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The more I got involved with serious art the more I visited Athens and tried to acquire good Greek paintings. There were no auctions in Greece until late 1988 and that was still not trusted nor known to the general public. Read more on Theodore Ralli 1989 – Athens Greece- Lessons In Bargaining and Buying Privately… The Exter arrived from Paris safely but I was not impressed by it at first. It had a flimsy cheap frame on, it was dirty and it looked out of place among the other paintings I had. Yet, all the signs of a Russian revival were there. Perestroika was there and then ….. Read more on Alexandra Exter, A Lost Opportunity or A Great Investment?…
I got involved in the art world at the right time. Prices were low, auction rooms were not well known to all people and so few bought and sold art thirty years ago. The internet was unheard of and so all the business was done through word of mouth and catalogues. Being at auction and visiting auctions was primary and extremely rewarding. Down town Athens is a mixture of a modern crazy city and a cultural hub. Old churches standing next to modern dull buildings; ancient monuments standing proudly in three thousand years of history next to modern monstrosities of cement and glass. Read more on Dimitris Galanis, Beautiful Nude Pastel In Athens 1987… Alexandra Exter, A Russian Avant Garde Master Painter
A Dream Painter Betrayed By Time and Political Circumstances The vibrations of the 1987 stock exchanges crash lasted until the summer of 1988. I was hoping that something good would draw my attention. I was praying that it would be something impressive and something that the future was to prove to be a big winner. Read more on A Subdued Market Allows Me To Buy A Masterpiece By Al.Exter… The Bidding War! Heart warming Sale! The room was packed. I could see a couple of familiar faces but nobody I particularly knew as a Dyf buyer. The sale was good, the bidding was brisque but nothing spectacular yet. In early June the catalogue from San Francisco arrived. I was a good buyer and they always sent me the catalogue early. Many paintings I cannot recall. Quality of old and modern, mediocrity of old masters and modern and contemporary.
The year 1987 was not the best year for me up to that point, the stock exchanges crash in October 1987. I had a few hairy purchases and I lost money in the process. At the same time the Montezin sale in New York ( talked about this earlier) brought me much needed cash and balanced the books nicely. Sold for 24,000 dollars in 1987 at Christies and yet, it remained unsold at Sothebys a year earlier at 5,000 dollars. Read more on The Stock Exchanges Crash of 1987 Offered Opportunities in 1987 and 1988… All auctions of mention insure anything consigned to them for damage, theft etc. This is a necessary expense and many cases it is an expense dealers and sellers resent but at the same time recognise the necessity and value of it. Otto Gebler, March 1988 I have not spoken about Christies South Kensington yet because all the paintings I bought there were not that profitable to mention. However, the following story is unique and I must mention it in passing. Several lessons can be learned and they must be adhered to. Read more on Always Insure Your Auction Consignments- Nagel Auctions 1988… |
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