The Art Market in Romania
We are talking to Laurentiu Victor Săcui, art history and gallery owner, about the trends on the art market in Romania
Ana-Maria Cononovici, 04.12.2023, 21:24
Even though we have become accustomed to the proximity of the winter holidays to raise the issue of supplying with traditional goodies, today we propose other temptations. We are talking to Laurentiu Victor Săcui, art history and gallery owner, about the trends on the art market in Romania.
We asked Laurențiu Victor Săcui if there really is an art market in Romania today, and what possibilities art lovers and art collectors have to meet their expectations in our country.
“Considering that there is a major crisis on the financial investment market, a problem faced by both investors in Romania and those in other parts of the world, we must recognize that investment in art remains one of the most stable and safe investments in the spectrum of the possibilities that investors have at hand today. It is difficult for an investor who is not familiar with the phenomenon of art to buy works of art, having no experience in the field. However, this problem can be solved with the help of a financial consultant in the art market, who will initiate the future collector into what investment in art means. It has been shown, over time, that the value of art objects can increase spectacularly, and can offer great satisfaction to those who dare make investments in this area. I give you the most handy example, namely Romanian paintings, whose value has increased in the last 30 years, we could say even exponentially, in the case of some authors. The market for works of art is in continuous development, and the turnover over the last years for auction houses around the world proves this.”
Our interlocutor has told us so that we can resort to auction houses and the galleries in Romania, who are already at European level, and told us what the collectors are looking for:
“Of course, the works signed by famous artists, but for the purchase of such works, financial sacrifices must be made. But it is worth it, because, you see, works of art are perennial values, and will be admired and appreciated by generations. And since beauty will save the world, as Dostoevsky said, I have the belief that investment in beauty represents a saving solution for us.”
We asked Laurențiu Victor Săcui what artists he thinks would have the potential to grow their value in the coming years.
“First of all, contemporary painters, where the biggest surprises can appear. We have as an example Adrian Ghenie, who has shown that it is possible. Whoever invested in Ghenies painting, before he became a famous painter, made an investment which they can boast about today. Secondly, I believe that Romanian avant-garde painting has not yet said its last word on the art work market, being now much underestimated. It has a serious potential for growing in value in the future. Think about the fact that avant-garde art in Western Europe has reached stunning prices. Tens and even hundreds of millions of euros are being spent for avant-garde work. Over here the prices are still very low. I will give you an example, painting in the neighboring country of Hungary. There, avant-garde painters have much higher rates than those over here. Same in Poland, and the list could continue. ”
We invited our interlocutor to tell us what Romanian avant-garde painters he referred to:
“There are already names well-known to the art loving public in Romania. Artists such as Max Hermann Maxy, Corneliu Mihăilescu, Victor Braunner, Milița Petrașcu, Merica Rîmniceanu, or Hans Mattis-Teutsch. These are painters that are already a part of the history of Romanian art. The National Museum of Art, organized in the spring of this year, under the patronage of director Călin Stegerean, an exceptional retrospective exhibition dedicated to painter Max Hermann Maxy, an important figure of avant-garde art in Romania. The event was a real success, which makes me believe that after this exhibition the desire of art lovers to have a work by Maxy in their own collection has increased. And there are other areas of art being sought out by collectors: sculpture, ceramics, porcelain, folk art, oriental carpets, Far East art, and many, many others are desired by passionate collectors. These works, besides the fact that they decorate our interiors, creating a pleasant atmosphere of our home, represents a very serious investment for the future. ”
And because the holidays are approaching, and there is also the custom of buying a new object at the beginning of a new year, why not think about the purchase of a work of art?
