goals and other «decorative» objects. Marcel Duchamp (Marcel Duchamp) is also in the 1920's exhibited urinal, bicycle wheel and other ready mades, but did not seek this cause in the viewer a sense of aesthetic pleasure. Instead, Koons, as a continuing cause of artists pop art, said that the most ordinary, everyday objects can be beautiful, and his works is trying to convey that message to «mass spectator». And his views, as we can see, the artist brings good dividends! 7 May 1992 at Sotheby's in New York installation Koons «Two ball 50/50 tank» left over 65 thousand dollars. This installation, which is two basketball balls, half-submerged in the aquarium, was created with the help of the holder of the Nobel Prize in Physics Richard Feynman. In 2000, this original work was sold at New York's Phillips has over 220 thousand dollars, and in 2005 at Christie's a larger version of the installation (with three balls) went for 420 thousand.

The most famous representative vskolyhnuvshego in the 1990's the entire world movement of Young British Artists ( «Young British Artists») Damien Hurst is working on a similar scheme. Now he is in second place in the list of sponsors of the most expensive works of living artists. In June 2007, Hirst installation «Lullaby Spring» sold more than 17 million dollars. They say that it is also the author of the most expensive works of contemporary art: the famous platinum skull, decorated with diamonds, like has been sold in the White Cube Gallery in London for $ 100 million (although the rumor, most likely, the buyer called himself Hurst). 2007 brought the British artist's incredible success: last year's prices for his work skaknuli up by as much as 270 percent! Prior to this, the value of works of Hirst grew, but not so fast. While outstanding results, too, were: in 1992, for example, the installation of «God» was sold over 4 thousand pounds, and six years later, this work has already 170 thousand. As with Koons, high prices of the most famous works not mean that the works of the artist does «not afford» mere mortals. In October 2004, was the sale of all assets restaurant Hirst Pharmacy. Now the various objects of this institution, created by Hurst, you can buy, such as the Internet. In March 2007, a set of wine bottles, cards, menus and restaurant was sold for 420 euros. Soon Hurst again «explode» art market: 15 and 16 September will be auction Sotheby's, totally dedicated to his work .

Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami art occupies the third line in the list of sponsors of the most expensive works of living artists. In May, his cheerful «My lone cowboy» was sold at New York's Sotheby's for 13.5 million dollars at estimeyte 3-4 million. In his works Murakami cruelly ridiculed love Japanese youth to the whole kawaii - pretty, nice, teddy. But ridicule in the very popular artovskoy manner: indeed many of his works except kawaii not call. Murakami fans can buy Plush or plastic replicas of his works are less than 100 euros. In May, the Florentine auction Pandolfini Casa d'Aste his set of 10 vinyl figurines were sold for 350 euros. Those who prefer sculpture drawings can buy prints Murakami, but you need to be careful, otherwise you can get vprosak .

The article mentioned a few artists whose works are sold for more than a million dollars, in particular the famous provocateur from Italy Maurizio Kattelan (Maurizio Cattelan). In November 2004, his sculpture «The Ninth Hour» was sold for 2.7 million dollars at Phillips in New York. The work, depicting pridavlennogo meteorite Pope, at that time shocked visitors to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Venice Biennale.

Another sculptor, whose works exceed the level of one million dollars - an American, Robert Gaubert (Robert Gober). 15 May, his nameless sculpture was sold (also on New York's Phillips) for 3.2 million dollars. This is whether the sculpture, or installation of the wall depicts a protruding hairy leg in gray socks and brown shoes.

already mentioned in the beginning of this article Briton of Indian origin Anish Kapoor is also in the list of sponsors of the most expensive sculpture. Its 1.5 meter plaster sculpture, more recently, July 1, was sold at Sotheby's in London for 3.4 million dollars. On account Kapoor most ambitious sculptural project in the world: in the cities Middlsbro, Stockton, Redkar, Hartlepool and Darlington put his works, each of which - the size of a football field.

If you compare the price of the sculpture, it turns out that Kapoor, Gaubert and Kattelan strongly behind «first troika». Perhaps this is due to the fact that each of them provides no more than 10 works up for auction each year. And the alternative, a «for the masses», the market (unlike Koons, Hirst and Murakami), they did not create. Indeed, pretty plush urodtsev or inflatable dog at home would have many, but, for example, miniature copies of Hitler and the Roman Kattelana and dads hairy anthropomorphic figures Gaubert otvazhatsya put his mantelpiece just some originals.

Sources: www.artprice.com , artinvestment.ru