Thirty years ago, a British sculptor, has prevailed in the auction Olympus. After a decline in prices that occurred in the 1990s, the market gradually recovered Moore's, and now - a new vertex

Henry Moore
Reclining Figure: Festival.
1951 Source: telegraph.co.uk

Last week, the work of Henry Moore (Henry Moore)« Reclining Figure: Festival "set a new record price at auction Christie's . sculpture was sold for 19.1 million pounds. This result has allowed Moore to overtake Lusiena Freud (Lucian Freud) (his record 17.2 million pounds ($ 33 ​​million)) in the top three most expensive British artists of the XX century, and take it the second place after Francis Bacon (Francis Bacon) .

A new record has also allowed Moore to enter the top-5 world of sculptors of the XX century. He walked most of Picasso, but just missed the podium by Giacometti (Giacometti), Modigliani (Modigliani), Matisse (Matisse) and Brancusi (Brancusi ), tells the British Telegraph, counting records in pounds (in dollar version AI, Moore has overtaken the former at the 5 th place Brancusi, but it is not encroached on the authority of the great Spaniard). This result is not surprising for those who remember that 30 years ago, the transaction with the works of Moore's been very successful and allowed him to take a worthy place in the ratings of living artists. In 1982, four years before his death, the sculptor, the New York office of Sotheby's sold a "Reclining figure" (1945) for 1.2 million dollars (about 3 5 million dollars, based on current exchange rate), an American collector Wendell Cherry (Wendell Cherry). This sale has become a kind of artistic career, the peak of Moore, whose work in the world for a long time, all the forces promoted the British Council, regularly organizing his exhibitions around the world. On decision of the British Council, Moore was honored to represent Great Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1948.

For its part, the dealers had a hand in the fact that Moore was the first British artist to win the big world of art business. As a result, became a sculptor to create a monumental bronze sculptures intact circulation, and they enjoyed the same success with urban planners and architects. In the 1980s, Moore's works have become status symbols, and the success of the sculptor was a sign that modern art has become a recognized phenomenon, not only among specialists but among the general public.

However, the leading critics such as Clement Greenberg (Clement Greenberg), Norbert Lynton (Norbert Lynton), and Robert Rosenblum (Robert Rosenblum), so widely accepted Moore was a sign of conformity, which is deliberately changed the initial severity of the modernist view - for the sake of the public.

Although in 1990 set a new record for the work of Moore - 4.1 million dollars, the market sculptor fell sharply during the ensuing recession. Between 1991 and 1995 the average price of British work fell by about 73 percent. It was then sighted a New York developer Sheldon Solow (Sheldon Solow), speaking just last week, as the seller, acquired the the current record holder, the sculpture: in 1994 he paid her $ 2 million.

About ten years ago the market began to Henry Moore is rapidly restored: the motive of this process was the realization that much of the classic understated . particularly active market for Moore grew up in the last 4 years: last November, the company Art Market Research has calculated that the auction prices for a large sculpture of Moore in 2007 grew by 183 percent. In 2008 it came up to another record: the price of the work Moore has risen to the level of 4.3 million pounds ($ 8.4 million).

However, it was clear that this is not the limit: one version of the current record holder, the work of "Reclining Figure: Festival" last summer, appeared on the stand at London's Lefevre Gallery Masterpiece fair with a price tag of $ 12 million (total, including the author's copy, there are five copies of the works, two of which belong to the museums). "We were told that this is a crazy price, because no one thing Moore is not earning as much at auction - Telegraph said gallery director Alexander Corcoran (Alexander Corcoran). - but we've sold some time after the work is almost at that price. Today, of course, it does not seem too high ».

work, setting a record last week, got the dealer from Cologne Alexander Lachmann (Alexander Lachmann), which often makes a purchase on behalf of Russian collectors, including - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank group "Alpha Bank" Aven. Telegraph notes that Russia has an interest in Moore's creativity has increased, probably due to the upcoming exhibition of sculpture in the Kremlin, which opens to the public on February 21. Moore exhibition will be the first exhibition of modernist art in the museums of the Kremlin.

Another reason for the current price could be a breakthrough on the market since Moore's new strong player. In addition to applying for permanent work of the British dealer Robert Landau Montreal (Robert Landau) and the London dealer Richard Green (Richard Green), in the struggle for work Moore last week joined the Gagosian gallery: it has acquired the work, "Seated Woman with a thin neck," and took part in the struggle for another "Reclining figure" (1963), which exceeded the upper limit of the estimate, earned 3.3 million pounds. Henry Moore hitherto not appeared in a long list of successful authors who dealt with Gagosian. from the gallery no comments have been received, but just two informed sources claim that Gagosian will shortly hold an exhibition of Moore. Gallery can not boast the ability to create new markets However, she is known for his ability to "warm up" existing.

London dealer Ivor Marriage (Ivor Braka) believes that Moore's new record is due to this phenomenon as a "slow market" in which wealthy buyers enthusiastically dismantled the familiar works of recognized authors. Moore's work fits perfectly into this category: created by order of the Council on Fine Arts Festival to the British in 1951, this sculpture - one of the textbook image of the author.

It is possible, says Landau, Robert (Robert Landau), a record that Moore - it is also the beginning of the reaction of the market held recently at the 250 millionth private transaction with Cezanne canvas .« The situation has changed dramatically - said the dealer. - not only in the market Moore, quick on the market as a whole ».

Prepared by Mary Estrova, AI

Source: artinvestment.ru