«Expressionist - new impressionist!»
ARTinvestment.RU   25 июня 2008

One of the main trends in the art market - «rehabilitation» emotional works of German modernists

«theme rooms» June issue of the influential magazine Art + Auction was a success at the recent auction of paintings of the German expressionists. In February, the picture of Franz Marc «grazing horses III» was sold at Sotheby's for a record 12.3 million pounds (24.3 million dollars) in one and a half times higher estimeyta. In recent years, the picture of Mark and other famous artists of the group «bridge» and «Blue Rider» have great success at the auction: November masterpiece Ernst Ludwig Kirchner «Street. Berlin »brought to the auction Christie's 38,1 million dollars, in May next year« Jesuits III »Lionel Fayningera went to Sotheby's for 23.3 million dollars, and« Waterfall »Make the same Sotheby's sold in November for 20.2 million dollars.

At the February auction the work of Mark was not the only one that has the record: the picture of our fellow Alexei Yavlenskogo (which the Germans, however, think «our») under the title «Shokko in wide-brimmed hat» yielded 9.4 million pounds (18.6 million dollars), surpassing the previous record in the works Yavlenskogo almost doubled. A bright paintings «Camels at the circus scene» Party Group «bridge» Max Pehshteyna went for 1.9 million pounds (3.8 million dollars). Works by these artists, as well as other stars - by Vasily Kandinsky , Max Bekmanna, Gabriel Myunter, Emil Nolde, as they say in foreign art sites in this «hot». According to the artprice.com , 100 Euro, it is invested in 1997 the work of Franz Marc, by April 2008, would become the 396 euro. A 100 euro invested in the work Yavlenskogo - to 233 euros in the works Fayningera - at 176 euros, in product Kirchner - 170 euro. The prices for Austrian expressionists - participants of the Vienna Secession also jumped: 100 euro, it is invested in 1997 in the work of Egon Schiele, by April this year, would become as much of 370 euro.

Experts called several reasons for this success.

According to Helena Newman, vice-chairman of the department of Impressionism and Modernism and the Sotheby's specialist in German and Austrian Expressionism, fifteen years ago, the paintings and graphics of representatives of this trend were bought for private collections in Germany. Now the serious collectors of all nationalities seek by all means have become in their collections at least one «expressionist» work. Previously, this must have been the work of the Impressionists.

Raising the status of expressionism in the art market is partly attributed to the decrease in the number of high-impressionisticheskih works. Vivid colors, sverhemotsionalnye scenes and attention to the spiritual life of man, typical of the artists «Bridge» and «Blue rider», attracting collectors of all ages. Humanistic message of creative expressionists painting distinguishes them from the «cold» postmodernism, from whom and gatherers, and the public have already podustat.

In that expressionism came into vogue just now, blamed the mixed attitude towards the artists of this field.

One of the distinguishing features of the group «Blue Rider» a cosmopolitan and a desire for the exchange of ideas between artists from different countries. «Core» group of Russian artists were exactly - Kandinsky , Yavlensky , Marianna Verevkin . Instead, artists «Most» (Kirchner, Pehshteyn, Nolde and others) raised to shield his «German». At the beginning of XX century in the history of art the concept «national identity», a letter explaining the manner of artists inherent «racial characteristics». According to this concept-expressionist painters (as opposed to academic art, the following Renaissance models) advertisements are true carriers of the German spirit. Chaotic organic form, dark and angularity of painting allowed theorists talk about the commonality of expressionism in German Gothic art, and even the ornaments of ancient Germanic tribe Ostrogoth. Nationalist views differed not only «Bridge», but also other artists of that time. Many expressionist (as well as the Italian futurists) supported the First World War. Franz Marc and August Macke volunteers went to the front and died. After the war, during the Weimar Republic, German artists, modernists have been «a horse» and enjoyed the support of the State: Their paintings were bought by museums in large numbers, many of course become professors of prestigious educational institutions. Designer «Bridge» Karl Schmidt-Rotluf even got an important government order - create a new «eagle» for the republic.

But with the coming to power of the Nazis, everything changed. Pictures expressionists, as a symbol of Hitler hated the Weimar Republic, had been declared «degenerative» art. Many «racially unreliable» artists (Kandinsky, in particular) had to leave the country. Hitler prefers naturalism in art, did not accept the idea of expressionism as an art, carol «German spirit». Despite this, after the Second World War, the popularity of art expressionism in Europe was very low, largely because of the prevailing societal attitudes antigermanskih; expressionist still could not forgive nationalist views, which many of them bravirovali the beginning of the century. But in the newly established Federal Republic of Germany expressionists painting unjustly humiliated Hitler, once again gained support from the state. It was during this period were established museums participants «Bridge», and their images adorned the interiors of government buildings. In eastern Germany, of course, related to the expressionists were totally different: they considered their art as a symbol of bourgeois decadence, which, however, admired the young dissidents. After the fall of the Berlin Wall came the opportunity to finally clarify its attitude to art expressionists - and created a market.

The first auction devoted to German and Austrian modernism, took place at Christie's 15 years ago. A little later it took up the art of Sotheby's. Then at the auctions appear to forty works, attracting schitanoe number of collectors, who realized that the paintings of German expressionists greatly underestimated. But every year the market is increasing, and now the demand for the work of expressionists high as ever. But the peak of this demand, according to experts, is still ahead.

today «expressionistic boom» is our duty to not only decrease the number of first-impressionistic works in the market, but also large-scale exhibitions and projects of museums and galleries. In 2003, one of the major events in the world of art has become a huge retrospective of Max Bekmanna at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Two years earlier, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis said the exhibition «Franz Marc and the Blue Rider" ». Popular and Austrian expressionist, including Egon Schiele. For the modernist paintings of Austrians and Germans are new institutions - for example, the New York Neue Galerie, opened in 2001, Michael Werner Gallery. In this month opened after a large-scale reconstruction of the museum Franz Marc in the Bavarian town of Kohel-am-Zee, where you will see a painting of the «expressionist-record», as well as works by Kandinsky , Klee, Myunter and others.

Yes, the art of expressionism has long been a not very popular among collectors, but museums have long «pribrali to bargain» most of the major works. First pictures of the same brand, and Kirchner, Heinrich Kampendonka and other artists appearing at the auctions are very rare. Most works of German expressionists sold in auctions, and in this schedule. Does this mean that buy expressionist work of the museum will soon be as difficult as painting of the Impressionists? Live - see. At least, if such works in the foreseeable future, will they make a sensation. According to Robert Landau (Landau Fine Art, Montreal), when suddenly the market appears triptych Max Bekmanna, he would take no less than 40 million dollars. A good «Kirchner» (especially the famous «outdoor stage»), according to experts, can yield 50 or even 60 million.

The reason that the pictures were expressionists «robust action», many are called, and the activity of Russian art collectors in the market. Finding the beginning of the century German modernists seen many similar works of famous Russian artists of the same period. The love for bright colors, the interest in primitive art, the desire to portray the spiritual world of relatives expressionism artists such creators as Mikhail Larionov and Marc Chagall , Haim Soutine ... Russian collectors have already made several major purchases. In particular, February record Yavlenskogo ( «Shokko in wide-brimmed hat») - the work of our compatriot.

The next major auction of works of the Impressionists and modernists ( Sotheby's, June 25 )« German »will not, but it will be Austrian Egon Schiele and the French fovisty whose canvases using hardly less popular than paintings by the German and Austrian expressionists.

Julia Maksimova

Sources: artandauction.com , signandsight.com , economist.com , artprice.com , artinvestment.ru