Art in storage, at fairs and sales – is it getting harder to insure?

ART FAIR INSURANCE

Last week, The Art Newspaper posted an interesting report that claimed that art is getting harder to insure. According to their source, Richard Northcott, executive director of the art, jewellery and private client division at Heath Lambert Group (London), firms that protect specialist fine art insurers are becoming cautious of insuring a large amount of art kept in one place at the same time, such as in storage warehouses and exhibitions. The article explains why:

“For a long time nobody in the insurance world was monitoring the cumulative value of art shown at fairs or kept in storage,” explains Northcott. “But in the last two or three years the industry has become a lot more sophisticated and a lot more aware of the issue.”

This is partly owing to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which made insurers aware that a single catastrophe could wipe out an entire art fair or storage facility, and partly owing to recent developments in software that have made it much easier for re-insurers and specialist fine art insurers to track the location of the thousands of policies they have underwritten at any one time.

At Art 40 Basel in June, “there were already murmurs of a problem,” Northcott says.

“There is a limit to the insurance market’s capacity for the cumulative value of policies for a single event like an art fair,” says Northcott. This stands at around $2bn; the insurance value of art at Frieze this year is much lower as the downturn in the contemporary market has led to declining prices, and the many younger galleries exhibiting for the first time are offering less expensive, emerging artists. But he believes that as the art market recovers, “all major art fairs will come under scrutiny by the industry”.

RM/KE

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ARTSingapore 2009 Fair – new photography fair, high value sales and gallerists pick top fairs in Asia today

SINGAPORE CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR 2009

It is the most established art fair in Asia, having just completed its ninth consecutive year running, and it is uniquely different from other leading fairs in the region. ARTSingapore, despite being a major international art event, feels smaller and much more manageable than other leading fairs. ARTSingapore keeps its intimate feel in spite of the presence of 36 major international galleries and arts centers (complete list here), and also offers 2 new treats this year, with a ‘New Finds’ section for emerging artists and also the inclusion of a separate space dedicated to the photographic arts.

Traditional Fruitmarket, by Richard Winkler, 2009. Oil on canvas. 150x200 cm.

‘New Finds’ section for emerging artists

This year’s addition of a ‘New Finds’ section offers new artists and young galleries the opportunity to show their work to the international community. Regarding the decision to include this new section, Fair Director Chen Shen Po says:

“We are keeping in mind the current economic recession in Singapore and hope that ‘New Finds’ will provide emerging artists with a platform to develop and establish their career in the arts industry.”

Brand Obama!, by Hughie Doherty, 2009. Mixed Media. 76x50 cm.

This year’s 12 featured ‘New Finds’ artists include:

Brian Adams [Singapore]     Chankerk [Singapore, presented by Fill-Your-Walls, Singapore]     Christiane Wyler [Singapore]
Donovan Phity [Indonesian, presented by Adoramus Art Gallery, Indonesia]       Hughie Doherty [Hong Kong]
Hwang Ouchul [Korea]     Jennifer Tan Doherty [Hong Kong]      Kim Ki Soo [Korea, presented by Simyo Gallery, Korea]
Ling Yang Chang [ Singapore, presented by Momentous Arts, Singapore]     Marga Duin [Netherlands]     Nupur Chaube [India]
Shin-Young Park [Korea, presented by AndrewShire Gallery, Singapore & USA]

Within ARTSingapore: AIPF 2009- first Asian photography fair

The other new feature at ARTSingapore this year is the Asia International Photography Fair 2009 (AIPF 2009) exhibition, which is housed together with ARTSingapore and displays the works of 12 independent international photographers. This year’s inception of the AIPF marks the first Asian art fair dedicated explicitly to contemporary photo-based artworks.  The AIPF 2009 exhibitors include:

Andre Ruesch [Santa Fe, NM, USA]     Chris Enos [Santa Fe, NM, USA]       Henry Aeagoncillo [Santa Fe, NM, USA]
Lee Manning [Santa Fe, NM, USA]       Marcia Keegan [Santa Fe, NM, USA]       Sealey Brandt [Singapore]
Susan Herdman [Santa Fe, NM, USA]       Thea Witt [Santa Fe, NM, USA]       Thomas Vorce [Santa Fe, NM, USA]
Ward Russell [Santa Fe, NM, USA]       Willis F. Lee [Santa Fe, NM, USA]        Yuki Aoyama [Japan, presented by Wada Gorou]

Kiowa Fancy Crow, by Marcia Keegan, 2009. Cibachrome archival prints, print 40.6x50.8 cm, matted 129.5x193 cm

Satisfying sales and turnout, Richard Winkler emerging as hot star

Multiple presenters at ARTSingapore reported being satisfied with the visitor turnout and sales at the event. The obvious star of the show were the works by Richard Winkler, a Swedish artist who lives in Bali, presented by the Zola Zolu Gallery from Indonesia.  On Monday afternoon, the last day of the fair, at least 18 of Winkler’s paintings had sold to collectors from around the world. This is indicative of the prices that fair buyers were prepared to pay this year, as Winkler’s works started at $150,000 USD. Other galleries also reported encouraging sales, but some also mentioned that being present at this fair and making an impression was most important– immediate sales were not a top priority.

Which are the top fairs favoured by gallerists?

