Signed a major deal with a work of art in history: the royal family of Qatar acquired a painting by Paul Cezanne "Players Card" for a quarter of a billion dollars

PAUL Cezanne
Players cards. Around 1892-1895
Oil on canvas. 130 × 97
Source: vanityfair.com

established the highest price for a piece of art in history: Qatar's royal family in a private transaction acquired a picture of Paul Cezanne's "Card Players" for 250 million dollars! With this purchase of the legendary small and oil-rich country has entered the select group: there are only five options for this movie, and four of them are decorated with a world-class collections, such as the Museum d'Orsay and the MoMA.

price may seem crazy, because it is more than double the current record for art sold at public auction ( 106.5 million for Picasso ). And it's not an epic, Van Gogh and not a portrait of Vermeer and a few angular and gloomy picture of two French middle class at the card table. However, this legendary and buying a small oil-rich country has become not only a masterpiece of post-impressionism, but also a ticket to the club elected: there are only five options for this movie, and four of them are decorated with a world-class collections - the Museum d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Barnes Foundation. For a nation that is now engaged in the erection of a museum of the empire, it's instant credibility.

Should these money picture painted on the threshold of the twentieth century? Cezanne, mastermind Cubists and the precursor of abstract art, Picasso called "the father of us all.", "250 million is a fortune, - the appraiser Victor Weiner (Victor Wiener), to whom the London insurers of Lloyd's after the how Steve Wynn poked his elbow Picasso in 2006. - But if you open any textbook on the history of art, you're sure it will meet the image "Card Players." This is the most important, the central piece. For months, rumors of its sale were ground in an art environment. Now [when they are confirmed] the price will be used as a starting point: it changed the whole structure of the art market ».

actual sale of paintings by Cezanne took place in 2011, but the details of this secret deal on the sly become apparent to the extent that, as the most important collectors, curators and dealers go to Qatar for the opening exhibition of the legendary Takashi Murakami, has been successfully held in Versailles. country, occupying a small ledge of a large Arabian Peninsula, became the new center of cultural undertakings: here recently set up a monument to Richard Serra , Doha is a retrospective of Louise Bourgeois, and in March in Qatar will host the World of Art Forum which will bring together leading artists, curators and museum associations chapter.

Qatar and its capital Doha - is not just a place dotted with parking lots of private jets. This intellectual and media center. There is a television station "Al Jazeera, "many branches of American universities - and the tasks they set themselves very ambitious. Qatar expertly organizes large-scale projects. For example, in 2008 at the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art, begemotoobraznogo building of limestone, a fantasy born Pritzker Prize laureate architect Pei JM , entered the harbor of Doha fleet of ancient ships, each representing one of the world-famous museums. And the opening of the Tribeca Film Festival Qatari version of Robert De Niro (Robert De Niro) rose from the depths of the sea on a rotating elevator.

In 2010, Qatari emir opened the Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Qatar National Museum, which is now known ponovlyaet Jean Nouvel before re-opening in 2014. There and may eventually go along with Cezanne paramount works of Rothko, Warhol and Hirst, followed by Qatar Dynasty hunted on the leading auction or buy them in private transactions.

Royal Dynasty of Qatar, however, makes no comment on their purchases. In a narrow range of auctioneers and dealers, dealt with by the Qatar As a rule, made to sign non-disclosure agreements. But multiple sources confirm the purchase of "Players Card" Qatar.

How did Cezanne went to Qatar? For years, the Greek shipowner George Embirikos (George Embiricos ) kept it a valuable product in itself and it is rarely provided for exhibitions. Many times he offered to sell the Cezanne, and as the art market offers different dealer sounded all the more tempting, but remained adamant Embirikos. Last year, picture" Card Players "from the collection Embirikosa theartwolf.com portal has been named the most valuable piece of art in private hands .

Shortly before his death in the winter 2011 collectors began negotiating the sale of paintings. According to knowledgeable people, and two art dealers - William Akvavella (William Acquavella) and another (rumored to be a was Larry Gagosian) - offered for the painting of over 220 million dollars. But Qatar's royal family has paid 250 million or more. debate about the exact amount of the transaction due to transfers of money from one currency to another, when the picture changed owner. In its final assessment rates knowledgeable people reach $ 300 million.

interest of Qatar to the "players" has been significantly fueled by the fact that just in time for the discussion of the transaction at the Metropolitan Museum has opened an entire exhibition devoted to the Cezanne series with card players, and the exposure is clearly lacking only one picture - from the collection Embirikosa. It is the latest in a series (established about 1895) and "very dark, and perfect for taking on a living," says the curator of the exhibition in Metro Tinterou Gary (Gary Tinterow), now head of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

members of the dynasty of the Qatari mediation in the art of buying GPS - the triumvirate of dealers from New York and Paris, known for his caution. Among its main participants grandson of impressionist Camille Pissarro Lionel (Lionel Pissarro) and the dealer Philip Segal (Philippe Segalot), who spent a lot of private deals for billionaire Francois Pinault (François Pinault). Also, according to people close to the matter, in a deal with Cézanne played a role as Guy Bennett (Guy Bennett ), the former head of Impressionist and Modern Christie's.

most expensive work of art sold at public auction, it's "Nude on a background of green leaves and bust" - a seductive image of Marie-Therese Walter, lover of Pablo Picasso (106.5 million dollars, Christie's, May 4, 2010). private, Picasso, Pollock, de Kooning, Klimt and replaced the hosts at a price range from about 125 to 150 million dollars, and in the transactions involved people such as Ronald Lauder, Steve Wynn and David Geffen. But no price is not even close to the deal came to Cezanne. At the same time, Qatar, and is interested in the art of the twentieth century: in the past year website The Art Newspaper has called this country the main buyer of art in the world , including contemporary art (a collection of works by Mark Rothko).

At least Qatar's ambitious neighbor - the United Arab Emirates. The region contains 10%of global oil reserves, is home to around 4 million people, and until recently in the UAE experienced the world's biggest building boom. In the capital, Abu Dhabi now, after a little stop, continued construction of the Louvre and the branches of the Guggenheim Museum .

flowering of art on the shores of the Persian Gulf, of course, is in the shadow of the "Arab spring", but without the public spectacle of bright, he still can not do. This is done for the sake of fame, attracting tourists, etc. - and Art buyers ballyhooed like Hollywood. a 28-year-old daughter of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Haliwa Al-Thani of Qatar Museums Authority head. But her first job was at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York (she once boasted, laughing, that she job was to buy biscuits for breakfast for Jane Rosenthal). next week it will hold opening day of the exhibition by Takashi Murakami.

Qatar has become a significant player in the art market about ten years ago, when Sheikh Saud Al-Thani, Minister of Culture and a second nephew of the emir of Qatar, engaged in an unprecedented "shopping" in the global art market. However, all ended badly: Sheikh in 2005, was arrested on a charge of budget funds for other purposes (today he is at liberty .) Now his cousin, Emir Saud al Saud took up the baton gathering.

ended a consumer boom in Qatar? in any way. Qatar has made another important "acquisition" in the past year, hiring former the head of Christie's Ed Dolman as a director of the museum's department.

Prepared by Mary Onuchina, AI

Sources : artinvestment.ru