Pablo Picasso is believed to have said that good artists borrow and great artists steal. Some artists maybe have taken these words a little too seriously. We’ve collected five famous painters that were the center of major forgery scandals. 1. Michelangelo Michelangelo’s Pieta (1499) — not the work he faked Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons This is not the story of a forger mocking the great Michelangelo, but the great Michelangelo mocking someone else. In the late 15th century, Michelangelo was a young artist looking to make his way in the world. He studied under Lorenzo de Medici, who quickly discovered that this young man had incredible talent. Unfortunately, art buyers at the time were obsessed with artwork from the classical world, and that gave Michelangelo an idea. He created a sculpture and artificially aged it. His work was so successful he sold it to an Italian Cardinal. The Cardinal eventually realized what happened, but instead of ruining Michelangelo’s name and career, his ability to copy the classical world solidified his reputation as a great new artist. 2. Johannes Vermeer Han van Meegeren’s The Men at Emmaus (1937) — sold as a Vermeer painting Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Vermeer is one of the true masters of painting. His work continues to stun people based on its tenderness and craft, which made the revelation that many of his pieces were by a master forger explosive. Han van Meegeren was a Dutch painter who, in the first half of the 20th century, became one of the greatest art forgers of all time. It began with him wanting to become a legitimate artist, but he struggled to make a name for himself. So he studied Vermeer’s paintings until he was able to make work that resembled the master. Van Meegeren obsessively learned how to parrot Vermeer’s style and quick-age the materials. Many experts thought there were likely many Vermeer paintings that had yet to be discovered, so van Meegeren created original work that he claimed were lost Vermeers. He sold today’s equivalent of $60 million worth of art to collectors under the master’s name. Some of these sales were even to Vermeer specialists. He was caught after World War II, when Dutch authorities arrested him under charges of treason for selling a Vermeer painting to the Nazi Hermann Göring. To prove what he sold was a forgery, he painted in the Vermeer style in front of police. 3. Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci’s (attributed) La Bella Principessa — a possible fake Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons In 2008, Peter Silverman came forward with a major announcement. A new work by Leonardo da Vinci had been discovered. The work, so the story went, was discovered in a friend’s drawer in Paris (actually Silerman purchased it at auction). La Bella Principessa has many art historians and experts claiming it is a fake, while still others claim it is the real thing. 4. Frida Kahlo Guillermo Kahlo’s Portrait of Frida Kahlo (1932) Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons While most forgery scandals focus on one painting or a handful, this scandal rocked an entire collection. The Noyolas gathered an enormous collection of Frida Kahlo artwork, and they were set to publish a book in 2009 detailing the paintings, personal effects, and correspondence of the famous artist. The book sparked outrage, with many in the art world coming out to claim that the collection was a fraud. While the Noyolas contend that the claims of forgeries are bunk, the problems in the provenance and outright discrepancies keep mounting. Many claim that all 1200 items are fraudulent. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a thorough analysis that has satisfied both sides of the debate, and so it continues. If most or all of the collection proves definitively to be a forgery, it will stand as one of the biggest ever. 5. Henri Matisse Photo of John Myatt, one of the most prolific art forgers in history Courtesy of Web Art Academy John Myatt was a recently divorced artist in the 1980’s looking for a little extra dough. He put out an ad in Private Eye magazine offering to sell fakes, and soon his work fell into the hands of one John Drewe. Drewe was able to resell Myatt’s work, including forgeries of Henri Mattisse, to the likes of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. By the time Scotland Yard caught up with Myatt in 1995, the duo had sold around 200 fakes. Author: Jonathan M Clark

