Kobel's Art Weekly

Kobel's Art Weekly 12 2024

Michael Huber allows himself a witty comparison as an introduction to his report on the Spark fair in Vienna in the Kurier: "An art fair resembles a goods train in a certain way. Not only because heavy and valuable loads are often moved: As an economic vehicle, a fair is always a combination, and if it is to be successful, it needs well-loaded wagons and ideally several locomotives to pull it. Big artist names and the reputation of galleries serve as fuel in the art world, the proverbial coal comes afterwards. Last year, the 'Spark' art fair in Vienna lost a few locomotives and wagons, which is why the decision was made to cancel. This year's edition is a comeback, for which a large number of exhibits have been organised on several tracks. Olga Kronsteiner writes in the Standard: "The production was directed by Jan Gustav Fiedler and Walter Seidl as artistic directors, advised by Marina Fokidis and Christoph Doswald. Consequently, there is only what this quartet and a gallery advisory board have previously given their blessing to see and buy. Here and there, the suspicion arises that it was difficult to rent out all of the quarter-circle-shaped booths. In any case, the result is more international than last time, as evidenced by the field of participants recruited from 20 countries. A good third come from Austria, where the art trade has also been represented recently: with established artists such as Max Weiler (Wienerroither & Kohlbacher), Christian Ludwig Attersee (Galerie bei der Albertina), Arnulf Rainer (Ruberl) and Franz West (Konzett). This is probably what Fiedler means by the 'young, dynamic scene in Vienna' that radiates out into the world. The concept is what it is: focussing on individual presentations with no age limit, mainly post-war generations." Is that still Wiener Schmäh, or is it already a bit of an insult? Laura Ewert walks through Vienna and the art fair in amazement for Monopol: "'City in Dialogue' is the title of the third edition of the Vienna art fair Spark, and even if art fairs really don't need titles, and this is not necessarily evident in the exhibits on display, we would still like to briefly mention the city that is home to this young art fair. Because Vienna has certainly developed into an art city where young artists hang out in a cool way [...]. The sculptures by Martin Grandits, the photographs by Maša Stanić, the wall objects by Nikola Milojcevic, that's all pretty - er - cool." I was in Vienna for the Handelsblatt and Artmagazine.

Ursula Scheer summarises the new Art Basel UBS Art Market Report in the FAZ: "The bottom line - although still above pre-pandemic levels - is a minus of four per cent according to the report. This is how much the estimated total turnover of the global art trade shrank in 2023 compared to the previous year, to around 65 billion dollars. According to the analysis, this was primarily due to the top segment, where the hunt for top works at top prices was no longer quite as breathless as in previous years. Less than one per cent of the artworks sold account for 55 per cent of the added value: this is why the art market is noticeably affected when auction sales above the ten million dollar mark thin out, as happened in 2023." Daniel Cassady for Artnews draws similar conclusions from the report. Kabir Jhala emphasises the British market in particular in The Art Newspaper.

One week after the Handelsblatt, for which Stephanie Dieckvoss looks specifically at German artists in a follow up, Anne Reimers analyses the London auctions in the FAZ: "Anyone expecting a clear signal of recovery for the auction market from the London March auctions of modern and contemporary art was disappointed. Buyers remain in a stronger position than consignors and have become less reliable. Pre-registered interest in certain works does not necessarily lead to a firm bid on auction day. This was emphasised by the large number of lots withdrawn shortly before the start of the auction: ten at Sotheby's, seven at Christie's. Sotheby's 'Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction', together with 'The Now', saw the sale of 60 lots. 21 were secured by guarantees. The upper total expectation was 106.5 million pounds. A total of 99.7 million was realised with 54 lots sold. This is significantly less than at the two corresponding auctions last year, when a total of 51 lots realised £172.6 million. At that time, a Kandinsky alone contributed more than £37 million."

While Gustav Mahler was often quoted as saying that everything happens 50 years later in Vienna, it seems to be the other way round in Berlin, where developments that happen elsewhere are only recognised ten years later. Marcus Boxler is now discovering the Viennese art scene for Monopol: "However, Vienna was not only a conceivably suitable backdrop for the 19th and 20th centuries, but is increasingly becoming the focus of contemporary art: new galleries, new fairs, new formats, young generations of artists, curators and researchers. For a long time, the city was primarily regarded as a centre for the performing arts, but this impression has been changing for decades. What is currently developing in Vienna and where is the fresh wind blowing from? Four main reasons for the art boom emerged in the interviews conducted for this text. Jan Gustav Fiedler, Artistic Director of the Spark Art Fair, which is taking place this weekend, summarises them as follows: 'Affordable living and studio space, a rich cultural history with a diverse contemporary programme and increasing internationalisation'."

Austria is increasing its funding for galleries and artists, reports Olga Kronsteiner in the Standard: "As announced by the Federal Ministry for Art, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS), funding for foreign exhibitions and gallery funding through museum acquisitions has been increased. [...] They will increase by 150,000 euros to 550,000 euros, with the maximum funding per submitting gallery being raised to 25,000 euros. The financial support for 'off-fairs' will be doubled from 4000 to 8000 euros. Every year, more than 40 galleries at up to 80 fairs with Austrian art benefit from this programme, which has been handled by the Gallery Association since 2022. This year, Art Cologne (15) attracted the most interest from applicants for funding, followed by Artissima in Turin (14), Art Düsseldorf and Art Basel (seven each). The BMKÖS has now increased gallery funding through museum acquisitions by 200,000 euros to 750,000 euros annually." Why are Austrian galleries disproportionately more visible internationally than German ones? A mystery!

Artists' fees for institutional exhibition participations are still not a matter of course. Julia Halperin presents an initiative in The Art Newspaper that aims to change this and has created an online tool for calculating fees, at least for the USA: "Working Artists and the Greater Economy (Wage), a non-profit formed in 2012 that advocates for the regulation of artist fees in the non-profit sector, has played a large role in shifting the industry's approach. 'We're trying to redefine the relationship between artists and institutions as being one of labour and not charity,' says Lise Soskolne, Wage's core organiser, 'especially given how fugitive and unreliable financial success is for artists."

The federal and state governments have finally initiated a reform of how the public sector deals with looted art, reports Christiane Fricke in the Handelsblatt: "The "Advisory Commission" is to be replaced by an arbitration tribunal whose decisions - unlike before - are to be legally binding and reviewable by a further body. This would put a comprehensive restitution law that also includes private individuals off the table for the time being. The reform project adopted on 13 March 2024 puts the onus on public institutions in the hope that victims and their heirs will be able to pursue their claims quickly and with the prospect of success in future. 80 years after the end of the Second World War, they have so far needed a lot of patience, deep pockets and endless nerves to achieve a result as petitioners in proceedings that can sometimes take up to 15 years." And here too, the Anglo-American media only refer to each other. For example, Karen K. Ho at Artnews claims that the initial report came from Catherine Hickley in The Art Newspaper, although German media had already reported the story the day before, as Stefan Koldehoff did for Deutschlandfunk.

Susanne Schreiber describes the art trade's contribution to provenance research in the Handelsblatt: "Christian Fuhrmeister and Stephan Klingen, both researchers at the Central Institute for Art History in Munich [...] summarise why the exchange between the trade and academia has come to a standstill: 'The interests diverge: intellectual versus material profit. The complex investigation of changes of ownership under National Socialism is often considered a subordinate service by academics. Freedom of research, on the other hand, means that no one with a commercial interest should have access to the data. Fuhrmeister and Klingen are asking for an authority that 'takes responsibility for the basic or contextual research on National Socialism' that museums, dealers and private collectors urgently need. They are asking for a way of generating and distributing knowledge that no longer leads to a dead end. In other words, examination offices that hoard research on Jewish market participants, but do not make it accessible."

Melissa Gronlund found out for The Art Newspaper that the Palestinian conflict is also affecting art shipments due to the shelling of trade routes in the Red Sea by the Yemeni Houthis: "Shipping companies and clients were reluctant to discuss the subject, but sources confirm that a number of Middle East events have been affected, including the Diriyah Biennale, for which Hasenkamp was contracted. The second iteration of Saudi Arabia's contemporary art biennial opened outside of Riyadh on 20 February. There were delays on freight that was already en route in the Red Sea, and the shipping method had to be changed from sea to air for a number of works, with budget ramifications."

In The Art Newspaper, Ben Lewis is allowed to spread the unrealised idea of a kind of resale right for the original owners of an art object that later turns out to be a masterpiece worth millions.

In the Süddeutsche Zeitung of 14 March, Marlene Knobloch suggests what we should think of the Berlin gallery owner Johann König, even if the presumption of innocence applies: "To this day, he has not been convicted, there has never been a court case against him. Which does not mean that he is free of guilt, especially when it comes to MeToo issues. Especially when it comes to a very powerful, famous man like Johann König, who comes from a rich family and is keen to sue. 'Having him as an enemy is a catastrophe,' is how one former employee put it. König had contacted the SZ himself, he wants to be in the media spotlight, wants to talk about his side of the story. He is emphatically open in the interview, saying he has nothing to hide. [...] He comes across as someone who is desperately trying to convince people of the truth. Or like someone for whom truth is something that you create yourself with a lot of persuasion." Per Hinrichs also takes up the topic in the WeLT of 12 March: "Now König is going on the attack. He wants to sue the renowned Hamburg media company for damages totalling up to twelve million euros; the statement of claim is due to reach the court in the coming weeks. "I know that they are really scared of the proceedings," he says, confident of victory. "A senior editor offered us a big interview if we dropped the claim for damages." König turned it down. When asked, "Die Zeit" denied that the offer had been made. It also stands by its account. The seemingly breathtakingly high sum is made up of the lost profits that König is convinced he was unable to realise. This is because the majority of the artists he represented turned their backs on the gallery. Many of the painters and sculptors who once had their works offered in the discarded church were apparently not driven by concerns about the allegedly abused women, but told him in statements that the bad image of the exhibitor could backfire on them if they continued to work with the gallery. This is evident from letters of cancellation that König presented."