When questioned what fairs they will be attending this year, presenters stressed the importance of ARTSingapore, but also included ART HK, Art Dubai, the Korean International Art Fair (KIAF), and ART ASIA Miami on the short list of highly prioritized shows. Each show has its own character, and gallerists reported that ARTSingapore is known for its intimate and efficient atmosphere, and a dynamic mixture of art from anywhere and everywhere.

Related Posts

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• More art, better art, riskier art at ART HK 09-  May 09
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• News link round up Art Basel 2009- Indian, Japanese artists dominate coverage of Asians- June 2009
• Which are the top 10 international contemporary art fairs? Jan 09

Subscribe to Art Radar Asia to learn the latest on art fairs in Asia

GREEN: New affordable art fair in Beijing smashes the traditional art fair format

BEIJING ART FAIR

Light up your senses with fresh, cutting-edge, yet affordable art on the new frontier– that is the proposition of the GREEN Art Fair 2009. Organized by New CAE Media and Air Media, promoters of the established Beijing art fair  CIGE(China International Gallery Exposition Exhibition), the GREEN (Sep 20 – 29) art exhibition will bring thousands of artworks by young artists into the spotlight at China World Trade Center Exhibition Hall in Beijing.

Miss Wang Yi Han, CEO of CAE Media Beijing Chinese Art Exposition’s Medi) and organizer of this art event, talks to Wendy Ma about the concept of the GREEN art exhibition and what differentiates GREEN from all precedent art fairs.

"One of Micke" by Zhang Hui.

Q: Why is it called GREEN? What’s the significance behind the name? Does it have to do with social responsibility and sustainability?

Because most artists who participate in this exhibition are young and emerging, the majority of them have never publicly exhibited their work before. Thus the overall style of the show will be rather fresh, future-oriented, and dynamic. GREEN signifies growth, future, and hope, which correspond to the mission of this exhibition.

Q: How is GREEN different from other art exhibitions such as CIGE? What’s so unique about GREEN?

The format of the GREEN art show is utterly different from that of CIGE. CIGE is an exhibition joined by galleries, each of them with an independent exhibition district, targeting at the relatively mature art collectors. Unlike the conventional art exhibition, GREEN is an art entity itself without district or borders. Everything is planned together and sold together. What makes GREEN most distinctive is breaking the traditional art exhibition’s format by presenting a fresh new concept.

"Birth" by Fan Xiao Yan.

Q: Who do you hope will buy the art? Who are the target audience (buyers) for GREEN? What are your expectations?

We hope to attract more of the city’s middle-class for visiting the show and purchasing artwork. While this exhibition aims to provide young artists exhibiting opportunities, its more important goal is to transmit the concept of art consumption to a wider circle of audience.

Q: How do you identify which art is suitable for the fair’s exhibiton categories? Does it always have to do with China?

This is GREEN’s first year of exhibition. All the artwork is done by Chinese artists. In the future it’s possible that GREEN will expand to the Asian or even international sphere. In the era of globalization, the growing environment as well as culture and education among artists from different countries are becoming increasingly similar. So it’s unfair to categorise the young artists’ creations georgraphically.

Q: How do you select the artwork for GREEN? What are the criteria and are there any taboos about certain sensitive subjects? Or is the fair 100% accepting of all types of messages expressed in the artwork?

One is through artist’s voluntary registration. Another one is that we dispatch representatives to the nation’s art academies and cities where artists cluster. After collecting information about numerous young artists, we select the appropriate artists. Our criteria are that the young artist’s artwork must possess a certain artistic value. Meanwhile, it should carry unique personal style. Lastly, the price tag of the artwork shouldn’t be high. We don’t place restrictions on any special topic.

"Fluttering Rain" by Cheng Ya Ding

Q: In what ways is the art by these less well-known young artists different from art done by the more established names?

So far it seems that style-wise, the work of young artists effuses a more modern, more vivacious, more carefree quality. In terms of their chosen topic it’s more personal and sentimental.

Q: How many participating artists?

So far 260.

Q: Besides giving the young artists opportunities and buyers exposure to fresh young artists, what else is GREEN endeavoring to achieve or to surpass?

"Sticky Fish" by Cui Yu

In the past few years the contemporary Chinese art market had been developing rapidly, which led to the situation where purchasing artwork became purely for investment purposes. Through GREEN, we endeavor to convey a certain type of concept and attitude towards art consumption. We hope that more people will purchase artwork for personal pleasure and appreciation, for consumption rather than for investment. Moreover, we hope that galleries can use GREEN as a search for prospective artists with whom they can cooperate.

Q: Why start an art fair now when there is a recession?

Our company has been doing CIGE for the past six years and served many galleries. We possess enormous momentum effects in the overall art market and business development. Due to the economic crisis, the art market in China has been severely affected just the same. The businesses of art galleries have withered, and many art investors have ceased buying. Under these circumstances, we need to do more to continue propelling the influence of art in the society; art exhibitions can help cultivate more art lovers, which can in turn cultivate more new consumption powers for the art market.

Q: Will the artists represent themselves like Gesai in Japan or will galleries take stalls in the fair like usual art fairs?