RtistiQ

20 Mar 2021

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Art forgery is a major concern for art collectors of all kinds. When you shell out big money for an original, you want to know it’s the real thing. Nothing is more shattering for an art museum than finding out one of the paintings they’ve displayed has been a fake. Private collectors have their own concerns, too. A discovered forgery can represent a massive loss in assets. Some forgers are so good at what they do that their work can’t be distinguished from the real thing — at least not at first. Even experts, people who are trained to spot real from fake, can be tricked, sometimes for years. That makes forgery even scarier: how do you protect against it? The more you start looking into this shady world of art fakes, it gets you thinking. How many pieces up in art museums right now are forgeries? The truth is, we’ll never know the actual numbers or extent anytime soon. The rough estimate making rounds is that almost 40% of all art from master artists are either fakes or wrongly attributed. What we do know, is that with all the money to be made, people will continue to create art forgeries. Below, we’ve assembled a few of the biggest art forgery scandals from the last decade. Uzbek State Art Museum (2014) This story is the epitome of the inside job. The Uzbek State Art Museum was the target of a sophisticated ring of art forgers. They just happened to be the employees. Over a fifteen year period, three employees — chief Curator Mifayz Usmanov and two art restorers — systematically stole works from the museum and replaced them with forgeries. They resold the originals for incredibly low prices, somewhere in the range of €80 to 650, the equivalent of $100 to 810. The hard economic realities of Uzbekistan and the low pay of the staff created the backdrop for this last ditch effort to make some money. The work they sold included pieces by Lorenzo di Credi, Victor Ufimtsev, and dozens of other European artists. For their crimes, Usmanov received nine years in prison, while his two accomplices were sentenced to eight years each. Lino Frongia (2019) When we think of great art, we usually begin with the old masters. So did Lino Frongia, a relatively obscure Italian painter who spent the last few decades forging the greats and selling the work for millions of Euros. But Frongia had help from French art dealer Giuliano Ruffini, who claims innocence, stating that everything he sold was verified by experts. The forgeries landed in the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum, and London’s National Gallery and even tricked some of the great art collectors of our time. Frongia is accused of forging works by Frans Hals, Correggio, Lucas Cranach, among others. But it all came collapsing down when the Orion Analytical laboratory in Williamstown Massachusetts claimed to have found modern pigments in a work supposedly painted by Parmigianino. Since then, more and more paintings have been discovered that implicate Frongia. At RtistiQ, we leverage the latest technology like Digital Imagery, Blockchain and NFC to build a digital DNA of each artwork, connecting it to the original creator. This ensures a safe and trusted online art gallery for both art lovers and creators to transact. Knoedler & Company (2011) An Upper East side modern art gallery, an elite clientele, a collection too good to be true. It all came crashing down in 2011. Knoedler & Company was a mainstay of the New York art scene, opening its doors in 1846. And then, with little notice and in the middle of an art show, they closed their doors. The reason? It had come to light that in their last 15 years of business, they sold more than 40 forged paintings. The forgeries included works by Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko — sales of the forgeries totalled over $60 million. It all started when Knoedler & Company’s president began working with Glafira Rosales who claimed to be in contact with a certain “Mr. X” and his son. They had a tremendous amount of modern art marvels without provenance, the story went, and they wanted to sell these off. In truth, the paintings were created by Rosales’ boyfriend José Carlos Bergantiños Díaz and his brother Jesús, and master art forger Pei-Shen Qian. The story has been immortalized in the film Driven to Distraction. Conclusion Collecting is similar to love at first sight – you get a tingling sensation when you chance upon an artwork that you can connect with. You feel the desire to learn more about the artist and ultimately own the artwork. While it is becoming increasingly popular to buy art online in this decade, Art forgeries are on the rise as well. The good news is it can be tackled with proper technology in place like what RtistiQ Art Marketplace has achieved. If you are looking to buy paintings online, browse our wide array of artworks from all over the world today. Author: Jonathan M Clark

