The Art of Central Asia and the Caucasus at Sotheby"s

The auctioneers’ feels the increase in the number of collectors from Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as the gradually increasing interest in the art of the region is important  said Jo Vickery , a representative from the auction house Sotheby's in London. Monday saw the opening of the first exhibition and sale of contemporary art from Central Asia and the Caucasus, entitled "At the Crossroads."

"I think the time for such an exhibition is very correct. We see that more and more buyers and collectors from the region appearing in the market, and an increase in the volume of  collectors from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and we realized that the time has come to show their art to the international market," said Vickery.

The format of the exhibition and sale was selected to assess the overall demand on the art of Central Asia and the Caucasus. The auction house regularly holds such events in New York, but in Britain it is the first time. This is due to the fact that Sotheby's can not yet assess how the work will go on the auction, because it is art that only occasionally appears in catalogues. For a week before the exhibition ends (until 12 March), the auctioneer plans to see how the market reacts to the price and quality of work.

Although, according to Vickery, Sotheby's is pleased with the trend - a lot of offers to purchase were received before the official opening of the exhibition.

"At the Crossroads" brings together the work of artists  native to the CIS countries, including Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and covers a fairly large time scale, starting with the non-conformism and social realism of the 1960s to  young artists working today.

As said by a participant of the exhibition, the artist Taus Makhacheva from Dagestan, winner of the "Innovation" in 2012, ‘despite a variety of styles and beautiful differences over generations, from an artistic point of view, the exposure revealed is not always apparent to the continuity in the art of the region. From Tahir Salahov, Murad Karabayev, Jamal Usmanov and Alexander Barkovsky until Makhacheva herself, who is studying in London, and is often exhibited in the West, the artists of the region can be traced to common sources of inspiration, such as the landscape of their countries.

Note that this year, Sotheby’s held its first exhibition and sale in Baku and plans to hold them regularly. -02D-