In a way, it’s similar to GESAI in Japan in that the focus is on young artists’ work. What makes our format different is that we employ a comprehensive, large-scale exhibition. Neither do we divide up the exhibition spaces into independent compartments, nor do the artists have to sell their own artwork at the exhibition – there will be salesmen.

"Diaries of a Fairy-tale" by Luo Cai

Q: Do you have any galleries signed up yet? If so, which ones?

There are no participating galleries in this exhibition. It’s a large-scale exhibition with only artwork.

Wang Yi Han, CEO of CAE Media, standing in front of the banner for the 2009 CIGE in Beijing

Q: Why have you chosen this location? Why not another city?

Because we’ve conducted activities in Beijing before, we are more familiar with Beijing and have found more artists and art enthusiasts in Beijing. The cultural and art scenes are also much more alive, which is ideal for organizing this exhibition. In the future we will also look into other cities that fulfill our requirements.

-Contributed by Wendy Ma

Related Posts:

• Iran Inside Out review round up – 56 artist survey show in New York described as mesmerising, a privilege – Sep 09
• Newslink round up Art Basel 2009 – Indian, Japanese artists dominate coverage of Asians- Jun 09
• More art, better art, riskier art at Art HK 09 - May 09

Subscribe to Art Radar for more interviews on Beijing art events

Newslink round up Art Basel 2009 – Indian, Japanese artists dominate coverage of Asians

ART FAIR

Much of the traditional coverage of Art Basel takes the same format: descriptions of some highlighted artworks are interwoven with information about sales generally and, dealers willing, specifically. From this gathering of anecdotal, far-from-objective evidence some kind of assessment of the buoyancy of the market is made.

This year the consensus view emerges that, from a base of very low expectations and to the relief of dealers, sales were made and perhaps were even quite strong.

Blogs offer some alternative reporting – see in particular the Sojones blog about the fast-selling artwork “Simple Things” – made of everyday objects encrusted with tens of thousands of precious jewels – which was a collaboration between musician Pharrell Williams and Takashi Murakami. This post by a non-fine arts blog took one small element of the fair and provided a link-rich comprehensive report. This may be a glimpse of the future of arts reporting. We hope so because there remain many untold stories about the fair …

Other themes extensively reported by the papers and blogs included  Brad Pitt’s purchases. Less predictable was the wide coverage given to “Il Tempo del Postino“, described as a show in time rather in space and as the “world’s first visual arts opera”.

For a list of Asian artists given press coverage see the tags at the bottom. Their names are also highlighted in grey in the article descriptions. It is interesting to note that these were mostly Japanese and Indian.

Collectors pleased with Art Basel 40 Fair – Japan Times – 19 June – “Art market is surprisingly healthy” Sep 09 to Mar 09 was difficult for dealers but Basel has coincided with an uptick in activity. Sales by Hiroshi Sugimoto. Other Asian artists mentioned included veteran Yayoi Kusama, and new or under-rcognised artists such as Teppei Kaneuji, Ei Arakawa.

After Art Basel, dealers have high hopes for London sales – Wall Street Journal – 19 June – Fair organisers talked of ‘unexpectedly strong’ sales and dealers seemed happy though no final sales figure has been released. 61000 visitors the highest number ever.

Recession appeal – The Economist – 18 June – A piece about sales – “by all nebulous barometers, business in Basel was satisfactory, possibly even very good”. Sales included Indian artists Anish Kapoor, Raqib Shaw. Posits 4 reasons for buoyant sales: return of collectors in down market, discounting, diversion of money out of Swiss bank accounts and perception art a stronger asset class.

Art Unlimited Part 2 – Art Basel video – Vernissage TV – 16 June – In this video walkthrough find works by Gabriele di Matteo, Li Dafang, Willem Boshoff, David Shrigley, Marcel van Eeden, Mel Bochner, Anthony McCall, Sigmar Polke, Steven Shearer, Lawrence Weiner, Goran Petercol, Aernout Mik, Stephan Balkenhol, Tatjana Doll, Chen Zhen, Natalie Djurberg, Sarah Oppenheimer, Bharti Kher, Falke Pisano, Clegg & Guttmann, Banks Violette, and Hans op de Beeck.

Art Basel Vernissage - Arrested Motion – 16 June – Over 60 images of artworks

Jeppe Hein loop bench at Art Basel – Designcrave – 15 June – Good pics of this piece of large crossover art.

Pharrell Williams’ and Takashi Murakami’s “Simple Things” sold for more than $2million – Sojones – 15 June 2009 – One of the most comprehensive pieces to cover the sale within 30 minutes of the opening of Simple Things, an artwork encrusted with 26,000 jewels by music man Pharrell Williams in conjunction with Takashi Murakami. A link to a great video interview with Farrell talking about the artwork.

 Art 40 Basel: Extraordinary quality, surprisingly strong results - Art Basel press release – 14 June – This press release is a closing statement rounding up the fair’s achievements and successes. Lists artists who attended including Subodh Gupta. Over 50 museum groups attended. Over 61000 visitors, over 300 galleries from 29 countries, more than 2500 artists. “Il Tempo del Postino”

 

Art Basel 2009 – video – Vernissage TV – 13 June – video walkthrough

Surprise success: Art Basel dispels credit crunch blues - The Art Newspaper – 12 June – Lists celebrities and collectors present. Fewer American collectors mostly Europeans did the buying. “The recession compelled dealers to bring their best”. Everyone was “sniffing”‘ for discounts and if dealers were flexible sales were made. Long list of specific artwork sales made.

