I received the Christie’s catalogue for the auction on Nov 25 and I registered because I wanted a Yue Minjun (if the price were to be within my budget) or the Sanya collection, but I believed this would also be expensive, considering Christie’s estimated price. The auction confirmed that Yue was unaffordable, but regarding the Sanya collection, I was surprised there was not a big interest during the auction.
The auction started with bad signs, one hour delay in Christies live due to excess of public. That means only one thing: too much interest, bids too high. In fact, despite a fair budget, I only can bid at the beginning of the lots. I lost the Yue's, the Tang's... The Sanya collection approaches but my chances were very few, all the lots before reached a very high prices, the lot before, an oil on paper by Zhang Xiaogang, reached 1.800.000HKD, plus auction fees, plus shipment, plus import taxes... The Sanya collection contained at least two very nice Zhang's, one Yue Minjun face, Wangs, Zhengs...and despite there were in ink, the price will be high, I thought. The bid started, one click, answer, another click, I thought now will start the war, nothing, one, two for internet bidder, ????, estrange, third for internet bidder. It was mine!!! Where was the mistake, I told to me. 28 works, greatest contemporary artists, color ink, traditional tools... I did not understand why so few interest, I had to wait for receiving the works in order to be sure I did not make a mistake. Which? I do not know, but someone sure. They arrived, no mistake, on the contrary, the works arrived framed, and they look much more nice than in the catalog's picture. Then the problem was that I waited for 28 pieces of paper and I received 28 framed works, where to put them? where to storage them? Well, that's another history.
I do not understand this lack of interest because of several reasons:
- The honorable purpose of the sale
- The idea of the collection
- The works are by the most valuable contemporary artists, even without Cai Guo Qiang
- They are unique and rare works because they are painted by contemporary artists with traditional tools
- They are unique because they link contemporary and tradition
- They are unique and rare because the artists never did that and probably never will do this again
- Someone who would like to support the idea could bid for the woks (one of the artists maybe?)
Well, the only reason I can think of is that people only want to speculate, to buy recognizable works and in canvas support. They do not think at long term and about the intrinsic value of the works. Despite all this, I think it is a very good business; the works of Zhang Xiaogang alone could get a big price. The lot before was an oil on paper (52x76cm) sold at 1.800.000 HKD. Any small piece of paper of Basquiat, Warhol, Picasso is valued hundreds of thousands of US dollars. Until I receive the works at home and see them I would not believe the price I paid for them.. It is largely the higher price I ever paid for a painting.
Anyway, I wanted to write even before receiving the paintings because I would like know who painted what. Three works of Zhang Xiaogang are very recognizable, one Yue Minjun with an smile face also, Wang’s for his let’s say easy work, Ye Yongqing for his traditional work, Mao Xuhui for his scissors, Zeng Fanzhi for his lines and Zhou for his early landscapes, other less. My idea is to maintain the collection with all the information and materials, and the “spirit” which drove the gathering first and the collection afterward. On top of this I would like to buy, step by step and depending on the budget available each year, one work from each one of the artists who went to the gathering. I believe “the Sanya Collection” could be an exhibition per se.
But thinking about that, I told myself “why not to suggest Lu Peng to do something more and take advantage of the great idea of the gathering and sold the works all together like a Collection: “the Sanya Collection”. To do something more to help him also in to rise founds.
Why not to write a book about your Sanya gathering? I very much liked the description in the catalogue and the answers from the artists, therefore why not to explain it in a book. A book containing an explanation of the works, but also with the travel comments and landscape descriptions, the ideas emerged during the gathering, the situation of the artists in the art world, their opinions and thoughts, asking them for contributions, anecdotes, their experiences in this world which is changing so fast and so positively for them… I think you had a unique opportunity to share a trip experience with the most important contemporary artists, all together. Capitalist market moves very fast and probably they will never meet again like this. A book between an “on the road” novel, a critic research and an art book.
Once received the collection I can affirm that it has been a great acquisition, the works framed win in quality and become more powerful, to see the fragility of do so by ink much more. Each work has something in se, but the interpretation of the Zhang works with traditional tools are extremely qualitative. The exercise of Yue Minjun ahead of smile faces is also appreciate. Each work is great per se, but the whole is magnificent, unique and rare.
I’m sure, the value of each work separately is bigger than the whole collection, but that’s the difference between speculate and become a collector.
Thanks to Mao Xuhui, Wang Guangyi, Wu Shanzhuan, Ye Yongqing, Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Xiaogang, Zhang Peili and Zhou Chunya for maintain this spirit of a generation of chinese painting. And thanks to Lu Peng for maintain them linked.
