Publication Artnewspaper tries to understand the pros and cons of charitable auctions for different categories of participants - owners, creators, buyers

At the charity auction at Sotheby's and Bono Foundation «Red» in 2008. Source: theartnewspaper.com

September 22 in New York held an auction" Artists - Haiti ", jointly organized by the gallery Tsvirnera David (David Zwirner gallery) and the auction house Christie's. This is an event where customers were offered new works by artists such as Luc Tuymans (Luc Tuymans) and Jeff Koons (Jeff Koons), according to the browser The Artnewspaper, has become the most notorious event of its kind since the famous auction Sotheby's 2008 for the charity fund «Red», organized by vocalist «U2» Bono and raise funds to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa.

these two auctions are very similar. Although the success of the auction, Bono, who brought 42.6 million dollars contributed to the successful confluence of many factors: a strong market presence of leading artists and many celebrities. hardly been able to collect so much money, if Damien Hirst (Damien Hirst) after a meeting with Bono is not would use his connections, had applied for work to Banksy (Banksy), Jasper Johns (Jasper Johns), Julian Schnabel (Julian Schnabel) and other artists. Auction for Haiti would not take place if the Hollywood actor Ben Stiller (Ben Stiller) who works with charitable organizations in the region, after a trip to the island with David Tsvirnerom not attracted to participation in it of his famous friends.

Although not all charity auctions on the scale can be compared with "Artists - Haiti "or has announced not long ago and auction Christie's Takashi Murakami in support of earthquake victims in Japan (their date is unknown), dealers and auctioneers, however, devote a lot of his time these interventions, and completely free. Assume that Tsvirnera and Christie's moves on to the organization, mostly, a sense of collective (professional and corporate) responsibility, but apart from this charity auction may attract a new audience to the market, because the current and potential customers of auction houses and collectors are often involved in the activities of other charities. For collectors of such trades are also very attractive. Although the laws of the State of New York even charity auctions are not exempt from paying sales tax, the auction house will not charge you with lots sold at charitable events, commissions. However, the auction «Red» were no exception: in their case, Sotheby's collected ten percent commission (which, incidentally, is still lower than their normal size - from 12 to 25%). Tax deductions are the artists that contributed their works for charity auction, the old and the new owners of works.

charity auction with great success for several decades. who died in 1996, auctioneer, an expert on decorative arts Sotheby's Robert Wooley (Robert Woolley) was in the 1980s and 90s the real star of charity auctions. Lydia phenethyl (Lydia Fenet) from Christie's said that the number of charity auctions swelled during the boom between 2000 and 2008. Of the large-scale events of that time can recall the stellar auction Robin Hood Foundation Gala. Recently, as an increasing number of charity events, despite the overall volatile economic backdrop.

Charity auctions differ from normal in spirit: they serve alcoholic drinks, an atmosphere of exhilaration. The auctioneer is not obliged to adhere to the statutes and regulations concerning, for example, the degree of increase in rates, so it has greater freedom to increase the price of the works.

records at a charity auction set rarely, but their bid was established Red as many as 17, including $ 1.9 million for the work of Banksy (Banksy) and 792 000 for the work of Howard Hodgkin (Howard Hodgkin), which are still not beaten. Since the case was at Sotheby's, the results were in the database Artnet (where the results of charity auctions is almost not recorded), and there are no some special instructions that the auction was a charity. It is able to introduce audiences astray: it is quite unknown, have reached a work-record holders like the price of the ordinary auction.

However, charity auctions are not always attractive to the dealers (who need control over the market, so that they can not in principle be for such events ), and artists. By all accounts dealers, charity auctions are too many and they thronged the huge number of uninteresting pieces. As if to counter such claims David Tsvirner gathered for a Haitian auction of 26 lots - expensive first-line work. Yet experts often complain about the abundance of second-rate "charitable" works: many artists, tired of constant requests to provide work for auction, specially created for type series of such events. This leads sometimes to unpleasant results: in June last Matt Gleeson (Mat Gleason), art critic Huffington Post, one of its publications, gave advice to artists: "Never again do not give their work to charity auctions».

However, for dealers and charity auctions may be of some interest: a well-organized events like Two x Two for Aids and Art, proceeds from which go to the expense of the American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas Museum of Art), or auction, Aspen Art Museum Artcrush (whose tender August 3 this year, conducted by an auctioneer Sotheby's Tobias Meyer (Tobias Meyer)) attracted prominent collectors, as well as provide an opportunity to artists to show their work worthy of the public, to establish contacts with collectors and curators. The first lot in Aspen this year was a new leaf New York artist Rashid Johnson (Rashid Johnson), whose work do not show up at public auction. The work was sold for 52,000 dollars, more than twice as expensive as its market price of 24 thousand dollars.

These results contribute to the inflow of money into the market, and also an influx of new customers. After Augusto Arbizo (Augusto Arbizo) of the New York gallery exhibited the work of 11 Rivington submitted his gallery artist Katrin Sigurdardottir (Katrin Sigurdardottir) at auction Two x Two, buyers who have not got to work, began to turn in his gallery. "Most of the organizers of major events to understand what they are asking for, and know how often to the artists turn to such requests - says Arbizo. - They are already accustomed to, that they periodically meet with a polite refusal. [However, such events] beneficial not only to charities, they are also good for artists. Some collectors, which can be found at charity auction, do not go to galleries ».

Art consultant Allan Schwartzman (Allan Schwartzman) also responds on auctions like Two x Two, which, incidentally, founded his client Howard Rakhiv (Howard Rachofsky), with praise, believing that they can give collectors a unique opportunity. But he warns that charities' facing difficulties in providing meaningful works because they are bait for speculators. Often the work provided by the artists of any meaningful connection [to a charity auction], a few years later resold in afternoon trading ».

In rare cases so that the artist receives a portion of profits from the sale of his work at a charity auction, in particular, it is practicing a New York gallery alternative "Kitchen» (The Kitchen), representing young artists. It can also help attract high-quality work. Last November, the auction " Kitchen "was attended by Tauba Auerbach rising stars (Tauba Auerbach) and Jacob Kessen (Jacob Kassay), whose work has shown good results at auction earlier this month. At the Phillips two works on paper Taub Auerbach went under the hammer for 17,500 dollars, and Kesseya canvas with an estimate 6-8 thousand dollars earned 86.5 thousand. At the auction, "Kitchen" painterly work of Auerbach was sold five times more expensive than its stated price in 8000 dollars, and the price of cloth Kesseya also jumped higher than the stated 14 thousand dollars and has reached 94 thousand dollars. It is not known whether the advantage of one of the artists the opportunity to take part of the proceeds of money, but the young artists at a charity auction was able to earn more than the sale of works through a dealer.

Prepared by Mary Estrova, AI

Source : artinvestment.ru