SERGE Fehr
harlequin with a guitar
Oil on canvas. 116 x 56
Estimate: 40-60 thousand euros. Result: 120 thousand euros
ArtCurial. 22.10.2007


Tamara de Lempicka
pink nightgown I. 1927
Oil on board. 41,1 x 32,5
Estimate: 1,3-1,8 million. Result: 3.2 million dollars
Christie's. 06.05.2009

the everyday situation: like the gallery-artist, about whom very little you know. Well, if the antique "classic". Difficult, if "aktualschik. What to do to not be trapped?

Gust in our time - the emotion is very valuable, besides supposedly more in the future long joy of ownership. But only if you do everything right and, at least temporarily before the deal to gain composure. So, what kind of information about the subject of passion you need to collect in the first place not to get "wasted money"? Of what constitutes an "investment portrait of the author? By what criteria need to "break" an artist to make a decision about buying? Not an exhaustive list a few of them, including the most important.

1. Place of the artist in the history of art. refers to a certain consensus of experts and the public about the status of the artist, the level of his craftsmanship and innovation. There will have to "dig": Literature, plus networking publications. Will help to understand the issue, in particular, belongs to a famous author's circle, an important direction, "loud" band or a creative union. For example, ostovets, an artist close to the Sretensky group or "lianozovtsam", "Russian Parisian" or "new boring" - any of the established facts to position the artist, helps get closer to understanding the status of the author.

2. The validity of the offer price. There is just all the simple, if the artist has a history of auction sales. Then we can decide the price in the database "Artists" on ARTinvestment.RU published by technique . If no auction sales, the price situation is more complicated. But the case is also common. Many famous Russian contemporary artists, there is no auction sales (eg, in Nikolai Polissky) or they are rare. And nothing. In this case, you can try to see the level of prices for works by artists of a series. Sometimes this approach works.

3. Liquidity . It should be understood for themselves just how easy and quickly you can then resell the product on the market to not get that you're the only one who buys a work by this artist. The ideal option, if the artist is included in the regular holder of trades leading auction world, including Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams. This, we assume we have already checked in paragraph 2. But if not, it is useful to listen to gallerist and see how many collectors of this artist, there was a group of regular customers and how much work is in the gallery market. If the market is small and infrequent transactions, that is a risk that harms "Investment portrait" of the author.

4. The presence of the artist in the expositions of the world's leading museums and private collections in status. This information is readily available in open sources. Clearly, if the work is in the timing and the Tretyakov Gallery, it's good. Also worth "break" the well-known specialized collections - for example, to buy works of the sixties nice to see whether his stuff in the collections of Victor Bondarenko, Aslan Chekhoev, etc.

5. The participation of the artist in important exhibitions - a fact that should strengthen the buyer in the correctness of his choice. Have in mind not only the modern exhibition, but also historical. Raise an exhibition history and gather information about plans for the future is also quite feasible task for a buyer.

6. The presence of the driving forces - the lobby artist. There will be no more than to find out what the gallery behind the artist, are known to collectors. From this largely depends on the intensity of the exhibition process, the frequency and level of publications.

7. Authenticity and availability of expert infrastructure. One of the major factors for the antique market. It is useful to find out who is a recognized expert on the artist and direction. And you can start, for example, by studying list of experts accredited MKAAD (International Confederation of antique and art dealers.

8. array and level of publications. If there is a monograph on the works or albums from the catalogs, then quite good. Another thing that you need to pay attention to the level. It is known that some commercial galleries in the 2000 years were issued with the published fakes. Including for their legalization. So certainly believe what is written with a pen, now it is not necessary. In any case it is useful to read what they write about the artist on the internet to understand, with what material you are dealing. A for contemporary artists especially useful to look at their interview.

9. Participation in the premium process: contests, prizes, Biennale . It is particularly important for contemporary artists. There can not be an auction of statistics - it is something just come with time. But the involvement in the award process - a signal to the buyer that he is on the right track.

presented list - it's just a little plan where to start. But by no means exhaustive. helluva lot of rest Just not "naguglish." For example, questions of legal purity of the product. In general, there are many strokes that make up the overall picture. Even the age of the artist is important. To determine the investment potential of, say, the need to connect additional techniques. For example, « How to choose a product for investment through ARTinvestment.RU » or « How to assess for themselves the product of investment by ARTinvestment.RU ». But In order to prepare and do not feel the buyer a "pig in a poke, these steps should suffice. Successful to you of purchases.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI