Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Sotheby's Contemporary Art Auction
Sotheby's has understood the importance of the internet for marketing and selling art for a while now. Their online catalogues are free to browse (they now require you to be registered, which is free) and they're just as good or better than the printed catalogues.
A new marketing tool they have discovered is the use of video online. For the promotion of an upcoming contemporary art auction, there's a video now online of Tobias Meyer (Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art and Principal Auctioneer) discussing some of the important works available.
The video can be seen here (it's worth waiting for it to download). You can also browse the catalogue from the video page if you have registered.
A couple of the works that I would be bidding on if I was a billionaire are by Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon.
Andy Warhol - SELF-PORTRAIT
20 x 16 in. 50.8 x 40.6 cm
Executed in 1964
Estimated price for the Warhol self portrait.. 3,500,000 to 4,500,000 USD
Francis Bacon - VERSION NO. 2 OF LYING FIGURE WITH HYPODERMIC SYRINGE
78 x 58 in. 197 x 147 cm
Executed in 1968
Estimated price for the Bacon painting.. 9,000,000 to 12,000,000 USD
The Sotheby's contemporary art auction starts on the Tuesday the 14th of November in New York. Sothebys.com
>> Art Auctions ¶ 5:33 PM
A new marketing tool they have discovered is the use of video online. For the promotion of an upcoming contemporary art auction, there's a video now online of Tobias Meyer (Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art and Principal Auctioneer) discussing some of the important works available.
The video can be seen here (it's worth waiting for it to download). You can also browse the catalogue from the video page if you have registered.
A couple of the works that I would be bidding on if I was a billionaire are by Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon.
Andy Warhol - SELF-PORTRAIT
20 x 16 in. 50.8 x 40.6 cm
Executed in 1964
Estimated price for the Warhol self portrait.. 3,500,000 to 4,500,000 USD
Francis Bacon - VERSION NO. 2 OF LYING FIGURE WITH HYPODERMIC SYRINGE
78 x 58 in. 197 x 147 cm
Executed in 1968
Estimated price for the Bacon painting.. 9,000,000 to 12,000,000 USD
The Sotheby's contemporary art auction starts on the Tuesday the 14th of November in New York. Sothebys.com
>> Art Auctions ¶ 5:33 PM
Chrisies also has catalogues on line. In addition, some of their auctions will appear Live on Line. The notice in their gallery was not more specific but probably the website will contain details.
Saw the Warhol at Sothebys, they did not yet have more than a token number of the items they would sell at the coontemporary auction. Same with Christies. Frankly, the few contemporaries at both places were quite overwhelmed by the full array displayed for both of their Impressionism and Modern auctions. I wouldn't say they were blown away, a nice Lichtenstein (not a cartoon one) seemed not too unsettled, so to speak, but the others shrank by comparison.
When I have the time I will report on the exhibition of both houses for the I and M auctions. I will say that the lesser, very familiar portrait of Paul G by Modigliani was a welcome sight but the lead one, of a concierges son, marked M, however one may want to rank him among masters, a minor or major one, as someone who could do top drawer portraits. It is a picture that will not wilt under ones scrutiny no matter how long one owned it (if one had more than the 31 million bid for which it sold. There was a Chaim Soutine still life with cut open fish which, upon "seeing" not looking turned into a powerful evocation of pain. No wonder Bacon was happy to grant his debt to Soutine. There was a very jolly, humorous Picasso, among the very many offered at top prices, and a woman in a chair which looked quite good. A number of Van Dongens were striking at both houses.. but I will have to stop there as I must get out early to see Whyeths Helga pictures showing at one of the galleries. I should mention that the Klimts at Christies, the four Lauder did not buy but which were displayed alongside the golden portrait, were very appealing still ( I had seen them at the Neue Galerie). With them were three outstanding Schieles which must be part of what Lauder is selling for what reasons the commentators do not know.
Without further details at this time I would have to say that the so-called Contemporary artists (Post-Picasso/Matisse/group)still have some ways to go to be able to put such a handsome and interesting face to the world. Could that be one of the reasons most did not try to deal with faces, bodies or groups of bodies?
irv
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Saw the Warhol at Sothebys, they did not yet have more than a token number of the items they would sell at the coontemporary auction. Same with Christies. Frankly, the few contemporaries at both places were quite overwhelmed by the full array displayed for both of their Impressionism and Modern auctions. I wouldn't say they were blown away, a nice Lichtenstein (not a cartoon one) seemed not too unsettled, so to speak, but the others shrank by comparison.
When I have the time I will report on the exhibition of both houses for the I and M auctions. I will say that the lesser, very familiar portrait of Paul G by Modigliani was a welcome sight but the lead one, of a concierges son, marked M, however one may want to rank him among masters, a minor or major one, as someone who could do top drawer portraits. It is a picture that will not wilt under ones scrutiny no matter how long one owned it (if one had more than the 31 million bid for which it sold. There was a Chaim Soutine still life with cut open fish which, upon "seeing" not looking turned into a powerful evocation of pain. No wonder Bacon was happy to grant his debt to Soutine. There was a very jolly, humorous Picasso, among the very many offered at top prices, and a woman in a chair which looked quite good. A number of Van Dongens were striking at both houses.. but I will have to stop there as I must get out early to see Whyeths Helga pictures showing at one of the galleries. I should mention that the Klimts at Christies, the four Lauder did not buy but which were displayed alongside the golden portrait, were very appealing still ( I had seen them at the Neue Galerie). With them were three outstanding Schieles which must be part of what Lauder is selling for what reasons the commentators do not know.
Without further details at this time I would have to say that the so-called Contemporary artists (Post-Picasso/Matisse/group)still have some ways to go to be able to put such a handsome and interesting face to the world. Could that be one of the reasons most did not try to deal with faces, bodies or groups of bodies?
irv
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