«Oval Buddha» sold for 8 million dollars
ARTinvestment.RU   05 июня 2008

In Basel, Switzerland, where from 4 to 8 June, an exhibition of contemporary art Art Basel, has already held its first loud purchase. An unnamed buyer purchased a sculpture Takashi Murakami «Oval Buddha» for 8 million dollars

In the Swiss Basel, where from 4 to 8 June, an exhibition of contemporary art Art Basel, has already held its first loud purchase. An unnamed buyer purchased a sculpture Takashi Murakami «Oval Buddha» for 8 million dollars. This purchase of local journalists attribute Abramovich.

Even before the show, many predicted that the major buyers in Basel will be Russia's rich, which drew special attention to Roman Abramovich. The Russian oligarch, visited the exhibition together with his girlfriend, Dashey Zhukova.

It should be recalled that in May announced the creation of Zhukov in Moscow, the new Center for Contemporary Art, and after a few days of unofficial sources reported that a record deal with the paintings of Francis Bacon (86 million dollars) and Lyutsiana Freud (33 million dollars) Abramovich undertook, according to newspaper The Times, the initiative inspired by Zhukova. So, sold the day before the official opening in Basel gallery Blum & Poe «Oval Buddha» height of 5.5 meters went to unnamed customers from Western Europe, which, according to local journalists, it is Abramovich. A smaller version of the same sculpture left over 2 million to the American collector whose name is also not disclosed.

In addition, the Art Basel Abramovich visited booths gallery Acquavella, exposed for sale for 12 million «The girl in the doorway» Freud, and galleries Larry Gagosyana, but Alex Akvavella, grandson of the founder of the gallery, said that the picture of Freud's reserved for a few hours and it is very unexpectedly on the first morning of work at the fair. Representatives of the gallery Gagosyana stated that for two hours, they sold 10 works, including 11-foot canvas Takashi Murakami. The amounts of transactions ranged from 100 thousand to 3 million dollars.

Focusing on the latest fantastic sales Bacon at Sotheby's, Marlborough Gallery exhibited artist's triptych «Three images of human body» of 80 million dollars. According to a gallery of Tamara Dial, «the price is not shocking to consumers, but there is no special interest».

Among the already implemented high-profile sales can be a photo «Dubai World 2», sold an unknown buyer for 400 thousand euro.

At the exhibition in Basel presents the work of more than two thousand artists from nearly three hundred leading galleries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Works of various genres of modern art, including sculpture, painting, drawing, installation.

Source: www.bloomberg.com , www.lenta.ru , www.rb.ru