I am grateful to Reggie Darling's post and this picture, above in particular, which he has kindly given me permission to use. It brought to my attention the Christie's New York sale which included some China Trade pictures, which I had overlooked,
and in particular this scene of Singapore, which was estimated at between USD25-40,000 and which achieved a very bullish USD86,500. I have recently purchased an iconic scene of Victoria Harbour, (Hong Kong), so it is always pleasing to see that I have probably managed to get it at a rather good price. The Singapore picture would have made a nice companion, as they are almost identical in size, and both have the traditional and similar blackwood carved frames, and date from the 1860s. That I have lived in both cities during their days as part of the British Empire was an added incentive.
But as it happens, I was thinking about two pictures that I had seen at a gallery in Saigon,
by the Vietnamese artist Bui Tien Tuan. The glazing makes them rather difficult to see, but they are acrylic on silk, and had both a Japanese and Toulouse-Lautrec quality that appealed to me, (particularly the second one). Unfortunately the price was far too much in my opinion, probably buoyed by a visit to the gallery by the Clintons, which has immediately added an unwelcome premium to anything they are selling, (even if the Clintons did not buy this artist's work).
10 comments:
I think that I must be an old fuddy-duddy. The two former pictures would grace my walls, the two latter, not.
Were the Clintons not travelling incognito? They must be deafened by the scratch of the marker pen re-pricing as they appear.
Well, nothing wrong with being a fuddy-duddy, and I too tend towards the older schools, but it does not exclude my liking other styles. However, I find I cannot make an exception for pop art, however hard I try. So I would have been pretty useless at advising people based on my dislike of that genre, as it has been one of the best performing, in terms of price. But price and taste are quite different, as we know.
I'm not sure when the Clintons went to the gallery, but their visit was recorded for posterity by signed photographs etc. I imagine it would be difficult for them to travel incognito.
Ah! The 'Clinton Effect'!
It was the Clinton Effect that allows me to include being expelled as an undesirable from a country in my CV.
No hard feelings, though. Although I suffered, he was right to stop all US support for the rebel UNITA in Angola in exchange for the Government, MPLA getting rid of all the foreign military 'Advisors'. Regardless what some may think of his colourful career as President, he sowed the seeds for the end of the war in Angola. Having seen and endured what I did in Angola up to that point, I would have puffed on his cigar for that.
Clearly I have no taste because I rather like the stark simplicity of some pop art, although I tend to the old school as well (the exercise in light and contrast you shared with us a few posts ago took my breath away). What I would really like to see is the emergence of an African pop artist with a little soupçon of revolution flowing in his veins rather than all the kitsch we see on offer here. I agree, price and taste are quite different but, as a new genre, well executed African revolutionary pop art would be quite marketable in my opinion.
If only I could find the right man wielding the brushes, he could pay for his meals in my restaurant with paintings and together, we could enjoy a beautiful relationship.
As long as we're clear what I mean about pop art, (think Andy Warhol), which is quite different to modern art, or abstract art. The two Vietnamese pictures are not pop, but they are abstract. I rather hope you want that from your budding African artists. I don't object to some modern art, though I find that my tastes are tending towards realistic and older schools, such as the China Trade, Old Masters, and early C20th, (some of which are impressionistic).
That is always the dilemma of rising prices in a field. The value of what you already own increases, but you are at the same time hampered from future acquisitions.
I suppose it's better that way round. In any case, my asset allocation in fine art is completed for the time being, although I'm easily tempted. My latest stock investment for which I had to effect a foreign exchange transaction to pay for it was looking quite clever for a few days after execution, but now has done the complete opposite. Swings and roundabouts...and in the long term, like all these things it will be fine, if not quite brilliant.
I find it interesting when corporations invest in artwork, and I've been through several that are beautiful workspaces for that reason. But in terms of personal space, I think good art is defined by whatever elevates your spirit in your own home. If it turns out to have been a good investment, whatever the price, all the better.
Wonderful picture, I'd seen it on the catalog online, and what a fantastic price it fetched, beautiful!
Mark - I agree that any art that I buy has to uplift me in some form or other.
Paul - it would have been nice to have it, reminding me of my childhood there, but at these prices, these are becoming wild, and I'll have to bide my time and hope for luck as previously, that I can obtain one more reasonably.
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