BOAT LIFE
On photography
VANESSA HALLETT
Worldwide head of photographs and
deputy chairman, Americas, PhillipsThemostimportantsaleyouhavedone?
This past year we presentedThe Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy
of Giving Something Foundation(JGS), which was assembled by JGS’s founder
Howard Stein. The sale featured rare and unique pieces by true masters of the
medium,suchasEugèneAtget,EdwardSteichen,ImogenCunninghamand
Robert Frank among many others, spanning from the beginning of photography
to contemporary works. We set many records and to date it is one of the most
impressivecollectionsofphotographytoevercometoauction.
The most interesting piece you’ve sold?Atriptychbyfamedphotographer
Helmut Newton calledWalkingWomen,Paris, 1981, which sold for $905,000
in2015,settinganauctionrecordfortheartistthatstillstandstoday.
What do you collect?
My personal collection ranges from earlier work through classic fashion imagery
to contemporary artists. I also have a real interest in experimental photography
andcamera-lessimages.I’dlovetoownCindySherman’sUntitled #476,2008–
it is from her series of society portraits that epitomise opulence.
Market insightAn interesting trend is that instead of solely focusing on the
pre-eminent works in their region, collectors are acquiring the best works from
artists around the world. We were very pleased with the results in our first Hong
Kongsaleof20thCentury&ContemporaryArtandDesignin2016,especially
with Tatjana Patitz for Jil Sander(above), which set a world
auction record for the artist
of $304,204.
Your advice to collectors?
Collect what you love and what
speaks to you. Always feel
comfortableinreachingouttoart
specialists with all the questions
you have about an artist, a
particular piece, or the market
in general.
On the radarIn our New York April
auction, we have a very attractive
rare work by John Baldessari.
On decorative art
MARIO TAVELLA
President-directeur général Sotheby’s France
and chairman, Sotheby’s EuropeMost important sale you have done?
Twosalesstandout.TheCollection
of Bruni Tedeschi, sold in London in 2007,
was the result of the faultless taste of
Alberto Bruni Tedeschi. Many of the pieces
hadimpeccableprovenance,andhiscastle
of Castagneto was later featured in the film
ACastleinItalyby his daughter, Valeria.
More recently, the fantastic collection
of interior designer Jacques Grange, which
showcased an exceptional mix of design,
contemporary art and photographs.
Discovering his private world made clear
in an instant why the greatest collectors
call on him.
The most interesting painting you’ve sold?
Amajorcanvasby from
1962 (opposite page), which we sold last
year for €6.1m, setting a new record for the
artist.HeheldontoituntilAmericandealer
Sam Kootz, who also represented Mark
Rothko and Willem de Kooning, persuaded
himtopartwithit.
What do you collect?I buy objects from the
16thtothe20thcentury,butinadreamworldIwouldownagreat
ModiglianiorDeChirico–atributetomyItalianorigins!
Market insightParis is a particularly interesting place for the art market
at the moment. Exhibitions in major museums and auction houses, and
the international art fair FIAC, have brought new energy to the city.
On the radarOur impressionist and modern art sale in Paris on 23 March will
feature an incredibly modern portrait of Paul Alexandre (below),
first great patron, painted by the artist in 1913.PHILLIPS
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