Recently, well-known British magazine The Economist published an article by Sarah Thornton (Sarah Thornton), dedicated to the market of works of the famous artist, founder of Pop Art Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol). ARTinvestment.RU is the translation of this interesting text.

Andy Warhol - the leader of the art market

3.7-meter-long painting of Andy Warhol's "Eight Elvises" has all the characteristics to call it a first-class product. It reflects all the favorite themes of its creator: the glory, the monotonous repetition of the same images, the threat of death. The painting is executed in silver, which was the artist's favorite. It was created in 1963 - a period which is considered among the collectors of Warhol's most valuable. "Eight Elvises" forty years lived in the house of the Roman collector Annibale Berlingieri (Annibale Berlingieri), and in the autumn of last year were sold (through the French art consultant Philip Segal (Philippe Ségalot)) for an amount exceeding $ 100 million. This, by the way, the world record for the artist. Prior to this 100-million-selling product could boast of only four artists - Pablo Picasso (Pablo Picasso), Jackson Pollock (Jackson Pollock), Willem de Kooning (Willem de Kooning) and Gustav Klimt (Gustav Klimt).

The legacy of Warhol's huge. For 26 years (since 1961, when he retrained from designers to artists, to 1987, the first year of his death at the age of 58 years), "the king of pop art" and his assistants created about 10 thousand works. Most of them - prints (often on canvas), made by screen printing. They can see anything from Campbell soup cans to persons Jackie Kennedy, Mao Zedong, unknown transvestites and collectors book with Warhol their "portraits". The artist also created the "image of catastrophes", which served as the basis for newspaper clippings, as well as abstract works - translated into a canvas pictures of shadows and paintings by the way "oxidation" (Warhol or his assistants urinated on canvases covered with metallic paint). Each product of its circulation. For example, a series of "most dangerous criminals" has a total of 20 paintings, and the paintings of flowers, there are about 650. In addition to the silkscreen, Warhol did sculpture and experimental films, which also serve as a confirmation of its status as an innovator.

Warhol - he was, figuratively speaking, "the leader" of the entire market of postwar and contemporary art: the scope of his work is enormous, high-profile sales abound, and the artist's reputation as a trendsetter in flux for a long time ... Since 2002, Warhol constantly in the Top-3 Artists by auction turnover. In 2007, at the peak of the boom in contemporary art, he even led the ranking: the sum of its auction sales amounted to 428 million dollars. In the past two years, Warhol lost ground, losing an equally prolific Picasso, but collectors and sellers of his work is not particularly worried. Well-known art dealer Alberto Mugrabi (Alberto Mugrabi) said that "two years ago, we sold ten Warhol per month, today sell only two, but the price is not reduced. Either the buyer agrees to our cost, or remains without a picture. " The market confirms that the best works of the "King of Pop Art" no recession is not terrible. In early November, for example, the picture in 1962 "200 dollar bills" brought 43.8 million dollars and took second place in the list of the most expensive works of the artist.

"The Warhol two markets - Brett Gorvi explains one of the leaders of contemporary art at Christie's. - A market - is the one that come out very rare, valuable from a historical point of view paintings created in the 1960s. Second - this is a large amount of market, where the 60-centimeter "Flowers" and portraits of Jackie Kennedy sold like all other commodities. " Outside of the art market as there is an active trade in works of Warhol - in particular, prints, limited edition, as well as a variety of consumer goods, exploiting the brand image of the artist. One can cite the example of the last album of the best hits of Madonna on the cover of which we can see a picture of the pop star's "style" Marilyn Warhol portraits. "The reason that the Warhol market is booming, despite the fact that it has affected the economic crisis - is the fact that Andy has something incredibly cool - says dealer Larry Gagosian (Larry Gagosian), which is very active at the artist market. - It seems that he is still alive. Warhol everywhere "in our culture.

Warhol and everything connected with it - is a powerful symbol. He is not just famous for; He had a decisive impact on the most successful contemporary authors, including Jeff Koons (Jeff Koons), Damien Hirst (Damien Hirst), Takashi Murakami (Takashi Murakami) and the Richard Prince (Richard Prince). He changed our understanding of who the artist - in his opinion, is "artistic director" more architect than a craftsman, which clearly ensures that his creations are functioning in the media space. "In the future, Warhol will be much more relevant than Picasso - said London dealer Gerard Fadzhonato (Gerard Faggionato), - because [his work] is a higher response from the younger generation."

Enigmatic variations

In the artist's life and long after his death in the art world could not come to consensus on what to think about it. Superficial or deep his concept? Does he seek to undermine the foundations, or, on the contrary, supported them? And it works - they are boring or provocative? The debate helped to "stay afloat" of his ideas, and, ultimately, his leadership on the art market.