Window shoppers – seasoned collectors spend carefully at Art Basel – Wall Street Journal – 12 June –  A list of collectors who visited (American collectors: the Horts and Craig Robins) and art advisers (Sandy Heller who buys for Steve Cohen and Philippe Segalot adviser to Francois Pinault owner of Christie’s).  Also lists some of 101 artists who were also at Venice Biennale. Relief that some sales were made. Describes ways galleries saved money. Asian artists mentioned On Kawara, Subodh Gupta.

A Thriftier Lot comes to Art Basel this year – New York Times – 11 June – This piece lists some of the artwork highlights on show and collectors and curators who attended. Art was more conservative than last year and focused on big rather than new names. Expectations so low that there was relief that some business was done.

Warhol price slashed as Art Basel fights slump with bargains – Bloomberg – 9 June – Long 25 paragraph piece made up of snippets of market information based on gallery interviews. Leading para is about trimming of prices this year – other interesting comments: Art Basel will be 2 shows this year both work on show and discreet consignment sales on behalf of collectors; Kapoor prices holding steady, pure New York market gone with some dealers missing this year but still interest from Asia and some parts of Europe.

Art Unlimited – Art Basel video part 1 - Vernissage TV – 9 June – This year’s Art Unlimited exhibition of the international art fair Art 40 Basel in Basel, Switzerland, marks the tenth edition of Art Basel’s sector for large sculptures, and installation and video art. Works by Elisabetta Benassi, Yoshitomo Nara, Beat Zoderer, Sislej Xhafa, Ayse Erkmen, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Fabrice Gygi, Surdashan Shetty, Farhad Moshiri, Jesús Fafael Soto, Sterling Ruby, Laurence Weiner, Franz Erhard Walter, Steven Shearer, Nedko Solakov, :Mentalklinik, Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Stephan Balkenhol, and Matthew Day Jackson.

Editor’s Picks: Art Basel Preview - Artinfo – 8 June – Useful link to an image carousel showing works being presented at 42 galleries, many with price information.

For art lovers Basel doesn’t end at the fair – New York Times Travel Section – 7 June – Long comprehensive post covering what to eat, where to sleep and what to see in Basel. Brief overview of Art Basel (40th anniversary, 300 galleries, 2500 artists, not much art after 1970s) and an interesting look at the exhibitions by museums (the result of 5 centuries of wealth and “public-mindedness”).

Locals Rule: Alternative Art spaces gear up for Art Basel – Artinfo – 6 June – List of activities offered on Basel’s alternative art scene.

Basel, more than a fair city – New York Times Travel section - undated – 9 enticing images of hotels and restaurants

The Art Market: the biggest fairs around the world – Financial Times – Georgina Adams – 6 June – A few paragraphs of Basel coverage in this piece covering art fairs. Two distinguishing events at Art Basel: Art Unlimited an exhibition of large scale works in 12000 sq m hall and Il Tempo del Postino which sets time limits on art display. Two more paragraphs speculate about pricing strategies.

Meanwhile in Basel Contemporary Works you can buy – Wall Street Journal – 5 June – Short prefair description of event and some works

Related links: To see the online catalogue visit http://artbasel-online.com/

Related posts:

Newslink round up – Art HK 09 – May 09

Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto – 4 fascinating video interviews – May 09

Which 5 Indian artists would you dare to buy now? – May 09

Art Dubai 2009 – who sold what to whom? – Mar 09

Who are the top artists at art fairs? - Mar 09

Newslink round up Arco Madrid 2009 – Feb 09

Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for round ups of art news coverage

More art, better art, riskier art at Art HK 09

HONG KONG ART FAIR

“What do you think of the art fair this year?” Advisors, fair visitors, writers and artists graciously suffered our question ‘du jour’ for the duration of the much-anticipated second edition of Art HK.

Tipped to be the Art Basel of Asia after its successful inaugural edition in 2008 we, along with art market participants around the world, were curious to know if this year’s show was still on track to fulfill its promise.

There was more art on offer this time with 110 participants (up from 101 in 2008) and there was a consensus view that the show was well-organised. “The management of the show is slick, very slick,” said a reporter from an established London-based arts magazine.

Whether it was the latent potential of the Asian market or the polished work by organisers Asian Art Fairs Ltd , a collaboration between Single Market Events, Andry Montgomery and Will Ramsay of Pulse Contemporary Art Fairs, prestigious galleries such as New York’s Gagosian and London’s White Cube signed up for the first time this year in an unexpected coup for a fair so early in its career.

But what about the quality of the art? Did it hold up against the top international art fairs? What did galleries dare to bring to a new market in the midst of a wrenching recession? How safe did they play it?

The answer: Happily not very safe at all. The utilitarian convention centre hall venue was filled to the rafters with eye-sizzling  non-decorative pieces: intriguing installations vied with over-sized multi-media works and towering sculptures.

Last year Amelia Johnson Contemporary sold Macau-based Russian artist Konstantin Bessmertny’s  popular paintings  like sweets. The year she also showed his more demanding enormous horse sculpture/installation/performance piece Momentum pro Aliquis 2008/9, a riderless Renaissance horse in wood.

“It is much, much better than last year” said a Hong Kong-based art advisor with 15 years of experience. “It is more cutting edge, much riskier”. Managing editor of Orientations magazine, Hwang Yin agreed “Yes the quality of the art is far better this year, less Chinese painting. The work on show is much more interesting.”

Even a Hong Kong hedge fund manager fair visitor who has not purchased an artwork in 10 years noticed the difference. “The quality is up several notches compared with last year. I found plenty of ideas and I am thinking of buying a piece this time”.  An account manager for a London-based arts magazine visiting the fair for first time said she liked the art at the fair because it is ‘international’ and was particularly intrigued by the Korean works because of their novel use of space and materials.

While feedback was overwhelmingly positive, there were a few stray, albeit muted, dissenters. A young highly-regarded Asian curator was less enthusiastic: “I think the art could be better but to be honest I am biassed. I have a problem with fairs anyway as I come from a non-profit background. But I can say that the work at Green Cardamom is stellar and The Drawing Room is showing some interesting pieces too”.

Hong Kong artist James Feldmanblogged unhappily about the Ferdinand Botero-like fat figure sculptures and the ’saccharine kitsch’ from Beijing. But he did like Baselitz and Schnabel: “they stood out like a couple of grizzled WWII vets swaggering through a kindergarten”.

Surprise was the response of renowned Biennale-exhibiting artist Din Q. Le from Vietnam whose solo show South China Sea Pishkun at 10 Chancery Lane opened during the fair. “I am taken aback by the enthusiasm for the fair that everyone is showing. In the west the art scene is kind of depressed.”  

Hong Kong is known for its energetic, can-do culture and maybe that accounted for some of the fizz and excitement.  But for Johann Nowak of DNA Berlin, it was the future opportunities offered by the Asian art market which made his voice bubble with excitement as he talked to us. He believes Hong Kong is the ‘perfect place in every way’ for an art fair. ‘It is just perfect’. Pressed for specifics he came up with a benefit new to us: he explained that one of the key advantages of Hong Kong  is that “there are no dominant galleries in the town” allowing a level playing field and equal opportunities for visiting galleries. ”There are no gallery intrigues, that is what makes Basel work so well too”.

And what about sales? 

Reuters  focussed on the performance of the major international galleries in the first days of the fair and reported ’notable sales’ such as the  Gilbert and George ‘Gingko’ piece bought from White Cube by an Asian collector for GBP325,000. For a rounded view, Art Radar approached a few of the other lesser known and Asian galleries on the last day of the fair.

Tokyo-based Yamamoto Gendai said ”We have not sold so many pieces here, about 5″ and German gallery Levy reported just one sale. Korean art specialist Cais Gallery who participated last year too said they had sold 4 to 5 pieces in the US$4-8,000 range. “It is slow compared with last year, fewer collectors”. Another Japanese gallery sold 5-6 pieces in the US$5-20,000 range with much interest shown in Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photographs. Beijing -based Aye Gallery sold 7 pieces.

In terms of sales, this was a ”bits and pieces” fair and on the last day the mood was less buoyant than suggested by early press reports. Nevertheless the galleries remained firmly committed to the fair because of ‘the quality’. According to Novak, this year making sales is less important than networking and exposing work to institutions and international collectors. “Next year is the year to watch sales.”

Related links: Images on Flickr, 80 images on Arrested Motion blog,

Related posts:

• Newslink round up – Art HK 09 – May 09
• Art Dubai 2009 – who sold what to whom? – Mar 09
• Shanghai art fair goes ahead despite advice to cancel - Mar 09
• Who are the top artists at art fairs? - Mar 09
• Newslink round up Arco Madrid 2009 – Feb 09

Subscribe to Art Radar for art fair news

Newslink roundup Hong Kong art fair – Art HK 09

  

 

Mu Boyan, Nude No 2

HONG KONG ART FAIR NEWS

Flu Season – Artforum – 24 May 09 – Must read - This gossip column-style drily written piece, complete with photos of Asian art scene-shapers, takes a comprehensive look at most aspects of the fair: management (white plastic and undrinkable wine), gallery sales (“Art HK winners: major Western galleries, local Hong Kong galleries. Big losers: major mainland galleries.”), the parties (one a victim of its own exclusivity) and the panels (a big thumbs up).  Not much written about the art itself though.

Art market reporting is notoriously conflict-ridden. Business class tickets and VIP jollies for journalists are not unknown and big ad bucks in harsh economic times also make a potent lure for bias. There is not much evidence of (or opportunity for) independent research: most of the hard data about sales and visitor numbers comes from galleries and event promoters who have an inherent commercial conflict.

Now that the ‘blog reader beware’ warning is done with, grab a handful of salt and enjoy the read.

There is some interesting coverage of lesser known Asian-based artists by the New York Times and read (the more honest??) comments by the Asian galleries about sales which are at odds with those of the Western galleries – this is covered in several of the pieces. Overall the reviews are mostly positive (of course) but for what it is worth we thought both the art and the  fair management were excellent in this second edition of the show.

 

 

Art fair saw 31% rise in visitors and several major sales - South China Morning Post – May 20 09 – Gives details of visitor numbers (sourced from the fair managers) and specific big sales claimed by Western galleries and Western artists. A Korean gallery reported few sales.

An artistic quest in high gear – International Herald Tribune / New York Times – May 20 09 – Must read - Interesting piece with a focus on the art on display, with a refreshing emphasis on lesser known Asian artists such as Konstantin Bessmertny, a Russian artist based in Macau. Several images.

More art, better art, riskier art at Art HK 09 – Art Radar Asia – May 19 09 – Report on visitor opinions of the fair this year, gallery sales (weak for lesser known and Asian galleries), the management of the fair (better) and quality of the art.

Artist makes sure fair goes with a bang – South China Morning Post – May 20 09 – Short piece about avant-garde artist Chow Chun-Fai’s 2 performance pieces hosted by Shanghai Tang.

Art HK 09 -  George Chen – May 17 09 - Set of photos on Flickr

Asian auction houses starting to come of age – South China Morning Post – May 17 09 – Brief piece about auctions staged to coincide with the Hong Kong art fair (Est-ouest Auctions and the inaugural Asian Auction Week – a joint auction by Korea’s K Auction, Japan’s Shinwa, Kingsley’s from Taipei and Larasati from Singapore).

The second edition – Financial Times – May 16 09 – Describes art on sale and sold half way through sale.

Hong Kong Art Fair – Art World – June/July 09 – promotional blurb with a list of Australian galleries

Solid start to Hong Kong art fair despite downturn – Reuters – May 16 09 – Brief report on ‘notable sales’ in fair’s first days - This Uk edition focuses on sales (at the top end with values at tens and hundreds of thousands US$ per piece) of Western artists by top London and New York galleries including Damien Hirst, Gilbert and George, Julian Opie.

Opening HK art fair – Arrested Motion blog - May ? 09 – More than 80 images of works on show at the fair - Unfortunately not tagged but it gives a flavour of what exhibitors have brought.

Art HK 09: Hong Kong International Art Fair has a good start – Artdaily -  May 15 09 - List of artworks sold on first day – Reports ‘robust sales’ and a ‘heady atmosphere of excitement’. Sales by Damien Hirst, Gilbert and George, Kohei Nawa, Fang Shao Hua, Ron Arad.

Hong Kong Art Fair Part 11 – Illustrator James Feldman blog – May 15 09 – Acerbic blog piece about weak and strong art at the fair – Baselitz and Schnabel stand out against bloated ‘reverse engineered Botero’ sculptures. Hong Art Fair Part 1 drily discusses the pecking order of tickets – ‘I have a pink ticket and a black ticket and I can’t work out which is more exclusive’.

Tennis art at the Hong Kong International Art Fair – NY Times Globespotters – May 14 09 – Short feature about live demonstration of Martina Navratilova creating one of her tennis ball paintings -  She has been making these with fellow Czech and artist Juro Kralik since 2000 but has only recently started to sell the works.

Strange Hong Kong art fair – Detroit Free Press – May 13 2009 - A set of 6 images, mostly sculptures at the fair and the concurrent Seoul Auction. Artists Mu Boyan, Yi hwan Kwon, Yayoi Kusama, Damien Hirst, Lin Yilin.

Insider Art Fair – Artinfo – May 13 2009 – Short list of artists’ works and prices brought to the fair by leading galleries.

 Prefair coverage

Much of the prefair coverage republishes the press release or gives other repetitive promotional content. A couple of links covering the basics are given here and a more complete list can be found on the Hong Kong art fair site.

Magnus Renfrew on ArtHK09 - Artinfo – May 12 2009 – Pre-fair interview with director Magnus Renfrew. Great questions, predictable answers. Content is mainly promotional but does cover failure to get sponsorship this year. Claims Hong Kong is superior location in Asia for art fair: well-positioned geographically to tap mature collector groups in Taiwan and South Korea as well as latent potential of future Chinese market; tax benefits.  Gallery mix is 65% Asian, 35% international. MR also claims that HK art fair is more regional than competing fairs.

Hong Kong’s contemporary art fair – Financial Times – May 9 2009 – A somewhat promotional pre-fair piece which lists participant galleries and side events.  Based on a news angle which suggests Hong Kong (and environs) is a rising star in Asian art scene. Evidence for its growing importance as a cultural hub is given as 1) Guangzhou Triennial “widely considered China’s most important art event” 2) last year’s budget approval by HK government for the development of West Kowloon cultural district –  a 40 hectare site for the arts 3) Hong Kong has become third largest art market by auction sales in world 4) last year’s introduction of ArtHK, Hong Kong art fair.

 Related posts:

• Art Dubai who sold what to whom? 15 galleries talk to Art Radar – Mar 2009
• Who are the top artists at art fairs? – Mar 2009
• Arco Madrid art fair newslink round up – Feb 2009
• Which are the top 10 international contemporary art fairs? - Jan 09

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Art Dubai 2009 – who sold what to whom? 15 galleries talk to Art Radar

MIDDLE EAST ART FAIR

Which artists were favourites? 15 exhibitor galleries talk to Art Radar in the final day of the fair about sales, attendance and some new collector trends.

