Artprice.com tells of a popular Belgian artist, the exhibition which has recently culminated in the Louvre

Jan Fabre (Jan Fabre) was born in 1958 in Antwerp, Belgium. He is a descendant of an entomologist and writer Jean-Henri Fabre (Jean-Henri Fabre, 1823-1915), much has been done to science and to promote it. The main objects of study were Fabra beetles. Delight insects transmitted and grandchildren scientist: iridescent shell beetles are one of his favorite materials. In 2002, the artist undertook his most ambitious project, which used to decorate the mirrored room Royal Palace in Brussels, 1.4 million elytron exotic Asian beetles. However, Jan Fabre is famous not only for its installation of the insects. He is also a playwright, performance artists, choreographers, designers, sculptors and schedule.

Recently, Fabre said the 50 th anniversary at the famous museum of the world - the Paris Louvre. From 11 April to 7 July this year in the halls of the Flemish painting could see the sculpture and installation Fabra. There were no scandal: c petition demanding the exhibition has come even close to the French Culture Minister Christine Albanel (Christine Albanel). Art Fabra very impressive, provocative, and each display is accompanied by stormy debates (not without it and forum ARTinvestment.RU . - Ed .).

In addition to exhibitions in Belgium, Fabre participated in events such as Documenta in Kassel and the Venice Biennale. Solo exhibitions the artist had in Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Warsaw and Munich.

However, Fabre work - this is the case when the status of the artist-provocateur has not yet raised the price of madness in the market: 92 percent of Fabre, sold at auction, went for an amount not exceeding 10 thousand euro.

Most products are sold in Belgium Fabra (auction De Vuyst), Germany (Lempertz) and the Netherlands. In June at Sotheby's auction in Amsterdam has been exhibited his sculpture in the form of a comma (bone covered with beetles). Estimeyt this work (115 cm) was 4-6 thousand euro, but it remained unsold. This is strange, because works of Fabre on the secondary market comes very small: two and a half years (December 2005) for the bidding was not exhibited any of his sculptures.

Fabre works first appeared at auction in 1992: for auction De Vuyst and Campo & Campo were issued two of his drawings. The debut was not very impressive: graphic works went under the hammer for an amount equivalent to 830 and 1 000 euro. Five years later came the first success of the auction: the auction of modern art and modernism Sotheby's in Amsterdam, one of his drawings in ballpoint pen (from Fabre they valued more than the ink drawings), as Sabel, was sold for 11 guilders 500 (5 255 Euro), with a twofold excess estimeyta. And in 1998, small installations ( «Sculptures spiders») went to Sotheby's in London for 2 000 and 2 200 pounds (about 3 thousand euro). In 2003, Fabre piece first appeared at auction in New York: the small skull of the rubber and «organic materials» was sold for 2 300 dollars for Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg.

But the amount that had sales at auctions in the United States and Britain - this is just the beginning. The biggest success Fabre has bid for Belgium. From 2001 to 2005, three of his sculptures have been sold to De Vuyst at prices ranging from 10 to 20 thousand euros each. One of these works, «Flemish warrior», consisting of armor and a host of colorful beetles, was sold for 17 thousand and was the most expensive work of the artist. Four years earlier, similar work (from the same materials), entitled «Well knight» left on De Vuyst over 500 thousand Belgian francs (about 12 400 euro).

Lack of sculptures Fabra in art market partially offset by sales of drawings, photographs, paintings and prints. The most expensive - the drawings that the artist has fulfilled his own blood. A series of six drawings with blood under the name «My blood, my body, my landscape» (1978) yielded 12 thousand euros for De Vuyst, in December 2006. Of the eight items appearing on the bid from March to June 2008, five were graphic works. The price of one of them - 20-cm collage depicting manure beetle - Massol at auction in France did not reach even the lower limit of estimeyta.

Sources: www. artprice.com , artinvestment.ru