Hi, Kobi! Just some comments on the Art Basel Hong Kong show. Hmmm…where to start? I met several top art dealers from NY, London, Milan, Paris, etc. who deal in Picasso. I saw some nice Picassos (and some very disturbing Contemporary Art). My overall impression is that the people who regularly buy from these dealers must be incredibly naive. I won’t bore you with all the conversations, just a sampling.
“Provenance? It’s in Zervos, which is a catalogue raisonné (spoken slowly apparently so my slow mind can grasp the French words)…that’s all the proof you need. If it’s in there it’s genuine. Here, let me show you a copy of the page.”
“But what if it’s a fake?” (Apparently few have inquired beyond “Zervos…maybe because there is no letter after Z.)
“We’ve been in business for 20 years.”
I’m thinking, OK, let’s try this another way: “How about a Certificate of Authenticity?”
From the look on his face, I think few have gone this far as it means an implied question of his integrity.
“I wouldn’t do that…people could attach it to a fake.”
But couldn’t they do the same with your invoice, so what’s the problem?
He’s ready for me: “Besides it’s the law in the U.S. – I have to guarantee the goods are as sold.”
Before I can respond to his circular logic, he’s looking for a more pliable buyer: “Ahh, excuse me but I see the Sultan of Brunei, one of my closest BFFs.”
Then I ran into an art dealer whom I had met before who was pushing his expert from Paris and advising me not to ask too many questions or the Parisian would withhold the opportunity to buy his Picassos. When I asked why that was, he pointed to a man. “See that guy, that’s one of the richest dudes in HK. He has 3 yachts and he buys from my guy to get the best deals.”
So I have two quick flashes: 1. Not only can’t he possible use 3 yachts but the minute after he bought them, they depreciated more than the national budget of Kenya. 2. If he has that much stupid money, what the hell does he care if he saved a few quid-–isn’t he into the aesthetics of the artwork? Dr. Watson…something seems out of his kilt here.
Then I encountered another HK dealer whom I had also previously met on my last trip who just said flatly that I wasn’t their kind of client…apparently I knew too much about Picasso….
Moving on…I met with a good framer. I’ll scan and send you their brochure.
So that’s about it…the Good (Picassos), the Bad (contemporary art) and the Ugly (Ovid’s Metamorphosed Used-Car Salesmen, aka High Art Dealers)…
Regards,
HaoZi