MARIA, THE EYES OF THE ART WORLD
WILL BE IN NEW YORK CITY
TONIGHT, PHILLIPS AUCTION HOUSE
TAKING BIDS FROM PIECES OF
FAMOUS ARTISTS OF ALL TIME.
JOINING ME PHILLIPS FROM AUCTION
HOUSE, EDWARD, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S ON THE
BLOCK, SOME OF THE MOST-TALKED
ABOUT PIECES, NUMBER 16, LET'S
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
THIS EVENING.
>> WELL, I THINK THE PROBABLY
MOST IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE
SELLING TONIGHT.
WE HAVE GREAT WORKS WARHOL BUT A
PARTICULAR FAVORITE OF MINE
ACTUALLY BECAUSE THE DRIP
PAINTING SERIES THAT HE DID, ONE
OF ICONIC OF ALL 20TH CENTURY
ART WORKS.
MARIA: WHAT WILL THIS FETCH
TONIGHT?
>> 16 AND $20 MILLION.
IT WAS BOUGHT BY NELSON
ROCKEFELLER IN 1950 AND GIFTED
TO THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN
BRAZIL THAT ARE SELLING IT WITH
US.
MARIA: CONTEMPORARY ART, ASSESS
THE VALUE TODAY.
>> I THINK IT GETS STRONGER AND
STRONGER AND STRONGER.
MARIA: REALLY?
>> YEAH, I THINK IN FACT, EVEN
IN NEW YORK THIS WEEK WE'VE HAD
A SERIES OF SALES, CONTEMPORARY
ART AND YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGE
TASTE.
MARIA: WHEN YOU SEE THE STOCK
MARKET WHERE IT IS, DO YOU THINK
THE ART WORLD MIRRORS THE STOCK
MARKET IN SOME WAYS?
>> THERE IS A CORRELATION.
MARIA: THERE'S CORRELATION.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
MARIA: LET'S LOOK AT THE JOHN
PIECE, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT THE PAINTING AND HOW
IMPORTANT IS THIS ONE HERE?
>> WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE
GREAT CENTURY ARTIST, THIS IS
PARTICULARLY FLAMBOYANT AND
OPTIMISTIC EXPRESSION OF HIS
ART, IT WAS PAINTED IN 1945, AT
THE END OF THE SECOND SECOND
WORLD WAR, THERE WAS NEW HOPE --
MARIA: INTERESTING.
>> THIS IS A -- IT'S A MUCH MORE
OPTIMISTIC AND UPBEAT WORK.
MARIA: YOU HAVE TO PUT IT IN
CONTEXT WHEN THE WORK WAS DONE
AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE
TIME, I'M GLAD YOU DID THAT
THERE.
ANOTHER ICONIC EUROPEAN PAINTER
ALBERTO, WHAT MAKES THIS PIECE
INTERESTING?
>> WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
UNDERVALUED AREAS OF 20TH
CENTURY ART IS ITALIAN ART, IT
REALLY WAS VERY DISTINCTIVE,
VERY IMPORTANT GROUP OF ARTISTS,
BURRI, THEY USED OBJECTS TO
CREATE CANVASS, ON THIS ONE HE'S
USED WOOD PANELS, WOOD STAPLE TO
CANVAS AND USED BLOW TORCH TO
CREATE SORT OF ENERGY AND HAS 3
DIMENSIONAL QUALITY TO IT.
MARIA: VERY INTERESTING, WHO ARE
THE BUYERS AT THIS POINT?
HAS THE MARKET CHANGED IN TERMS
OF FOREIGNERS COMING IN AND
LOOKING FOR INTERESTING AND
IMPORTANT PIECES AS WE LOOK
LOOK, YOU MENTIONED THIS, THE
MARKET IS HAVING EYES ON THIS
ONE TOO?
>> YEAH, I THINK WE'VE SEEN OVER
THE LAST 20 YEARS WAVES OF NEW
ULTRA WEALTHY BUYERS.
MARIA: CHINA, RUSSIA?
>> RUSSIA, CHINA, MIDDLE EAST,
FROM INDIA AND WE HAVE SEEN THEM
COME IN WAVES AND THEY'VE ALL
HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS IN THE
MARKET WHEN THEY ARRIVE BUT NOW
THE MARKET IS MOST STABLE, MOST
SENSIBLE AND PREDICTABLE THAN
IT'S BEEN FOR A LONG TIME.
MARIA: AND WARHOL CONTINUES TO
GAIN LOTS OF INTEREST ACROSS THE
WORLD.
>> I THINK WARHOL IS RECOGNIZED,
IF NOT THE GREATEST OF THE
ARTIST, IF NOT THE GREATEST.
MARIA: TELLER AS WARHOL?
>> WARHOL HIMSELF AS WE KNOW WAS
SHOT IN 1960's AND ALTHOUGH HE
RECOVERED, THE WOUNDS FROM THAT
PARTICULAR ATTACK, EVENTUALLY
LED TO HIS DEATH AND SO THIS
PICTURE OF THIS GUN IS
PARTICULARLY POYNANT AND I THINK
IN THE DISCUSSION IN AMERICA
TODAY THAT IMAGE OF THAT GUN
REALLY DOES RAISE SO MANY
QUESTIONS AND WARHOL IS KNOWN
FOR SHOWING A MIRROR ON SOCIETY
AND I THINK WHEN HE CREATED IN
'81, '82 HE'S STILL ASKING US
TODAY IN 2018, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S
GOING ON THERE.
MARIA: ISN'T THAT FASCINATING?
>> YEAH.
MARIA: THIS ONE REALLY JUST HAS
WORKED AND RESINATED THROUGHOUT
THE YEARS.
>> YEAH.
MARIA: CONTINUES TO DO SO.
DO YOU THINK THIS WILL GO FOR
WHAT?
>> IT'S A REALLY SUPERB EXAMPLE
OF THE SERIES.
WARHOL'S TECHNIQUE WAS TO SCREEN
PRINT AND MANY OF HIS IMAGES
HAVE MULTIPLES AND THIS IS A
REALLY EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE OF
THIS PARTICULAR SERIES.
MARIA: JUST FASCINATING.
ANY CHANGES THAT YOU WANT TO
REMARK ON ON THE MARKET OVER THE
LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, HOW IT
CHANGES, PARTICULARLY
CONTEMPORARY ART?
>> I THINK IT IS NOW TRULY
GLOBAL.
IT'S MUCH MORE STABLE THAN WE'VE
SEEN FOR A WHILE.
THERE ARE LESS CRAZY PRICES,
MUCH EASIER TO READ, IT'S A
REALLY STABLE SOLID MARKET RIGHT
NOW.