Warhol produced many works that demand for his work was not to keep up with the proposal that goes against common practice. Swiss gallerist Bruno Bishofberger (Bruno Bischofberger) says: "And Picasso and Mozart were incredibly prolific. And what's the big deal, if good works? This affects the market, rather than the art. Works it does not spoil. " Vincent Fremont (Vincent Fremont), art consultant who worked with Warhol from 1969 until the artist's death, said: "Andy loved that much. Ten is better than one. " It is not only the motto of Warhol-seller, but the Warhol-buyer. Andy was a big fan of going shopping, and Sotheby's auction took ten days in which to sell his property, there were 10 thousand different things.

Death Warhol took place at the height of the boom in the art market, and its creation went for large sums at auctions in 1988 and 1989. But the crisis broke out in 1990, due to which the market works by the artist suffered a crushing blow. In May 1993, the auction of 16 paintings by Warhol, of which the buyer had been found, only two exhibited - it gave an excuse to say that the demand for his work has fallen to a minimum. But after three years, the market suddenly came alive - all thanks to a successful sale of paintings, exhibited at the first personal exhibition of the painter. In 1962, a Los Angeles dealer Irving Blum (Irving Blum) put 32 hand-painted paintings of Campbell soup cans and bought a whole lot of one thousand dollars (in installments for ten months). In 1996, Bloom has sold over 15 million works. Buyer, by the way, became the Museum of Modern Art. The new record price - as well as a step towards eventual recognition of Warhol as one of the key figures of contemporary art.

Which of the thousands of paintings of Warhol's valuable and what is not? This, of course, depends on how the work is a rare, but also on properties such as the quality of the stencil shapes image sharpness, color saturation and resolution. But the most important thing - this is what is shown in the picture. But the most popular are paintings of Marilyn Monroe.

The first "Marilyn" were born in August 1962, shortly after the famous actress committed suicide. First, Warhol created a series of small paintings, most of which are named after the delicious things, colors which he used - "Lemon Marilyn", "liquorice Marilyn", "Mint Marilyn," etc. Each of these works was only one.. actress facial image. Soon the artist began to use larger canvases, covering them with a plurality of identical Marilyn. In the same year he gave the actress a few portraits at the exhibition, where they have had success: According to critics, these "beautiful, vulgar, heartbreaking" paintings reflected "the myths of our time." Two years later, there were five new large "Marilyn", "single" again, which are now among the most coveted creations "king of pop art." It is perfectly made, very stylish-looking work became legendary not only because of his "appearance", and related stories: a shot in the head "Blue Marilyn," once one of Warhol's entourage (not very balanced appear). Bullet crippled not only the work, but also the "Red Marilyn", standing behind her.

Pierced picture is now owned by collectors, who are the holders of the best collections of the artist's works are in private hands. "Blue" acquired in 1967, newspaper magnate Peter Brant Connecticut (Peter Brant). The work cost him 5000 dollars. "Over 3.5 thousand could" Cadillac "buy - he said. - Then it was a lot of money. " The owner of "Red Marilyn" - a collector from Paris Niarhos Philippe (Philippe Niarchos), heir to the shipping magnate Stavros Niarhosa (Stavros Niarchos), who bought the painting at Christie's auction. It was the case in 1994, the artist's market was in decline, and so the work got him relatively cheap - for $ 3.6 million. In the 1980s, during the boom, "Red Marilyn" was sold for 4.1 million. Three other paintings from the series 1964 are included in the meeting by Samuel I. Newhouse (Samuel I. Newhouse), Doris Ammann (Doris Ammann) and Steven Cohen (Steven Cohen). Last got her "Marilyn" in 2008, paying for it 80 million dollars.

Many connoisseurs of art Warhol believed that his best works are known under the general name of "Death and Disaster". For these pictures he had borrowed the newspaper photos of car crashes, race riots and electric chairs. This brutal subject matter is contrary to the generally accepted image of Warhol as a celebrity freak commercial artist and distinguishes it from the less ambitious pop artists such as Tom Vesselmann (Tom Wesselmann) and Roy Lichtenstein (Roy Lichtenstein). In the late 1960s - early 1970s, this grim picture was difficult to find a buyer, but now one of them works, "Green car crash", is the most expensive works of the artist ever sold at auction. Already mentioned Niarhos Philip bought it for 71.7 million dollars. It served as the basis for the film picture a terrible accident, which shows a burning car and her off from people who "nailed" to a lamppost.