RtistiQ

08 Mar 2021

5 min to read

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Art events play an important role in enlightening the audience about different developments happening all over the world. From the past till today, these art events have only grown more popular and have received a wide range of patrons including, Corporate Magnates, Royalty, Politicians etc. We also recognize the rise of online art marketplaces for art lovers to purchase paintings online and an increasing number of artists pursuing art as a full-time career. Keeping the Pandemic in mind, restrictions in traveling and due to it the safety protocols that all countries had to take. Singapore as well had to take a number of protective measures to keep its residents safe. However, over a period of time, Singapore did manage to contain the spread of the virus compared to a number of countries. Due to this, various departments under the Singapore Government started coming up with safer interventions to keep the morale of its citizens and residents high. As a part of these above mentioned initiatives, the Department of Culture and various private art galleries collaborated with a number of local and international celebrated artists to put up Art Exhibitions and Events, which can be still seen today. Keeping the aesthetic and therapeutic nature of arts in mind, these events are must go places for the Singaporeans to get a change of scenery, but in a socially distant manner. Here are the top 9 art events that you can attend in 2021: 1. Singapore Art Week To begin with, just around the corner on 22nd January is the Singapore Art Week. Which is a nine days’ extravaganza where a number of artists and visual media creators showcase their projects in theform of Exhibitions, Art Fairs, Galleries, Talks, Film Presentations and many more treats for one to indulge in. 2. 7th Singapore International Photography Festival This festival aims at uniting various visual artists under one roof and initiate discussions on various critical issues that the world faces today. It will be taking place at a number of venues in parallel, the major venues will be DECK, 120A Princep Street, 37 Emerald Hill, Downtown Line (various venues), Art Science Museum and Esplanade Tunnel.Timings at various venues differ and the information can be gathered from https://sipf.sg/. Admission charges may apply depending on the exhibition and venue. 3. A Familiar Forest This event is a 34 multilayer image showcase by environmental artist Zen Teh. The exhibition is based on modern scientific research which guarantees to touch your multiplesenses and invoke love for mother nature. This exhibition can be seen at NTU Museum, 50 Nanyang Avenue, North Spine 3, Level 5. Hours to visit are Monday-Friday 8.30 AM -9.15 PM, Saturday 8.30 AM – 4.45 PM and Sunday closed. Admission is free. 4. Aliwal Tracks Aliwal Tracks is a video web series program which touches upon the hidden street art, old-stories of residents and sounds of Kampong Glam. This is an online art event and the admission is free. 5. Time Passes @ Singapore Art Museum Up next, an art attraction to catch is at the Singapore Art Museum, where a guest curated exhibition by Samantha Yap is put up called Time Passes, named after a chapter of Virginia Wolfe’s novel to The Lighthouse. This exhibition will take the audience through the Pandemic that the world has gone through and how we as a human race have adapted to it and still survived the trials of time. The event can be caught at City Hall Wing, Level 3, Singtel Special Exhibition Gallery B, National Gallery Singapore. The exhibition will be live till the 21st February 2021, all days from 10 AM- 7 PM. Admission is free for all Singapore citizens and PRs and no prior registrations are required. 6. Films by Trinh T Min-ha If you are an art film connoisseur, then you have to head to NTU Center for Contemporary Art where one can catch all the films by Trinh T Min-ha. She is a renowned film maker, composer, photographer,anthropologist and feminist who picks real world issues from all over the globe and uses her film making skills to present these harsh realities to the wider global audience. The exhibition is live till the 28th of February 2021, and the other details of the exhibition can be found here Link. 7. THINK & Perfect Stranger @ Asian Civilizations Museum Asian Civilizations Museum also has a lot to offer for an art lover’s palette. Special mention needs to be made of two very unique exhibitions that are running there. These are THINK: Chinese Calligraphy, Connoisseurship and Collecting and the second one is titled Perfect Stranger. THINK Chinese Calligraphy,Connoisseurship and Collecting exhibition - is a very eloquent display of artefacts from Ming and Qing Period in a very contemporary and display while the Perfect Stranger is a narrative time capsule of a vast sea of paper washed in words and gradients of different colors and a phosphorescence arises out of each sheet due to the synthesis of shades unique to each script. THINK: Chinese Calligraphy, Connoisseurship and Collecting is live till the 25th of April 2021 and the Perfect Stranger will be on till the 28th February 2021. The museum is open daily from 10 AM – 7 PM and on Fridays it is open from 10 AM – 9 PM. Entry from citizens and PRs is free while for tourists it’s 20 SGD per head. 8. Planet or Plastic @ Art Science Museum Even after all these attractions if your creative thirst is not quenched then you should definitely head to the Art Science Museum, where an environmental awareness exhibition has been put up called Planet or Plastic. This is an initiative by the National Geographic under which 70 photographs and videos are displayed to show the repercussions of the Plastic Pollution on our planet. This event is live till the 28th of March 2021, and the visiting hours are Sunday – Thursday 10 AM- 7 PM and Friday-Saturday 10 AM – 9 AM. There is an admission ticket which costs 16 SDG for citizens and 12 SDG as concessional rate for the same, while for tourists its 19 SDG and 14 SDG at a concessional price. 9. Georgette Chen: At Home in the World This showcase displays the fascinating world of Georgette Chen (1906-1993), who travelled the world and imbibed all the different styles of art in her work and left a lasting legacy on Singaporean artists. The event is running till 26 September 2021 at National Gallery Singapore, City Hall Wing, Level 4 Gallery and Wu Guangzhong Gallery. The admission for the Singaporean citizens and PRs is free. If you are an art enthusiast in Singapore, we have summarized the top 9 art events happening in 2021. Kick-start your 2021 on a good note with visiting these events and indulging in the creativity thatSingapore has to offer in a safe and responsible manner. Author: Kush Dhebar RtistiQ is a digital art gallery that connects art enthusiasts with renowned artists worldwide. Our marketplace has a wide variety of artworks for sale, from abstract art paintings to contemporary art. Check out our recent guide for amateur art collectors who have an active interest in art collections here. Shop art online for your home or office décor.

RtistiQ

22 Jan 2021

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What is art forgery and why is it wrong? One of the main reasons why high-end art, especially by the masters, is revered is because of its originality, that undefinable touch, which is so unique to that artist and which sets it apart from the rest. The concept of imitation of art has been going on for hundreds of years, where an artist or student copies the artwork of a master they admire. There is nothing wrong or illegal in this. Art forgeries however are a different ball game altogether. In this, the artist or institution tries to pass off their artwork under the name of an established or famous artist, usually for financial gains. A forged Picasso painting can look as aesthetically pleasing and refined as the original one, sometimes even to a trained eye. Then why is authenticity so important in the art world? The primary reason why it is crucial to distinguish between an original and counterfeit piece is due to the monetary value attached to the piece. Each piece of art would be inspired from a unique creative source and it then passes through the personal cognitive skills of the artist before it is translated onto the medium. This gives the artist an intellectual property right over his piece of work. To study a false piece of art as an original work by a revered artist, would at the very least, taint our understanding of the artist as well as the evolution of that piece of work. The financial and moral implications of this duplicity have the power to disrupt the very fibre of the art world. Notable Art forgeries that rocked the Art world Art forgery is every art collector’s or art institution’s worst nightmare. Yet, despite the best efforts by experts and security personnel, widespread fabrication of artworks continues to be a looming menace. Some notable instances of art forgery in recent times, exploring the techniques employed, the consequences faced, and the lessons learned The Wolfgang Beltracchi Scandal: One of our time's most notorious art forgers, Wolfgang Beltracchi, stunned the art world with his impeccable reproductions of famous artworks. From Van Gogh to Picasso, Beltracchi masterfully replicated renowned artists' styles, materials, and signatures. It was only in 2010 that his deception was uncovered, leading to his arrest and a significant blow to the art market. The case shed light on the vulnerabilities of authentication processes and the allure of owning a "lost masterpiece." The Knoedler Gallery Case: The Knoedler Gallery, a prestigious art institution in New York, fell victim to one of the largest forgery scandals in recent history. Over 15 years, the gallery unknowingly sold dozens of fake paintings by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning. The elaborate scheme involved a art dealer from Long Island named Glafira Rosales got the help of a Chinese artist based in queens to paint abstract expressionist style paintings, in the style of famous masters . She managed to pass them off to the reputed Knoedler gallery, as part of the unlisted works of the artists, which they had sold directly to an anonymous buyer. This resulted in collectors spending around eighty million dollars on these forged pieces. This case highlighted the challenges galleries and experts face in verifying the authenticity of artworks. Zhang Daqian's Fake Scroll Paintings: Zhang Daqian, a highly esteemed Chinese painter, became a victim of forgery even after his passing. Forgers capitalized on his distinctive style and subjects, creating convincing imitations of his scroll paintings. Before experts detected the fraud, these counterfeit works entered prestigious auctions and private collections. This incident emphasized the importance of extensive research, provenance verification, and scientific analysis to prevent the circulation of fake artwork. The Modigliani Forgery Ring: A group of skilled forgers in Italy produced a series of remarkable fake Amedeo Modigliani paintings, successfully infiltrating the art market. Their sophisticated techniques and attention to detail fooled collectors, experts, and auction houses. The operation was eventually dismantled, leading to arrests and confiscation of numerous counterfeit works. The Modigliani forgery ring revealed the lengths to which forgers will go to imitate the unique styles of celebrated artists. The Fake Frans Hals Portrait case: One of the biggest scandals to rock the art world in recent times, was the ten million dollar Frans Hal portrait sold through a private sale in which modern day materials was found to be used, when tested by Orion Analytical, a US based company which investigates art work. Sotheby’s refunded the buyer after this unfathomable forgery came to light. This forgery circle is rumoured to involve works of up to 25 old masters, escalating the amount collectors are said to have spent on these fake pieces, to an outrageous 255 million US dollars. The most surprising facet in this whole issue was that most of the reputed art institutions accepted these paintings as genuine masterpieces and even displayed these pieces in their galleries. The total lack of provenance for most of these paintings was a red flag in this multi-million dollar scandal. This casts a shadow on the effectiveness of age-old techniques like connoisseurship, which uses less of scientific methods and relies on intangible elements, like the ability of the expert to detect the ‘hand of the artist’ in the painting. In this case the technical analysis done by Orion Analytical, helped bring the forged pieces to light. Other Major forgery cases In another startling case, The Uzbek state museum discovered that many of its original art pieces was replaced by forged pieces by their own staff. They had sold the original pieces in the black market for a fraction of the cost. The State Art and cultural museum in Ankara, Turkey was also a victim to forgery when almost 302 of the original works were planned to be swapped by its staff in association with some art criminals. The case came to light when the museum discovered that many pieces in its collection were copies. The forgery case was solved with the help of a tip by an anonymous caller. In an equally sensational scam, dubbed operation Voyeurs, the Spanish authorities busted an operation selling counterfeit works by world renowned artists including Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. A Zaragoza based art dealer, was planning to sell these for millions of Euros. How Technology Can Prove An Effective Weapon Against Art Forgery Art forgeries continue to challenge the authenticity and integrity of the art world. Recent cases of forgery remind us of the intricate techniques employed by skilled forgers, the vulnerabilities within authentication processes, and the enduring allure of owning a genuine masterpiece. These incidents have prompted art institutions, experts, and collectors to strengthen their efforts in research, provenance verification, and technological advancements for the detection and prevention of art fraud. With modern technological breakthroughs, many online art platforms and institutions can now be prepared to protect themselves and their investors from such hoodwinkers. Digital art is now a formidable name in the art world, with both collectors and reputed online platforms waking up to its value in the modern art market. The universal concern when dealing with such art is the plagiarism concerns which arises, when a copy of it exists on the internet. To solve this issue, many high-end online art platforms like Rtistiq, employ blockchain technology in their art asset management. Using this technology, once the provenance and ownership details of a particular artwork have been uploaded onto the company’s secure and distributed database, it can be tracked and verified online and in real time. Thus, every single event that has occurred in the lifetime of the artwork now becomes a digital block, which is linked to a previous block of information. This enables prospective clients to confirm the authenticity and provenance of the piece of artwork. Rtistiq, a digital online platform for art connoisseurs, and investors is one such enterprise which employs technological prowess to ensure that their clients have a secure space to conduct their dealings. Using blockchain technology it records every piece of information connected to a piece of artwork and the digital fingerprint thus created would be impossible to duplicate. The unique architecture of this technology ensures immutability so that data once fed cannot be altered while allowing the users to maintain anonymity. NFC tags are another highly effective way to counter forgery. In this method NFC tags or microchips, like the ones used in passports or credit cards are attached to the piece of artwork. The chip, which is invisible to the naked eye, holds a private key with a corresponding public key stored on a blockchain. This forms a sort of digital link, connecting the artwork and the information about it. It is stored on a secured network and is virtually tamper proof and nearly impossible to replicate. This data can be accessed by a potential client at any time by scanning the chip with the help of relevant apps. Using these tags, the artists can authenticate their latest piece of work by attaching them to the art work or an art gallery can use this to authenticate the provenance of an old renowned piece of work and also provide their customers with a bona fide certificate. Art forgeries other than having a severe monetary impact, can have a profound effect on the art market. It can damage the hard-earned reputation of many people involved in the process. So, effective methods to identify and prevent forgeries is the need of the hour. With new technological advancements, more and more fool proof methods are being introduced. The stakeholders in the art world must embrace these new techniques to stay one step ahead of these forging masterminds and safeguard their assets in this ever evolving and volatile art industry. Author: Anupama

RtistiQ

27 Nov 2020

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Who Are Millennials? The term millennial describes a section of people born between 1981 and 1996. The term millennial came to be used because the oldest members of this generation turned adults at the turn of the third millennium AD. They are also referred to as Gen Y, as they are the set of people who succeed Gen X. One of the most defining characteristics of this generation is the ease of access and usage of digital devices, the internet, and social media. They are also likely to be better educated than the previous generation. Millennials have also managed to bring about a massive shift in how art markets worldwide operate. With their new set of attitudes, preferences, and modes of operation, these young, influential collectors have transformed how art is perceived and consumed. Here, we explore how millennials view art and culture and how that paved the way for dramatic shifts within the art market. More Likely To Prefer Affordable And Accessible Art Pieces Although millennials tend to be better educated than their previous generation, this has not translated to higher access to financial resources. The volatile economic situations, the pressure to acquire relevant skill sets, and the steering away from the classic, traditional career paths, have all resulted in lesser income levels compared to the previous generation at the same age. This makes them shy away from the expensive upper crust, old masters, and seek more affordable and easily accessible art pieces. More Likely To Be Interested In Art Than The Older Generation Millennials enjoy expressing their styles through their surroundings and collections. Art is one medium that helps them showcase their interests and aesthetic sensibilities, which explains their natural affinity to art. These youngsters value personal experiences, and unique art pieces appeal to their intense and passionate emotional landscapes. They love art as an experience as well as an investment and also as a medium to enhance their brand equity. They do not shy away from seeing art as an asset that can build wealth and value it for its resale potential. Impact Of Social Media Like in most other aspects of their life, it is no surprise that millennials discover most of their art online. Millennial collectors are continually active social net-workers, both online and offline. They are tech-savvy and prefer getting information and access to artwork with the least possible mediation possible. They often like connecting directly to the artist or the gallery and getting acquainted with the piece of art before deciding. Access to technology and social media makes this possible. This trend has been a driving factor in many prominent art galleries and museums, now sharing their collections online. This, in turn, has translated to increased public awareness and the opportunity to share artwork and its history with many more potential customers. Many artists and galleries are now interacting directly with customers, making it easy for a potential collector or critic to access and evaluate art pieces.Social media channels like Instagram and Pinterest make it relatively easy for customers to discover new artists or art institutions. Museums and galleries also go the extra mile in social media outreach to grab customer attention and reach a critical audience. Most high-end galleries have an online viewing room, in addition to the traditional brick-and-mortar institutions. Purchasing art online also appeals to Gen Y due to the often-lower price tag at which art is available online and the freedom to connect with the artist directly. This also allows them to share their latest artistic acquisitions with their peers and feeds their 'if you haven't gram it, did you even do it?' mentality. Impact Of Culture Surprisingly, millennials are mostly thought of as less empathetic and often selfish and more interested in culture and art than they are given credit for. In an age when technological advances usually manage to strip a person of his own identity, millennials are now, more than ever, interested in highlighting their own unique identities. Culture, in a way, is a medium to preserve the past, and millennials thrive on nostalgia or their idea of a time when lives were more straightforward. This manifests in ways like their efforts to be a part of the renovation of historical buildings, retaining their original characters while making them currently usable, and their willingness to support regional handicrafts and artisans. The social and political actions taken by millennials, like online activism and pushing for reforms on issues that matter to them, prove that they deeply mesh into the socio-political and cultural fabric of the society in which they live and also show their profound impact on their lives. Kind Of Art That Interests Gen Y Millennials often tend to gravitate towards pieces of art that they can connect with on a personal level. They tend to value an art piece based on its aesthetic appeal and the emotion it manages to evoke in them and not just because it has thename of a famous artist attached to it. This generation seems to be drawn toward contemporary pieces of artwork and towards works of art that steer away from traditional methods and employ unusual materials and mediums.Millennials are changing how art is perceived, and the art markets operate. With their novel characteristics, these tech-savvy Gen Y art connoisseurs are driving substantial changes in the traditional art markets across the globe. They have succeeded in leaving their own distinctive and indelible mark on the art industry. Author: Anupama Vijayakumar

RtistiQ

26 Nov 2020

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South East Asian Art Market Trends Over The Past Decade Over the past ten years, the Southeast Asian art industry has blossomed and managed to carve a niche for itself in the ever-evolving world of fine arts. Factors like the uniqueness of the artwork, its place of origin or provenance, and its existing condition and quality continue to decide its value and worth in the ever-evolving art market. The rich and diverse culture of the artists of this region adds an undeniable appeal to the artistic creation and is, in a way, seen as a celebration of their roots and cultural heritage. Here, we explore some of the trends this sector has witnessed over the past decade. A Shift In Collector Preferences, To Include Contemporary Works Of Art Along With Traditional Creations The steady economic growth in the recent times has translated to a flourish in art appreciation, investment and therefore artistic creations. The increasing affluence and greater influence in matters of global politics and economics of this region, has played a part in the flush of contemporary art from this region. It is often seen as a platform to find a foot hold for region specific art, in the global art world and to showcase the new, modern face of Asia to the world. More than galleries or auction houses, it is the educated, well-heeled and wealthy collectors, who are driving this trend. The strength of contemporary art lies in its ability to highlight both local and global concerns, while remaining rooted to or influenced by a unique culture or heritage. A Shift In The Way Artists Approach Their Work The last few years has seen more artists use their art, as a voice to respond to the social and political tensions in their societies. Their art has captured the socio cultural and political landscape to create powerful works of art, while staying true to their roots.The previous few years has also seen artists experimenting with different medium, combining traditional art forms with contemporary expressions. The visual vocabulary created by these artists often reemphasize the fact that creative work can often act as a catalyst for positive change, while simultaneously managing to shine the spotlight on traditional artistic methods. The last ten years have also witnessed artists getting more attuned to market trends and collector preferences, while retaining their own artistic liberties, thereby creating pieces of art that have a global appeal. A Shift In Customer Engagement Channels These art markets have been garnering a lot of global attention in recent times. One of the main trends in this respect, witnessed over this time frame is the ease of visibility and accessibility of these art works for potential customers, through increased number of exhibitions, biennale, museums, and private patronage.What the South East Asian art market was lacking, was not talented artists, but a strong and internationally competitive art ecosystem, to showcase its plethora of fine arts. The past years have seen a dramatic change in this aspect, with Singapore emerging as a sort of cultural hub for art from this region and forming a veritable ecosystem, to showcase its delightful offerings. Art fairs are a major attraction for visitors and help hundreds of galleries, curators, artists and collectors to show, buy and sell the best of the regional art. These art fairs act as a channel to connect the artists and potential customers. A Shift In The Perspective, Where Art Is Seen As A Resilient Investment Option The recent years have seen a huge shift in the way collectors, mainly Asian collectors, view art as a solid investment choice. There is also a widespread notion that investing in South East Asian art, may offer a bargain for the collector, as they can get a quality art piece from a blue chip artist here, for a fraction of the cost when compared to established artists in the west. The rise of the tech savvy, globetrotting collector who values art not just in terms of monetary investments, but also in terms of its human and intellectual potential, has also been a major game changer. The relative stability of art in a volatile economic scenario, has also boosted its status as a solid investment option. The last few years have seen a dramatic change in the buying and selling of artwork from this region, releasing it from geographical constraints and making it globally diversified. This trend has in many ways buffered the risks, enabling the local art markets, to bounce back better after a recession. A Shift In The Customer Landscape To Include A Wider Range Of Customers, Who Understands The Value And Nuances Of The Artwork The past few years have seen a sizable increase in collectors who are young, well-traveled and social media savvy. They are better informed about the subtle nuances of the art creations and their value; money being a part of it, and not the whole. These collectors, in many cases millennial's, are a force to reckon with, driving gallery sales, aiding in museum developments, both public and private. The local art market’s strength lies in the face that most of its patrons hail from that region itself. This makes their collections more focused and often these collectors are well informed of the nuances of art, specific to that region.This time frame has seen a significant positive trend, with respect to elements such as individual buying capacity, development in cultural infrastructures, rise of art institutions and support services, to enhance the art markets. It has also witnessed favorable government regulatory climate, both within the region and internationally.These favorable trends will play a significant role in helping these regional specific markets find a foot hold in the global art markets. Author: Anupama Vijayakumar

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26 Nov 2020

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