Summary:

• Middle Eastern collectors showing first signs of interest in East Asian art
• Pieces in the price range US$20-30000 sell best
• Sales down compared with last year; booths have mixed results
• More art fair visitors from institutions
• Russian collector base changing

Set out below is a round-up of comments from a selection of galleries participating in the fair.

Triumph Gallery – Russia

Ruth Addison: “The fair is going OK rather than fast in terms of sales but it is great in terms of contacts and opportunities. Some of our artists have been invited on residencies. We did not expect too much because of 1) the recession 2) Russian artists are new to the Middle East and 3) this is the first time for Triumph at the fair. Most interest has been shown in AES+F.”

Aidan Gallery - Russia

Aidan Salakhova, Director: “Sales have been slower, much as we expected. We have sold 2-3 pieces. We may come back next year but we don’t plan to attend any art fairs in the next 5-6 months. We were the first private gallery in the USSR when we opened 17 yeas ago. In Russia now there is so much change happening to the local collector base, many people are losing money and other new collectors who are making money – perhaps from the government – are entering the market and replacing them. Our aim is to survive the next couple of years and wait for the market to settle”

Grosvenor Gallery London

Connor Macklin “The fair has been better than expected for us. The mood is different this year but we have made sales in the range of US$2,000 to US$100,000 per piece”.

Haunch of Venison - London, Berlin, Zurich, New York

Adrian Sutton, Senior Sales Director “We have had a successful fair. We have sold one piece and are close with two other pieces and if they come off, sales ( of Indian artist Jitish Kallat and Wim Wenders ) will be over a quarter of a million US dollars in total.”

October Gallery London

Elizabeth Lalouschek Artistic Director: “We have found that there has been more interest in larger works. We have sold 10 works with prices varying from US$2,500 to US$90,000 including two El Anatsui works. This fair we have noticed more of an international attendance and more museum directors than in previous years. Perhaps this is because the art fair is being held at the same time as the Sharjah Biennale.”

El Anatsui at October Gallery

Mario Mauroner Vienna Austria

“This is our third time here and it has been very quiet. Most interest has been shown in Barthelmy Toguo from Cameroon. We did well at Bologna and Arco so Art Dubai has been disappointing . But we set up in 1972 and have survived recessions dating back to the 1973 oil crisis so I don’t doubt we will survive this too.”

Galerie Kashya Hildebrand  Switzerland

Kashya Hildebrand “This is our third trip and we are very happy because members of the Royal Family have bought Asian art for the first time – a Korean artist….a major development.

There is a also a group of serious Dubai-based Iranian collectors who come to the fair. They take their purchases very seriously, pore over the pieces, ask lots of questions and return each day. Last year this group also began to buy Asian art for the first time which is very exciting.”

Korean artist Ran Hwang purchased by Royal Family

Galerie Volker Diehl Moscow, Berlin

Monica F. Eulitz International Director:  ”The fair has been very well attended and we have seen buyers from the entire Gulf region this year not just local participants. We have sold a few pieces in the US$20,000-30,000 range.”

 Kalfayan Galleries  Greece

Roupen Kalfayan: ” Sales have been so-so but it has been wonderful for contacts. Business is slower than last year. This is our second year.. We have had a lot of interest in the Syrian photographer Hrair Sarkissianwho will be exhibiting at the Istanbul Biennale. He started to receive attention from collectors last year and we have placed his work with European collectors at the fair this year. Also Tarek Al Ghoussein.”

B21 Dubai

Tessa de Caters: “We have made some sales and the video and digital Iranian artist Leila Pazooki has been receiving attention.

Pyo Gallery  Korean

Jeong Yim Gho, Chief curator “It is slow compared with last year. Last year was pretty good but not this year though we have made a few sales in the US$20-30,000 range” Most interest was shown in Park, Sung-Tae.

Hakgojae Gallery, Seoul

Kim Jyon director “This is our first visit and sales have not been good. U Fan has sold and there has been a lot of interest in Lee Lee Nam but no sales yet of this artist’s work.”

Aicon GalleryNew York, Palo Alto, London

“Sales are reasonable but much slower than last year”

Bodhi Art Mumbai

Puneet Shah Asst Gallery Manager: “It has been slow fair for us. We have made no sales. The artist which has attracted most attention is Subodh Gupta.

Edwynn Houk Gallery New York  US

Edwynn Houk “This is our first year and we have made a good beginning. We have sold 6 pieces, all photographs by Lalla Essaydi. We have found that Western artists seem to have less resonance with local collectors this year but perhaps interest will develop over time. We would like to come back to Art Dubai”

Related categories: art fairs, Middle Eastern art, collector news

Related posts:

• Review round-up Saatchi Middle East show Unveiled: which artists are critic favourites? March 2009
• ARCO Madrid 2009 news round up – galleries drop out, public funding prop provided Feb 2009
• Which artists from Asia are in the Pompidou centre? – Dec 2008 – Iranian and Iraqi artists have been added recently
• The Dubai art market and its future – Nation, Guardian – Nov 2008

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Shanghai art fair goes ahead despite advice to cancel

SHANGHAI ART FAIR

The Financial Times reports that

Lorenzo Rudolf, one of the founders of ShContemporary, the Shanghai fair, has resigned as director after the event’s Italian owners ignored his advice to cancel this year’s event. The fair is going ahead, September 10-13.

