The month of September inaugurated a new historical moment, due to the failure of Lehman Brothers Holding Inc., historical society active in financial services. Since then we have witnessed the collapse of world stock markets and observed various consequences for every sector. With a degree of optimism it was hoped that the art market could have maintained its stability, but from the latest auctions it can be inferred that the great cold of the economic crisis is affecting even this sector.

If the auction prices for works of contemporary art have risen enormously, the sector of photography  has certainly not been left behind, given that lately we have been witnessing actual exploits of photograph sales. Many photographers now reach very high prices It is certainly a difficult market compared to the market of more “traditional” arts, but it is slowly emerging and attracting a great number of people who are passionate about  it.

In Italy we see many artists who try to find their way into the International élite. But they encounter many difficulties trying to emerge and they ask themselves many questions before managing to enter the system. Luckily our country, despite standing slightly back from the other nations, can boast the presence of excellent names. Few artists have really managed to scrape a living in a few years and have become very appreciated stars in the international art circuit. 

The agenda of art lovers in the month of September will be full of important appointments for the art market, with regard to both ancient art and modern and contemporary art.   Various sales will be held by the different international auction houses.  All ready to start a second semester wondering what it will be like.

New York, NY – Christie’s New York leads its fall season with the eighth edition of First Open on September 9, which includes over 230 lots of Post-War & Contemporary Art and is expected to realize in excess of $6-8 million. First Open displays another stunning array of works for this highly anticipated and successful sale. Highlights of the sale include an exciting assortment of paintings, sculpture, drawings and photographs from both well-known and emerging artists. With estimates ranging from $1,500 to $500,000, First Open is an exceptional opportunity to acquire works at a variety of price points, whether you are building an existing collection or starting anew.

translated by Giorgina Arcuri

“Photographs”,  held on 17th May 2008 by Phillips de Pury & Co. London auction house, realized takings equal to 1,325,835 pounds. An interesting sale offering some of the most important names of historical and contemporary photography: Man Ray, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Irving Penn, but also Helmut Newton, David LaChapelle, Cindy Sherman and Andres Serrano.