Little Pots of Genius
In 1946 at the age of 65, Pablo Picasso, arguably the most innovative artist who ever lived, embarked on a new body of work in a medium he had never used before. The spark came that summer, when Picasso visited an exhibition of local pottery in the Mediterranean town of Vallauris. It was there that he met Georges and Suzanne Ramie who owned and ran the Madoura pottery.
The artist entered into an informal arrangement with the Ramie’s. They would set aside an area in their pottery for him to work, and he would allow them to produce editions of his ceramics.
By 1946, Picasso was without doubt the richest and most famous artist on the planet. He could have used the finest clay to make his works, but instead he chose the rough clay favoured by these local French potters, which lent itself to his free and unconstrained style.
The arrangement was more successful than either the artist or the Ramie’s could ever have imagined. Over the next 24 years Picasso produced over six hundred different editions of ceramics, ranging from 7 to 500 in number. These pieces allowed Picasso to develop the ideas he had originally conceived in his paintings and drawings in a new format. The result was an intriguing body of work.
Until recently, Picasso’s ceramics were regarded as a mere aside to his relentless creative output on canvas. In the past decade, or so, stand alone exhibitions and books about the ceramics have highlighted the importance of this aspect of his oeuvre.
The extremely high prices achieved for paintings and even prints by Picasso have placed his work beyond the reach of all but the richest buyers, and though the most collectable pieces of ceramics can fetch thousands, generally, Picasso’s ceramics are far more affordable than his drawings or paintings.
So, if you have Picasso plates, bowls or any other examples of his work in ceramic, there has never been a better time to release the collateral locked up in your collectables. If you are seeking a loan, Borro.com will advance sums between £100 to £100,000, secured by the pledge of your personal assets.
For more information, check out the Borro.com website, or call our experts on 0800 756 9877.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Many Art collectors often acquire loans to release equity from their pieces while they line up a buyer…
Turner, the Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA (23 April 1775 - 19 December 1851) was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker, whose style is said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism.
Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivaling history painting. Although renowned for his oil paintings, Turner is also one of the greatest masters of British watercolour landscape painting. He is commonly known as “the painter of light”.
In January 2009 “Temple of Jupiter Panellenius Restored” (1814-16), was sold by Richard Feigen, a Manhattan dealer, for $12.9 million / £9.1 million - a figure which represents the second highest price ever realised for a work by Turner at auction. Two bidders competed for the painting but the winning bid came from an anonymous buyer on the telephone.
The seller originally bought the painting at Christie’s in London in 1982 for $1.1 million. If you have works of art or antiques, which may have appreciated in value since you acquired them, our expert valuation team will be happy to estimate their current worth.
Borro.com offers loans from £100 - £100,000 for 1 - 6 months secured against personal assets, such as art, antiques, memorabilia, gold and jewellery. For more details, please visit the Borro.com website, or call us free on 0800 756 9877.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Oil paintings require careful handling, and can only be stored under specific temperatures. Our team of expert valuers are well versed on how to handle works of Art…
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The Contemporary Art of Investment
With a tally of $93,734,500 and 49 of the 54 lots offered being sold, Christies Postwar and Contemporary Art evening sale held in New York on Wednesday achieved a seemingly impossible result set against the gloomy media coverage of the auction industry. Closer examination of the works sold explains this seemingly impossible total.
The top lot of the sale: David Hockney’s Painting ‘Beverley Hills Housewife’ which sold for $7.9 million - a record for the artist - is a perfect example. This large diptych was entirely fresh to the market as it had been in the collection of art patron Betty Friedman since it was bought in 1967 from a New York gallery, where it was first shown.
The cast iron provenance of the work coupled with its immaculate condition made it irresistible to both collectors and investors alike. The results of this auction shows that, in today’s recession, quality artworks can still be a solid investment. With banks, corporations and even the government holding collections of contemporary art, this type of asset is now on par with other more traditional commodities such as jewellery, diamonds and gold bullion, which are increasingly considered to be solid investments in the current financial climate.
If you need to service a short term cash requirement, there is no need to sell your prized possessions. The Borro team is keen to lend against works of contemporary art by established artists, and if your pledged artwork appreciates in market value during the term of your loan, it will be even more valuable when you settle the loan, and get your artwork back.
Borro.com is regulated by the UK Government, and all Borro contracts are approved by the Office of Fair Trading. For loans ranging from £100 - £100,000 for 1 to 6 months, contact Samantha Lilley, Head of Valuation, Borro.com, for a confidential valuation.
