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Art Info 16 October 2008
Scope Dealers Optimistic Despite Slow Start
LONDON—It
was perhaps befitting the venue of the Lord’s Cricket Ground in North
London that today’s VIP preview of the Scope art fair was a genteel
affair, with only hushed conversations between dealers and collectors
and the occasional lunch delivery to break up the quiet. And
“genteel,” or its linguistic cousin “gentle,” is probably also the
best word to describe the pace of business at the satellite fair,
where some of the 49 galleries in attendance certainly seemed to be
performing better than others — though those that ARTINFO spoke with
were eager to stress that it was still early and that sales were
expected throughout the length of the fair, open to the public
tomorrow through Sunday, not just during today’s previews. Nettie Horn was not the only gallery to experience a slow start to the fair. Heather Huber, an assistant at the New York–based Hous Projects, admitted that none of the works of photography and sculpture that the gallery had brought had found a buyer as of this afternoon. But she added that they had had a lot of inquiries and conversations with collectors and hoped for the best, “given the slow market.” For some less optimistic dealers, London’s reputation as an art market powerhouse was taking a hit. Zurich-based dealer Miki Wick-Kim had been looking forward to Scope London after a successful stint at Scope Basel in June. But “Basel was absolutely manic compared to this,” said Wick-Kim, as she kept a hopeful eye on a pair of collectors checking out two large pointillist works by Yoo Seungho: yodeleheeyoo! (2006) and bzz… (2006), on offer for €20,000 ($26,900) and €30,000, respectively. Given the obvious talent of the young Korean artist, it seemed a shame that the works remained on the wall even as the day drew to a close. But the preview day was not all gloom, proving to be successful for some. Blaize Patrick, the contemporary art specialist at the London gallery Fine Art Society (FAS), was in a celebratory mood. “Credit crunch? What credit crunch?” he cried, taking a break after a steady stream of inquiries. The FAS stand has a great position by the entrance and is by far the fair’s largest. The gallery is also benefitting from having two large, abstract, sequined sculptures by Tony Heywood installed outside the tent, the larger in the center of the cricket lawn itself. Neither of the works, from the collection of the David Roberts Art Foundation in London, is for sale, but a smaller version was available at FAS’s booth; priced at £22,000 ($38,200), it had yet to garner an offer. Not that Patrick was worried. “We’ve sold seven works by Annie Kevans,” he said, adding that “the fact that she is going to be in the ‘Power of Paper’ exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery helped.” Kevans’s melancholic oil-on-paper portraits of powerful public figures as children were priced between £3,200 and £4,200. “The majority of buyers were American, too, including a couple with a private museum over there,” said Patrick. “I’m so relieved that American collectors are still coming to the U.K.” One happy U.S. collector, Robert Duncan of Lincoln, Nebraska, bought Doug Foster’s “Mirror in the Bathroom” series (2008) from FAS. The work, from an edition of 10, consists of a large metal cabinet that opens to reveal two almost identical images of a topless woman, which, in turn, are reflected in a mirror within the unit. The work is valued at £3,450, though the gallery had not disclosed its actual sale price. “I really like Scope; it’s so much easier to get around,” said Duncan. “I went to Frieze last night, and it was too crowded; it’s just too much. I’ve bought a few things — some sculptures, some photographs, and the Foster work. I’m off to Berlin for the art fairs next week, and I’ve still got things I want to buy and the money to do it.”
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