by Ioana Ciocan


What would you recommend to those who think about starting a collection?

My recommendation would be that they come by Ivan Gallery, to see as much art as possible, to understand the gallery’s curatorial program and to find out whether the art we promote suits his or her needs. One must understand the art scene and desire to be a part of it, to discover the particular ethical speech most suitable for them, and afterwards tothink over the future purchases. Let us say there is an art lover who has bought regularly, yet, he is now tempted to form a complete and coherent collection. Then, this requires a great deal of patience. I choose carefully the collectors to whom I sell the artworks that are part of the Ivan Gallery portfolio, because the collections that shall integrate these works must be in accordance with the artist I am representing. It is of a much higher importance that the artworks find a home in the right collection than for the artwork to be sold immediately. There are indeed cases when I have to turn down a sale if I have the feeling that the artwork is purchased to be immediately placed on the market and not tobe appreciated for its true value. So, usually, it is not me the one trying to sell, but the collector is trying to buy. It is a matter of nuance and it is my duty to care for the long and very long term artistic destiny of the artists whom I am representing.


How do we build an art collection?

Building an art collection requires time and it is important that the future collector is open to understand the artistic phenomenon and to discover his personal passions. A good, articulated and coherent collection is one that is able to pass the test of time. Building an art collection implies a long and very long term relationship between the collector, the gallerist and the artist. It is a relationship based on mutual trust. I would rather have few collectors who are constant in their purchases, than to have one-time, accidental buyers. There is no need to have fabulous amounts of money to start a collection; there are superb artworks at accessible prices.


Are all the Ivan Gallery`s artists suitable to be included in a collection?

I have artists who are only included in museum collections, others only in private ones. The art market is very strange you know! We could have very good and valuable artists, who have personal exhibitions in museums and works purchased by important international museums, yet the private collectors are not interested in buying them. Or, it can be the other way around: there are artists who are purchased by private collectors,

but the museums are not displaying them. Or, artists who are not at all tradable… but the art market is not a criterion for writing art history.


Are the museums writing art history?

Yes, the museum is part of a system that cares for the present and also for posterity and it is a trademark for recognized value. Obviously, it depends on what museum we are talking about, and on its city or country of origin. Unfortunately there are examples of local museum which only have their names left because they are lacking major points in their exhibitions, manner of display and curatorial strategy. Many of the important private collections are donated to the museum or are being displayed in the museum for a very long time. There is a close connection between the collectors and the museums and usually the great collectors are part of the museum boards – for example the purchasing boards.


What is of most priority in Romania – the art market or the art scene?

The first commercial art galleries with private capital have emerged in the 2000s. Before the Revolution there were art galleries, but they belonged  to the communist state, to the Romanian Plastic Artists Union. We should ask the question why it took so long for the first private art galleries to appear after the Revolution. The 90s had an effervescent art

scene, but there were no art galleries, art was not traded in a legal and organized manner. The art market is strictly connected to the artworks trade and the art scene is formed by the multitude of artists that carry out artistic activities. There are many artists who are never traded, not on the main market – the galleries – or on the secondary one – the auction houses. There was a moment back then in the 2000s when the art scene was mostly formed by young artists who wanted to show the things they do and by the contribution brought by a critical mass of people who were interested to know more on these artists; added to these, the international context – free visa travelling, sending the artworks purchased outside the country without any endless bureaucracies, export, customs, etc. – and this determined the emergence of the first commercial galleries. Many artists tell impressive stories from the 90s, when they would wait long lines at embassies and very often they were denied the visas so they were not able to travel, to be present at their own opening event.

Once the first private galleries appeared, contemporary art was traded, yet the number of commercial galleries remains very small. Recently, contemporary art exclusive auctions popped up and this is a clue that the interest of collectors has increased in the art of their times as well. As a conclusion, we could say that the Romanian art market is extremely young, permanently changing and adapting and has a great growth potential.

 

”There is no need to have fabulous amounts of money to start a collection; there are superb artworks at accessible prices.”