In 1968, Warhol was shot in the chest, and he nearly died. For several years after the assassination attempt, he almost did not work. Returning to the creative work, he began writing a portrait of one of the most famous people on the planet, Chairman Mao. According to Neil Prince (Neil Printz), one of the authors of the catalog-Raisonné of the artist, Warhol began to work "with the energy and impulse, which were previously alien to him." The first series of paintings depicting Mao sold is not very good - very few people from the collectors of the early 1970s like to see in your living room a huge portrait of a Communist. But with the advent of the market demand for Asian buyers such work has increased, and prices, of course, too. For example, Hong Kong collector Joseph Lau (Joseph Lau) bought at Christie's auction of a large blue "Mao" for 17.4 million dollars. The most desirable for collectors are the "giant Mao", of which there are only four pieces (total number of portraits of the "Great Helmsman" - 200). In early 2008, a Chinese collector offered 100 million for one of the "giants", but the owner of the work did not want to part with it. However, it seems that he changed his mind: according to the British dealer Meyoru James (James Mayor), representing the interests of the collector, he is now willing to "seriously consider" the proposal.

World Warhol's popularity is due not only underpinnings of his work in popular culture and the "availability" of his style, but also the efforts of the dealer Bishofbergera Bruno, who for many years has been a leading supplier of the artist. Thanks to the ability to sell the product Bishofbergera European collectors markets of other American artists seem to be "parochial." He also played an important role in the founding of three collections that are among the best private collections of works by the artist. The dealer Thomas Ammann (Thomas Ammann), helped form a collection of Warhol's creations for Daros Foundation, belonging to the family Schmidheiny (Schmidheiny), at one time worked for Bishofbergera. Gallery owner also acquainted with the work of the artist and Niarhosa Brant, whom he first met in the mountain resort of St. Moritz, when they were still teenagers.

Peter Brant started buying work "king of pop art" in 1967 and, together with the founder of the magazine Bishofbergerom became Warhol's Interview. In 1970, tycoon auctioned Sotheby's Parke-Bernet painting "soup of the Bank with tear off label," which went for a record at the time the amount of 60 thousand dollars. The buyer was Bishofberger.

When asked what his Warhol, Brant replied, "I swear to you, I do not know. The main thing is not quantity but quality. " He buys and sells works by the artist for more than 40 years, but said that "we need new collectors to compete for new energy."

Now the market is moving forward two Warhol dealer Larry Gagosian and Alberto Mugrabi. The first began to exhibit works by the artist in the 1980s. "Andy was very honest in business - he says. - He and I chatted on various topics, eating sandwiches with tuna. " Gagosian was the organizer of last lifetime exhibition of Warhol in New York. He regularly exhibits works of the artist on a carefully prepared exhibitions, which necessarily accompanied by a catalog with serious research articles.

In spring 2008, Gagosian has spent $ 200 million on Warhol's work from the collection of art dealer Ileana Zonnabend (Ileana Sonnabend). The exact number of works has not been disclosed, but it is said that he bought from 15 to 20 works. In addition, it assumes that Gagosian has provided financial support to Stephen Cohen, when he bought the 80 million "Marilyn", as well as a certain Russian oligarch might owner of Alfa Bank Mikhail Fridman. Since then, the dealer sold several paintings, including "Bank of Campbell Soup" 1965 and "Crash." The first was exhibited at the June fair Art Basel, the second went to the artist Richard Prince.

Buy, sell and store

Most Warhol trade Mughrabi. "I do not know whether his work is important from a historical point of view. I only know that I love him "- says Father Jose Alberto Mugrabi. During the decline of the early 1990s, he acquired the work, which, in his opinion, have been underestimated - among them portraits of Jackie Kennedy, one of the main "models" of the artist. Since the Mughrabi constantly buy and sell works of "the king of pop art." They have accumulated more than 800 works. Their collection includes such masterpieces as "Marilyn Monroe (twenty times)."

Jose Mugrabi and his sons are fighting for Warhol at auction so often that they are accused of market manipulation. Those who are involved in the sale of works of art, however, prefer to call it "support". Sandy Heller (Sandy Heller), art consultant in New York, explains: "People with a margin of [work] not only speak [to support the artist market], but they do. This can be compared with the [investment strategy] that regularly purchase shares for the same amount. If you truly believe in the artist, you will buy more, even if the price of his product fell. " Chicago collector Stefan Edlis (Stefan Edlis): «I do not think that someone on the forces to manipulate such a large market, but the" lead "price can be."

So far, no one could not scout, who is the happy owner of the 100 millionth "Elvis." But despite the fact that many deals with super-expensive works are shrouded in secrecy loop, Warhol market, due to its volume, perhaps, is more transparent than the market of any other artist. Brand of the "Warhol" penetrated into the most massive and the most elite segments of the market; its scope is so broad that it pales compared to even the most famous fashion houses, have been successful with both colognes and with haute couture. It is very suitable to the artist who knew how to combine the "high" and "low" as anyone else.

Материал подготовила Юлия Максимова, AI

Источник: economist.com, artinvestment.ru