Salon has justified many expectations, but the event did not. And it's weird

finished next autumn antique shops, in fact, clou antique events of the year. It market participants to compare notes. Every autumn salon - an event in itself a landmark, and, despite the fact that he is at the end of the year, the result is not, but on the contrary, is intended to identify trends and set the tone.

Did all these XXXI Salon? Alas, no. Indicator of the status of - yes. The highlight of antique life - yes. But here's event even on the scale of the city, not to mention Russia - no. And it's weird.

In press XXXI Salon and if illuminated, then, first, a little, and secondly, most with a minus sign. Whose omission here, the media or the organizers of the Salon is hard to say. It is understandable that the press is primarily attracted to fried facts. With regard to the Salon is a fake and scandals. So it turns out: if anything was not, then Salon - plus, and the media to write about. Well, the PR-service organizers for what? Shop - it's not only commercial but also (at least in terms of potential audience and the diversity of its artistic preferences) the largest cultural event. However, it seems that the chronic shortage of long-term information about the salon - it is diagnosed. When antiquarians keep quiet about their daily affairs, this is understandable, but when it's "Silence of the Lambs" exhibit organizers of the biggest events in our art market - not closed the show, but at the same time and exhibitions are often museum-quality items from private collections that have nowhere else see, and selling them at a huge price range - is at least unwise. Shop aims to inform the public, attract new customers to the participants, in this case those who are able and willing in principle to invest in art. That's why most of the regular exhibitors have agreed to increase the cost of rent, etc. But where is the reciprocal steps the organizers? Why is the exhibition of dolls in a queue of several hundred meters (though the ticket price is 500 rubles and the price of dolls sometimes comparable to the prices in the painting), and XXXI of the Salon and its level is known only to specialists of the art market but die-hard bargain hunters? Where regular press releases about events and programs of the Salon? Where work with city agencies, for which the interior - an excellent way to attract tourists to the city? In Europe, art fairs - the busiest time for local hotels and restaurants, public transportation, etc., writes about them all the world press. We have - silence. Instead, again, there were several reports about fakes, as if specially dedicated to the time antique shops, and can, and in fact it was so. According to many participants of the Salon, there is almost a conspiracy of anti-antiques business, and even identifies specific names, but leave these spy stories and the authors of the detectives try to evaluate the objective things.

1. Advertising Salon little information and even less, in fact. And this fact, most participants believe the main reason for the small number of visitors.
2. two antique shops in the year - a lot. This problem was also noted by many, and this is due primarily not so much the cost, but with the absence of such a large number of quality papers, which can provide two full exposure.
3. serious shortage of things, but with rubbish significant galleries go wrong, resulting in a slow change displayed from year to year pictures. And this is the second leading cause, which indicate when trying to explain the decline in the number of visitors.
4. bad economic situation, ie, outflow of capital, leads to a decrease in consumer activity in the country. If the money abroad, hence the purchase being made there. And often funneling money along with their owners, who used to live most of their time abroad, began to acquire paintings by Russian artists do not.

That with such unfavorable positions started XXXI Antique Salon. In contrast to several previous Salons, when expectations and break the crisis in the air, this time nothing vital and nothing has been waiting for. VIP-reception on the eve of pessimism exacerbated: VIPs were few and were not interested in what and how much is hanging on the walls.

And in vain.

At this time the level of the Salon was very good, a lot of serious art and not a single false on the second floor (third floor do not undertake to judge, it's another story).

range was old with minor changes: 90 percent - a classic of the XIX century, in good quality and at a different purse. Few of the Paris school, and almost nothing of social realism.

trend for increased attention to the works of European painting at this time did not show himself. The European range was present, but the active interest of the visitors did not use. Picture involved in this area, in the mass remained dissatisfied.

Several booths were represented very well the picture is not for sale, and to gain exposure and to further increase capitalization of the work. As an example - "Don Quixote" in the gallery Korzheva Maricevic and Aivazovsky painting in the gallery "Antiques Petersburg».

Helium KORZH Don Quixote Gallery Maricevic Photo by Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

Ivan Aivazovsky Battle of Bomarzunda. 1858 Gallery "St. Petersburg art dealer» Photo by Konstantin Babulina, AI

The main issue - price. They were different, in most cases it is in the market, but there were, of course, work for which the price is not overstatement to two and not three, but ten times. True, this applies to very large amounts under one million dollars, and here overvaluation is already running in the opposite direction: customers with easy money is gone, but the image of the seller like "pricing" spoiling for a long time.

Most buyers were interested in things in the price range of 30-60 thousand dollars. And such sales can boast of almost all the participants of the Salon. One, two, three sales - a standard situation, and it's a lot of progress in relation to the last Salon. I will say more: there were significant sales of several hundred thousand for the picture. But the main thing - there were new visitors. This salon was different from previous ones in that the visitors were few, but almost all were asking for money. That is, except for sales of most galleries are happy with new contacts and look forward to their continuation.

Briefly identify consumer preferences, it is, alas, not the painting: increased interest in continued use of DPI, porcelain, and of course decoration. Several times I have witnessed how people eyeing the paintings, and the output met them with a vase or a lamp under his arm.

That's so unexpectedly begun for the repose of Salon went on quite a positive note. As one of the participants, if you hang on stand quality stuff for the right price - buyers will not go past.

This means that the market is alive and on the eve of the season on the Russian Trading all the world's leading auction is cause for optimism.

Babulin Constantine, AI