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| Passion Investments: Art |
Soviet Sophisticates
Lee Sherman
12/01/2005
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Propaganda posters, like the stamps Grigorian saved, were never
intended as works of art, so few have survived the ravages of time and political
change. “A lot of posters are printed on cheap paper because they were never
meant to last; hence the condition is extremely poor,” Bartow
explains.
“Condition is important but, quite honestly, Russian posters are
still rare enough that oftentimes you find a piece in bad condition and it makes
sense to buy it because you aren’t sure you are going to find it again in good
condition,” Lowry adds.
Today the market for Soviet-era posters is much more
accessible for private collectors. A good starting point is with the website of
the International Vintage Poster Dealers Association, www.ivpda.com, where collectors can browse
through available stock and get a sense of items on the market. Lowry advises
potential collectors to make sure they have the financial wherewithal and the
required knowledge before they jump into collecting these posters. “It is not a
poor man’s game,” he emphasizes. “The average price is around $20,000 to
$30,000, and it is an extremely sophisticated art form.”
“In the last couple
of years, wealthy Japanese entrepreneurs and Russian private collectors have
started to buy these posters, and now the market is hot,” Bartow says. While
this has fueled price increases, Bartow insists the market has yet to peak. “I’d
get into it now rather than wait, because in the next five years it will get
even stronger.”
Lowry adds: “There’s a standard litany in the art world which
says you should only buy something because you like it and not because you think
it will increase in value. I tend to fly in the face of that. Right now this
market is primed to continue to expand. If you buy the top-of-line material, you
almost can’t go wrong.”
Lee Sherman is a freelance writer who is based in San Francisco.
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