Replacing him is the Beijing-based curator Colin Chinnery, previously deputy director at China’s first independent art space, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing. Chinnery was one of four senior staff who left UCCA, said insiders, because its owner/founder, the Belgian foodstuffs mogul Guy Ullens, wanted financial targets to be met earlier than initially planned.

Meanwhile, Rudolf has been hired to spearhead international development at the French company that owns Art Paris-Abu Dhabi, the art fair held every November in the Emirate.

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Related categories: Art fairs, market watch

Related posts:

• Who are the top artists at art fairs? March 2009 
• Russian art fair delayed by recession Feb 2009
• ARCO Madrid art fair news round up Feb 2009 – galleries drop out, government steps in with funding

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Who are the top artists at art fairs?

TOP ARTISTS ART FAIRS

According to research by Artprice, 92% of the top artists at international art fairs still hail from outside Asia.

The  artists who are most frequently presented by galleries (by more than 50 galleries) at the top international art fairs from mid 2007 to mid 2008 are ranked as follows:

• Andy Warhol (133 times),
• Pablo Picasso (130 times),
• Joan Miro (98 times),
• Antoni Tapies (80),
• Sol Lewitt, Sam Francis, Robert Rauschenberg, Lucio
  Fontana, Henri Matisse (62),
• Alexander Calder, David Hockney, Frank Stella, Tom Wesselmann, Roy Lichtenstein, Marc Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, Fernand Léger, Alighiero Boetti, Eduardo Chillida, Mimmo Paladino,
  Arman, Jannis Kounellis, Henri Moore and Georg Baselitz (50
  times).

These are clearly the stars of the art market that figure massively at the top the list.

When the list is expanded to show artists presented by at least 19 galleries, we find that the list of 55 artists is, once again, dominated by American artists. Artists from Asia represent only 8% of this list.

• US artists:  42% of the population (apart from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Sean Scully previously mentioned,we find Kiki Smith, Donald Baechler, Richard Prince, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Tony Oursler, Julian Schnabel and John Chamberlain).
• Germans arrive in second place with 14% of the artists including Günther Förg and Stephan Balkenhol, but also Thomas Ruff, Anselm Kiefer, Jörg Immendorff, Rosemarie Trockel and Bernd & Hilla Becher.
• In third place, the Italians and British (11% each)
• Spain and China (5% each), followed by
• Switzerland (4%),
• Japan (3%),
• Belgium and Portugal (2% each) and
• Brazil (1%).

Artprice report Contemporary art market 2007/2008

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Changes in Tokyo’s art scene 2008 – new fair, art district, art guides

ART JAPAN

Heiko Blankenstein at Galerie Alexandra Saheb in Tokyo 101 fair

 

 

Tokyo Art Beat, a rare source of information in English about what is happening on the Japanese art scene, has produced a review of art events and news in Tokyo in 2008. Here is a summary of some of the changes.

Last year for art fair Art@Agnes

Art@Agnes, a compact art fair with just 33 galleries and 2500 visitors, held every January at the luxury Agnes Hotel and Apartments in Iidabashi is to close in 2010.

Citing that it has achieved its goal of establishing a new and fresh art fair in Tokyo, the Art@Agnes committee have declared 2009’s edition of the event to be the last, with plans for it to evolve into a new, as yet unspecified event in 2010. 

Gallery movements

A new art district is potentially developing in Bakurocho

Two galleries formerly located in Roppongi have relocated to the blue-collar neighbourhood of Bakurocho in East Tokyo, where they join a handful of spaces that were already there. Taro Nasu Gallery now occupies the same building as Foil Gallery and Roentgenwerke (now renamed Radi-um) finds itself next door to CASHI Contemporary Art. With spaces such as Makii Masaru Fine Art, Motus Fort and Parabolica Bis also already in Bakurocho, the neighbourhood is now something of a fledgling gallery district. Should more spaces open there over the next couple of years, Tokyo’s art scene could conceivably find itself grasping its holy grail: a relatively dense, walkable centre of commercial contemporary galleries.

Tokyo’s first art week

The first week of April was a flurry of art world activity: Tokyo was taken over by art fairs, art awards and numerous gallery openings for what was effectively the first Tokyo Art Week.

Tokyo Art Fair was joined by the inaugural edition of the 101 Tokyo Contemporary Art fair

Created by Julia Barnes of nonaca/Nakaochiai Gallery, Kosuke Fujitaka of Tokyo Art Beat/NY Art Beat and independent curators Agatha Wara and Antonin Gaultier, 101Tokyo aimed to be the antidote to the domesticity and conservatism of Art Fair Tokyo by featuring 28 young galleries – 14 from Japan and 14 from abroad – and injecting a sense of fun and unpredictability into Tokyo’s art market with a lively program of talks, performances, awards and parties.

New art guides 

Such a period of heightened activity was ideal for the launch of two new guides to the city’s art scene. After many months of intensive collaboration with Craig Mod of Chin Music Press, I published Art Space Tokyo, a 272-page guide to 12 of the city’s most architecturally and historically distinctive galleries and museums . Tokyo Art Beat released the Tokyo Art Map, a bimonthly, bilingual mini-guide to exhibitions taking place in key art areas around Tokyo.

Tokyo Art Beat

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