Thirteen pieces of original lithography with handwritten signatures of Picasso, Miro and Warhol will be exhibited and sold in a Dubai gallery
Art is a complicated science. There isnt much of a rationale to go by and it stays true to a certain theory of relativity, and of course, subjectivity.
However, when the names of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro and Andy Warhol are whispered, even the most hardened cynic will take a sneak peek. It is with this hope of tempting the cynic and exciting the connoisseur that Art Space Gallery in Dubai will exhibit the works of three prominent artists of the last century.
In collaboration with Sims Reed Gallery, London, 13 pieces of original lithography and prints with the hand signatures of Picasso, Miro and Warhol will be on display and sale starting tomorrow. The exhibition, sponsored by Merrill Lynch and Maserati, will run until the end of January 2005 at the Art Space Gallery on Floor 9, The Fairmont Dubai.
Prices of the works start at Dh40,000 and the most expensive piece is a Picasso lithography titled Couple et Flutistes au Bord dun Lac 26/50, priced at Dh350,000.
A lithograph is basically a reprint of an artists work, but the ones we are exhibiting here are part of a limited edition. These are original, in the sense the artists [Picasso, Miro and Warhol] have personally made them and hand signed the final pieces, explained Cindy Kuan, curator, ArtSpace Gallery.
The numbering at the end of the title, such as 26/50, means that there are only 50 such lithographs in the world and this particular piece is number 26, added Kuan, when asked to explain the fraction at the end of all the lithograph titles.
The price of an original lithograph depends on when it was produced, with the first one being the cheapest. So the higher the number of the print, the more valuable it will be, Kuan said.
One of the reasons for bringing the high-profile exhibition is to introduce the concept of art as an investment in Dubai. After the period of rapid development in Dubai, with the buildings and city growing into a truly international place, there is a slow shift toward positioning Dubai as a cultural capital. This is obvious through the events, festivals and cultural activities that are being held, so we think that people here are ready to view and invest in mature and high-end art, said Maliha Al Tabari, managing director, Art Space Gallery.
Though real investors would prefer to buy art in established markets such as London, Paris or New York, Kuan believes that such exhibitions are a good opportunity for amateurs and beginners to view and understand the possibilities of investing in a painting.
Art investment is basically about investing in an artist and by visiting exhibitions an interested investor can learn about the background of artists and their works. Personally, I think the best way to go about this is to find a lesser-known artist and invest early. But its very important to do a lot of background work and educate oneself first, Kuan said.
However, she strongly discourages investing for the sake of investing.
You must love art to do well in art investment. This needs time to grow and for best results, good taste and strong business sense will definitely go a long way, she said.
Picasso, Miro and Warhol really dont need an introduction, but heres a rundown.
PABLO PICASSO
Five of the worlds most expensive paintings sold in the world are by Picasso. Born in 1881, Picasso held his first exhibition in 1900, following which he went to Paris for the first time and subsequently settled there in 1904.
Best known for his style of cubism, he ventured into sculpture in 1931 and started growing in popularity after a series of successful exhibitions in Europe.
One of Picassos most famous paintings, Guernica (1937), was a result of his anguish over the Spanish Civil War.
Some of the Picasso lithographs on display in Dubai are:
Portrait de Jacqueline en Carmen (1962, numbered 43/50)
Vallauris (1958, a poster piece).
ANDY WARHOL
Born as Andy Warhola in Pittsburgh, USA, he graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949. He moved to New York, where he became a successful commercial artist and illustrator.
By the early 1960s, Warhol began to paint comic-strip characters and images derived from advertisements; this work was characterised by banal subjects such as Coca-Cola bottles and soup cans. The Warhol prints on display in Dubai are: Shoes (1980) and Marilyn (1967) (above).
JOAN MIRO
Born in 1893, Miro went to business school in Barcelona at the age of 14 and also attended art school there. After suffering a nervous breakdown, he gave up business and resumed his art studies.
It was on his first trip to Paris in 1920 that he met Picasso and joined the Surrealist group, four years later.
Miro started his experiments with lithography in 1929 and left Spain following the Spanish Civil War. He has worked on a number of murals in the Unesco building in Paris.
Some of the Miro lithographs on display in Dubai are:
La Fronde (1969, numbered 56/75).
Le Lezard aux plumes dor (1971, numbered 37/40).
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