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.
One painting attracted me because I noticed a certain movement on the artist in London. I also saw paintings of the artist at Frost and Reed in London and then Stacey Marcs in Eastbourne. The major auction rooms were selling the artist at about four to five thousand pounds. He was a good artist with serious backing in England, in France and USA.
The Marcel Dyf in the Butterfields sale was very good. A sea view with boats in South France. The style was great. Free, strong, sure and likeable by all. The size was the middle of road 40 x 55 cm. It looked a cute painting but it was in a black and white illustration. This was the first of several Dyf paintings I bought later.
How did I manage with this one?
That was the only painting I spotted in the catalogue for me to work on. At that moment the painting was worth about four thousand pounds in London. If I bought at 2,000.00, I would be OK.
My phone call to Roman was quick. What is this painting like. Very nice he said. I like it a lot. I needed No more. A little more research convinced me that I was on the right painting with potential for better in the near future. The selling curve of the artist’s work was good and upward.
I bought the painting at 2200 pounds. I was happy with the purchase but unhappy at the same time because I also had another painting in mind in Paris, which I wanted much more than the Dyf. Taking away some two thousand from my funds was not ideal but I always stretched myself to acquire anything. I accepted it philosophically and got on to work with the sale of the painting.
Time was of essence in all my purchases and sales in those years. Where was the best place to sell the painting given the restrictions of time? Which was the most attractive and convenient place to work with? After serious thought and after carefully analysing the results of Gorringes auctions, I decided that the best place to sell and have my investment quickly back was Lewes.
I knew the auctioneers well, they knew me and their sales were good to very good at times. I had a problem with time to bring the picture over and having it catalogued too, as their sale was the first week of September.
Trust in this business is extremely important. My call to the auctioneer was brief and sweet. I would like to enter a Dyf painting for sale but the painting is on its way from the US. Would you like to catalogue it for September but I shall bring it to you as soon as I receive it from the USA.
No problem. We would love to have a Dyf in the sale, he added.
Does Stacy Marc buy from you, I asked
Yes, of course they do. We also have two or three galleries from London interested in Dyf.
The deal was done. Early August, I took the painting to the auction and shortly afterwards the catalogue arrived. Nothing to buy for me but the Dyf was a very good quality painting and measured very well when compared to the best of Dyf paintings I had seen. Beautiful colours, calm seas with moored boats and a figure with his boat at the forefront. Perfect painting for Dyf lovers.
On the day of the sale I drove to Lewes to be present at the sale. I wanted to see whether my forecasts about the painting’s worth were correct or whether I made a serious mistake. One never knows with the art market. It is like the wind at times.
How was the wind this time round?
Was it omenous and forward pushing or did it push me back on my journey to becoming a good, successful dealer and collector?
