Question of the week: is it Worth it to promote the artist directly and only through auctions?
ARTinvestment.RU   12 марта 2018

This idea is visited by many novice promoters, especially from other businesses that are not connected with art. Why do the fools spend money on the show, if you can take a shortcut and immediately exhibit? Right to negotiate — and the hat!

For Auction AI (and others probably too) it is an ordinary situation. These interviews and correspondence occur several times a day.

Us: Hello. I want to offer up for auction a painting of this-то (Not necessarily modern, but most of the time. — V. B.). What are the conditions?

We Are: Hello. See that the author has no history of auction sales. What he is known for? Where there were exhibitions and publications?

our response: Where-то of the exhibition was, maybe, don't remember. But it doesn't matter. Put on auction for 200 000 —'ll sell, I guarantee.

Here for full credibility, of course, lacking only the phrases like "don't be a fool" and "you are like a little", but we'll ignore those, because then our answer is known. He is also already a model.

We replied: Clear. Alas, with the sale can not help.

Why? Such suggestions do people have "no clue". Neophytes do think that all on the art market just. That could go from the street to put up for auction the little-known artist, to begin to do "maintenance" rate. Continue to buy initially at the same, raise prices and then live happily ever after, when this scheme will start to feed off the real buyers.

Brilliant, isn't it? And as soon as before this no one thought? Probably around fools.

Have to explain this brilliant plan a lot of mistakes.

in short, you need to understand that auction — is the final stage in the history of promotion. Jump other will fail — no exhibitions or catalogs, nor a monograph, nor a long life full of interesting events, coincidences and drama. Young people today, it seems what-то archaic career stages, unnecessary routine, which will take the best years. But until everything is just the way it works. @Ndashстаринке. Just who the-то recognition comes faster (as Jean-Мишелю Basquiat), who-то slowly (like Gerhard Richter). But still "the background" originally written gallery and Museum projects, actions, contexts, monographs. And then rely on him auction.

And yet: what happens if the auction agrees to accept the auction of the artist's work without a known name? the Reason may be different, but let's say that the work simply attracted to acceptors of the auction. You really do, and we also sometimes practice it. But I digress. Usually after that options — three.

Option # 1. The first exhibited work is of interest to several buyers who are ready to spend relatively little money for fun. We must understand that in Russia now amounts to 30 000 — is a range of "emotional" purchases, where the presence of a known name is not decisive. But "emotional shopping" — is in General final story, short. First time buy, will buy again and again, and then pause or stupor. How much and for how much expose — will receive a "not sold".

Why? Everyone who liked just like that, — have already bought. And new people need to be interested in what-то more thorough — for example, to calculate the possibility of growth rates or some other (e.g., collecting) benefits from the acquisition. Andnothing. And then @all mdas. Regular sales, quantity and desired price increases, say, from 30 000 to 60 000 rubles thus cannot be achieved, it.

Option # 2. "Promoter" starts regularly purchase at auction, to gradually increase the price and create the auction history. The process is long, expensive (used ones are worth). And with a completely unwarranted result. The audience might initially interested, but then starts to "dig" information and see that the artist is no exhibitions or publications — nothing. Only the suspicious "driving forces".

Option No. 3. "Promoter" is ambition and impatience and begins to redeem its author, greatly lifting the price. Does not know the steps, the verge feels. For example, what objectively should cost 30 000 rubles, begins to redeem 200 000. This is a bad option. Both look like clowns and "promoter," and he auction house, drawn in a clumsy manipulation. Besides the financial result is likely to be strictly opposite to the expected. Those who loved and bought the artist will not be able to buy it at the new hiked prices. And the price of these will crash as soon as the resource mount-промоутера. That, in turn, will scare away new and future buyers. Why all of a sudden yesterday the artist was sold for 200 000, and again today for 30 000? People strongly repels the risk of being drawn into such "games" in the "promotion" of the artist — had seen already on a separate auction "bubbles".

Are there exceptions?

Are.

But rarely.

Most people just confuse the situation when the auctions attract attention to new names, and to have deserved, but half-forgotten artists. There are regular exhibition process they have for some-то reasons is terminated, the artist for the time left in the shade and the market began to "slip". And then what-то's where the auctions are based on his past achievements, stimulate the market and contribute to the return of fame. Agree, it is quite another matter. With established artists, the auction promotion — is very correct and working version. Look at the hits the same AI our auctions: Boris Sveshnikov, Evgeny Mikhnov-Войтенко, Natta Konysheva, Anatoly Slepyshev, Vadim Sidur, Victor Kazarin, Igor Voroshilov, Anatoly Zverev and others. They made a name for themselves decades ago, and quite without our help. Another thing that we as an auction in which-то time lucky start to offer their work at auction. And then the stars aligned — and went to regular sales.

Exhibitions and auctions — is also not everything. The path of advancement of the artist at art-рынке full of tricks and nuances, each of which is worthy of a separate article. But for standard cases the rule of thumb quite a work. First exhibition — then auctions. First name — then the prices. And of course, prices should follow a career artist at a reasonable pace. No need to get them to go on the run.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI