Lebanon - Europe - Christie's Back In Town
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Christie’s is back in town. The venerable auction house is in Lebanon
for a third consecutive year in what is becoming a regular feature on
the agenda of fine arts.
In this year’s exhibition at the Al-Bustan Hotel in Beit Mery, the
auctioneers hope to kindle local interest with a display of
Impressionist and Orientalist paintings spanning three centuries as well
as rare Persian and Caucasian carpets.
Lord Marc Poltimore, deputy chairman of Christie’s Europe, explained the
two-fold purpose of the exhibition. “We’re here to display what will be
sold in London in the coming months as part of our Impressionist and
Orientalist theme sales,” he said.
The antique carpets and the collection of Impressionists will be
auctioned in London on June 23 and 30 respectively. “We would also like
to make the most of our visit to Lebanon to explain the auction
process.”
Christie’s coup d’oeil in Lebanon seems to be paying off. After the
first year’s exhibition, 20 Lebanese collectors made their way to
Christie’s headquarters in London to make their bids. In the following
year, the number of Lebanese buyers doubled.
Poltimore said that the 233-year-old art and collectibles auctioneers
would not be taking their exhibition of Impressionists to any other Arab
capital and hinted that, though it was still premature to discuss
details, there exists a plan to set up a Christie’s office in Lebanon.
The two-day exhibition, which opens Saturday, brings together a
selection of paintings from such well-known Impressionists as Henri
Fantin-Latour, Berthe Morisot and Maurice Utrillo to the more obscure
but equally gratifying Gustave Loiseau.
Beauty does not come cheaply, though. The estimated auction prices for
the various paintings range from $32,000 to $160,000. The Persian and
Caucasian carpets are considerably more affordable. A delightful Isfahan
rug is expected to fetch $1,500-$2,600, while an antique silk Heriz
prayer rug is valued at $1,700-$2,600.
“Bouquet de Fleurs” by Henri Fantin-Latour, the most prized work at the
exhibition, has a hefty price tag of $110,000-$160,000. But even that is
a steal compared to the $82.5 million paid in 1990 for the Christie’s
sale of Vincent Van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet.