In particular, auction sales of works of art are driving the sector. Eg, Christie's, one of the major international players, has in fact announced the closure of its 2021 financial statements with record figures, and warns that artistic productions are experiencing global interest: uniform, intergenerational and widespread by categories, genres and geographical areas. Often it is the news that attracts the attention of non-experts. For example, in the very recent auction Shanghai to London 20 / 21st Century The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale, held last March at Christie's London office in King Street, among the lots offered there was also a painting by Magritte for over twenty years owned by the couple Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti. During the evening of sales, the famous British auction house recorded a sold-out, an almost completely sold out of the works proposed and an astounding collection of almost 338 million euros. This suggests a trend destined to continue throughout 2022, supported by the results they have achieved in the past twelve months “A spectacular operating result", Comments Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Christie's':"sales totaled $ 7.1 billion, and the market confirmed its dynamism not only in auctions but also in intermediation between individuals. These findings confirm Christie's world leadership not only in the sale of high-end artistic productions, but also in the dispersion of imported private collections.". It is a bottom-up phenomenon, continues the CEO of Christie's, from "Renewed trust from existing customers, but also from new ones, which grew by over 2021% in 30, of which many are millennials", the new protagonists of innovative or artificial entrepreneurship, start-ups. It is precisely to meet their needs that Christie's has boosted online sales, hybrid auctions, which combine physical presence and remote access, but even marked its entry into the world of NFTs, productions of digital origin. But let's stay in the world of contemporary art, at the turn of the 20th / 21st century, in short, from the twentieth century to the present day. The business card for the year 2021 of this sector also presents impressive figures: a 57% increase in turnover, equal to intermediation of commercial values that exceeded 5 billion dollars. "We are in a particular historical moment”, Observes Giovanna Bertazzoni, one of the most authoritative professionals in the world and Vice-Chairman of the office that follows this sector at Christie's. "Surrealism was particularly sought after in our Evening Sale in March. After the uncertainties of 2020, the market appears to be in a decisive recovery. Art is once again seen as a safe haven, a valid option to defend one's savings from monetary devaluation. All sectors benefit from this market recovery, and artists are also considered without discrimination. For example, with the exception of brands that we consider blue chips, artists such as Manet, Picasso or Monet and the like, I notice that young contemporaries are now in great demand too. Even works that come from war zones would find interest among investors, even if this market suffers from the lack of humus, a breeding ground that promotes and encourages artistic activities in those particular territories. Our department 20/21 ", adds Giovanna Bertazzoni, "With productions that include impressionists, contemporary and post-war art, up to contemporary art, confirms the presence of our auction house among the world leaders, and keeps us perfectly in line with the main product trends, today sensitive to women's productions , to social issues with a strong impact, to art connected to the blockchain. These are artistic attitudes already known to us Westerners, but now highly sought after also by Asian clients ". For the current year, concludes the Vice-Chairman of Christie's 20/21 Century Department, "We will continue to deal with and develop digital art, and issues such as gender disparities and social inclusion, which we already perceive today will guide the quotations in the coming years".
The image:
Giovanna Bertazzoni - Degas sculpture- © 2022 Christie's Images Limited
