Shine With Grace

Sculpture from the Tai Chi series by JuMing.  Definitely a great piece of art (and definitely not sth I don’t like).  JuMing’s art pieces are included in the Fall Hong Kong Auction by Sotheby’s.

The Fall Auction of Sotheby’s is going to take place in Hong Kong this weekend. 

No, I don’t have the spare money to buy the art piece yet (of course would love to…) but did go to its pre-auction exhibition and seminars today.  This time, they have Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Ju Ming and a collection of contemporary Chinese Art, including that of Yue Ming Jun and Lin Feng Mian (whom have been introduced in Shine here).  The jewellery collection is simply fascinating. 

Even though you are not planning to buy any piece of art yet, do pay a visit to the exhibitions if there are any auctions held in/near your city.  Taking part in events like this adds to your knowledge and appreciation ability.

Mao by Andy Warhol.  

A lesson learnt from appreciating art

Mr. Phil Whittaker, Dean of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in Singapore spoke on “Building Your Collection: Key Strategies for Appreciation and Value”.  A great presentation - and quite unexpectedly, I not just learn more about art, but life.

Ideas that impress me most from the presentation include:

• If you want to learn how to appreciate art, expose yourself to it. And, don’t just watch what you like, but expose yourself to what you don’t like, to things that challenges you - at the end of the day, you don’t need to like it, but do learn to understand it, and find out what (and why) it appeals to you, or don’t.  I mean, doesn’t this apply to our life also?  While we don’t need to agree everything, building up our knowledge and learn to respect (if not appreciate) other’s perspectives always works for us.
• People collect art for different reasons, which mainly include: impulse, decorative, investment and obsession.  Even you’re buying solely for investment, buy something you like, never something you hate, even though you think it has huge investment potential.  Experience tells us, if you hate the thing you buy, mostly it is not going to make you any money.  So, better buy sth you really enjoy.  If it happens that it makes you a profit, then it’s a bonus.  And again, this is true in life too.  Passion always pays off!
• Always do your research BEFORE your purchase, not afterwards.  Similarly, always do your research before making any decision, not afterwards…
• When you start to collect something (anything), you are compelled to buy more!
• In auction, always set a price limit to yourself and give the paddle to the sensible person next to you.  Don’t get too overwhelmed by the atmosphere - and made a decision that you regret…
• If you are investing, spread bet.  This applies to art investment, stock investment, any investment, right?
• Always consult more than one expert and follow good advices.
• Have fun along the way!
• Accept that some buys are simply disasters.  Similarly, accept that some decisions are simply disasters. 

Painting by Zhang Xiaogang.

Interesting questions and answers

During the Q&A, there were two particularly interesting questions (followed by extremely thought-provoking answers) asked:

Q: Which is the next big thing?

A: A million dollar question!  Recently the prices of some contemporary Chinese art pieces (such as those by Zhang Xiaogang) were appreciating to rocket-high level.  But, what’s the next big thing?  Well, there is no simple answer.  But, remember that copy cats are just copy cats, only those have something to say, something original, stand out.

Q: If say sb inherits a piece of art from the family and he doesn’t plan to sell it anyway, should he insure it?

A: Well, when it’s lost, it’s lost.  If it was insured, when it’s lost, you gain say 1 million dollars but it’s still lost.  The history, the emotional attachment to the piece of art could not be compensated, but the money could help you to take care of the family better.  Every individual should look into the soul to make the decision.

This is really not an answer I look forward to from an pre-auction talk.  But… I am glad that I attended it.

Related posts:

• Art On Sunday - Yue Minjun, Being Critical By Being Superficial
• Art On Sunday - Lin Feng Mian
• Art On Sunday - Chen Yifei
• Breathing Space
• Why You Should Do What You Love

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