Which painting is worth $23 million?
On November the 8th 2012 Bloomberg reported that a 1909 Wassily Kandisky painting “Studie fur Improvisation 8” sold for a record US$23,000,000. The vivid rich colours, bright orange and yellow, show a powerful emotional intensity. It has an almost magical quality to it.
On Saturday December 1st Mo from Maianbar’s Old Provence sold on Bluethumb for A$280. Mo is a Parisian born artist now residing in Sydney, whose works are influenced by renowned European artists such as Dali, De Chirrico and Picasso. The work has vivid, rich colours, and appealing balance of colour and tone.
Both Mo’s and Kandinsky’s paintings use a V shaped focal point and gain emotional intensity from indistinct figures in the foreground. They both suggest the question “who are these figures and where are they going?”
Both paintings, judged purely on aesthetic merits, are excellent stand-alone works. The painting at the top, is in fact, Mo from Maianbar’s Old Provence. Kandinsky’s is below it.
So obviously, the $23 million price of the Kandinsky painting reflects a lot more than just the image itself. Kandinsky has rightfully garnered, over a long time, a reputation that people are prepared to pay for. Emerging artists need time for a reputation to be recognized and established, and provide an excellent entry point for people wishing to establish an art collection. The quality and depth of art from Bluethumb’s emerging artists provide a fantastic starting point for anyone interested in starting an art collection.
