|
|
 |
|
| Passion Investments: Art |
Desire Writ Large
Daniel DelRe
06/01/2005
|
Last November, Sotheby’s auctioned off a 14-foot sculpture by Henry
Moore for $8.4 million, far above the $6 million estimate. At the same auction,
a piece by the British abstract sculptor Barbara Hepworth fetched $1.13 million,
more than double Sotheby’s anticipated price of $500,000.
Given the risks and rewards of buying
art, collectors and dealers advise
their clients to look for pieces that reflect their tastes. |
The Crucial Context
At events such as Isleworth, experienced buyers hope
to avoid being distracted by the sublime landscape, and instead examine hard
criteria to evaluate the sculpture on display. Trained eyes focus on the quality
of a piece’s surface, or patina, and its condition. Fastidious collectors may
also balk at pieces cast after an artist’s death, such as Maillol’s La
Méditerranée. This tends to decrease a piece’s value.
The extent to which an
artist has been commercialized can be another drag on a work’s value. Last July,
art critic Martha Schwendener commented that Indiana’s Love sculpture has been
“co-opted by everyone from poster, keychain and candle makers to the United
States Postal Service, who reportedly paid the artist a thousand dollars for
what became one of their most popular stamps.” Botero’s works are equally
omnipresent in souvenir shops and gift stores around the world.
 | | LE MEDITERRANEE by Aristide Maillol was conceived in 1902 and cast in 1975.
The sculptor based this 4-foot piece on his favorite muse, Dina Vierny. |
Given the
risks and rewards of buying art, collectors and dealers advise their clients to
look for pieces that reflect their tastes and mesh with their personality. When
it comes to monumental sculpture, however, the paramount criterion is whether
the piece fits into its surroundings. A sculpture out of synch with its
environment becomes an eyesore rather than a testament to the taste and
sophistication of its owner. For this reason, Connery and Sotheby’s have devised
a method for buyers to “test-drive” monumental sculpture before settling on a
piece and its final location.
At the 2004 Isleworth exhibition, a European
buyer considered purchasing Rodin’s 9-foot, 8-inch, rendering of the French
novelist Honoré de Balzac. Awed by its size, the buyer hesitated, wondering if
the piece would work well within his garden. To help him make up his mind,
Sotheby’s staff took photos of the statue from all four sides and enlarged them
to life-size. Then they pasted the photos onto a lightweight rectangular box
that could easily be moved from the golf course to the owner’s premises. Once
there, they maneuvered and manipulated the model until they found the right spot
for the real thing. In the end, Sotheby’s clinched the sale.
Daniel DelRe is an intern with Worth. danield@worth.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
