According to The Art Newspaper, the greater part of the largest transactions in the markets of modernism and modern art last six years are collectors of the ruling family of Qatar Al-Thani

Shaykh al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin-Khalifa al-Thani
At the opening of Takashi Murakami exhibition at Versailles
2010. Source: theartnewspaper.com

small but very rich Oil Qatar named publication The Art Newspaper Home Buyer works of art in the world. For the most part of the largest transactions in the markets of modernism and modern art last six years are collectors of the ruling family of Qatar Al-Thani.

Buying art through consultants or directly from art dealers and at auctions, al-Thani created the greatest collection of art and modernism, Contemporary Art. In June, a 27-year-old daughter of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin-Khalifa al Tani (Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani), which is considered the main initiator of purchase of works of art, said that the president of Christie's, Edward Dolman (Edward Dolman) will become executive director of the office, but will also include a board of trustees of the Office of Museums Qatar (Qatar Museums Authority).

Shaykh al-Mayassa not only a collector of art in the dynasty. Her cousin, Sheikh Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Thani (Sheikh Saud Bin Muhammad Bin Ali Al-Thani) - a collector with many years: it is the world's leading regularly among the top ten world's leading collectors of the magazine ARTnews. < /a>

Dolman will acquire work for the growing museum network of Qatar, and operates a network of another heavyweight of the world art community - an art historian and former head of the School of Design, Rhode Island, Roger Mendl ( Roger Mandle). As reported by Dolman, "Qatar is going to coincide with several ambitious cultural projects for the World Cup to be held here in 2022." Already, Qatar is sponsoring the exhibition project of Richard Serra (Richard Serra), is planning an exhibition of Jeff Koons (Jeff Koons ). from the last completed projects of the Office of museums of Qatar - an exhibition of Takashi Murakami (Takashi Murakami) in Versailles in 2010 that the 2012 show in Doha.

dealers and auction houses, of course, can not openly talk about transactions concluded with customers in Qatar. However, The Art Newspaper has collected material on these sales from other sources. A key figure in dealings with Qatar widely believed Philip Segal (Philippe Segalot), whose company, Giraud, Pissarro, Segalot (GPS) works in Paris and New York.

In a recent x proposed acquisition of Qatar:

• collection of works New York financier Ezra Merkin (Ezra Merkin). In 2009, the court accused him of large sums of fraud in the financial pyramid, Bernard Madoff, and Merkin was forced to sell its largest collection of 11 works of Rothko's $ 310 million . The name of the buyer were not disclosed. Shortly after the sale of the collection shown at Merkin CSK "garage" in Moscow that caused the rumors (however, strongly refuted) that their new owner is none other than Roman Abramovich. According to two reliable sources of The Art Newspaper, Rothko's paintings ended up in Qatar.
• Collection Iliana Zonnabend in 2007. -2008 heirs of the legendary galeristka privately sold part of its collection, including outstanding works by Roy Lichtenstein and Jeff Koons, for $ 400 million. Private deal was made through the company Giraud, Pissarro, Segalot, multiple sources suggest that the client was Qatar. Philip Segal argues that "the group [work] has been sold to more than one client».
• Works from the collection of Claude Berri. A group of nine works, including works by Robert Reimann, Ad Reinhardt, Giorgio Morandi, Richard Serra and Lucio Fontana, promised to convey to the Centre Pompidou in Paris in payment of taxes. But in the end heirs sold the painting through film-maker firm Segal for 50 million euros to Qatar. The dealer does not deny it, but notes that "the reality was not as rosy as it is described by French newspapers ».
• painting by Andy Warhol," Men in her life "(1962). This work in November last year to be auctioned for 63.4 million dollars at auction Phillips de Pury in New York . Philip Segal was responsible for one of the sessions of the highly successful auction. The dealer insists that Warhol bought one of America. But one of his regular customers of the company claims that the deal she often spends through its New York branch, that is technically the buyer could be from America, but the final owner of the work can be of any nationality.
< /ul>

To make the picture clearer, The Art Newspaper cited statistics on the export of cultural goods from the U.S. and the UK in Qatar during the period from 2005 to April 2011. All of America for these few years in Qatar exported works of art at 428.2 million dollars, of which 2007 is the 250.5 million accounts. That was the year the Qatari Emir Hamad bin-Khalifa al-Thani, has bought at auction at Sotheby's in New York," White Center "by Mark Rothko for 72.8 million dollars ( the most expensive work of Russian artist ). During this same period, Qatar has taken out of the UK art and antiques over 100 years worth 128.2 million pounds. And of Contemporary Art The al-Thani, for example, bought in London in 2007, "the sleepy spring" by Damien Hirst for 9.2 million pounds.

In addition to such basic purchases, Qatari sheiks and purchase of a more modest level. recently, say they bought for 555,000 pounds," Portrait of Ayub Diallo "(1733) painted by William Hoare of Bath, but this picture banned for export from the UK, considering it the product of" national importance ».

Qatari officials declined to comment on the presented data, assumptions and conclusions of The Art Newspaper.

Prepared by Mary Onuchina, AI

Sources : artinvestment.ru