So I come to work at the gallery I work at in NYC this morning and saw the new Phillips Auction catalogs sitting on the desk. Phillips is the third biggest art auction house here in NY and in the UK, after only Christie's and Sotheby's... So what do I see in their big ass catalog for a sale on April 3 in London? a healthy smattering of kaiju...but not only vintage Bullmark, Marmit and Bandai, but also recent pieces from SB, Gargamel, Skull Head Butt and others... Looks like people outside of the collector and flipper world are starting to take real notice of our beloved monsters as more than just toys... a sampling of what's in the catalog: The recent Gargamel GID Zagoran from last year (the light yellow one) is estimated at $200-$400...and a set of the Chrome SB figures also from last year (all 6 of them) esimated at $1,200-$2,000. Crazy....it will be really funny to see what the art world does when these actually come up for sale on the 3rd...what an odd thing I totally did not expect to see today when I came in...worrisome and exciting at the same time...
Wow, that's really interesting. Although this obviously hits home with people around here, can you speak to whether other odd ball items have had a tendency to make an appearance in the past as well? Do you know who decides what items are chosen to be auctioned at any particular event? Keep us posted as to how this ends. Thanks.
Wow, thanks for the info! All sorts of interesting stuff there, some gorgeous Isamu Noguchi and George Nakashima, some Murakamis, Shigeru Ban, Nara ... I'd love to be able to attend, and if I win the Lotto between now and then, I will, and I'll treat myself to lot #144 ... or maybe #262 (droool). Here's a link to the online catalog for this April 3 auction, with all the photos and estimates - http://www.phillipsdepury.com/auctions/online-catalog.aspx?sn=UK000208&p=1&rpp=48 Ultraman electric guitar, estimated at 3-5,000£ - Murakami Panda - Mounted on an antique Louis Vuitton trunk, this one's over eight feet tall, estimated at 400-600,000£ -
that is exciting! and yet, kind of silly IMO. they could just go to S7 and get one for about $100. I mean, why not put some of the new releases from the transformers line on the auction block?
This makes more sense to me now that I understand that these figures are simply part of what appears to be an entire theme on Japanese art and design. It will be interesting to see where things end though. Thanks for the link Miami. Nice stuff!
oh, right on. I can dig it. but who's getting the dough at the end of the day? gargamel? the artist? maybe it's not an important question, but I still would like to know.
I'm dubious about some of those appraisals. How is it that something currently available at a retail price of approx. $90 USD is listed as being worth up to $312 at auction? I'm no expert on vintage valuation but the Bullmark Metron appears to be a little more reasonably estimated despite the damage ... although I've seen them sell for less, including recently at S7 IIRC.
Well I can guarantee you that neither gargamel nor the artists will see any of that dough. It will be the owner of the item and the auction house. That's the nature of the art world. There are the people that make art and then the people that are in the business of art. Here's one scenario: lot number 161 the SECRET BASE COMPANY Chrome Promotion Set, 2007 is put on the auction block Rich art bidder's wife #1 after missing out on the $100,000 sofa, painting, ect. that came up for bid earlier. "Oh honey look those cute little silvery things look just like a Jeff Koons chrome bunny, I want those." Rich art bidder #2 who knows nothing about the world of kaiju but thinks owning these might give him some sort of cultural cache bids against rich bidder #1. When the hammer finally falls lot number 161 has sold for $6,000 a bargain for six little Jeff Koons look-alike sculptures. This starts a feeding frenzy in the high end art collecting world for those quaint subculture toys that everybody who is anybody just has to have. The rest is history. I know it's a silly scenario but it has happen before and when the art world 'discovers' something there could be a potential for danger.
Hey Plover...at the lower end auction houses odd items show up here and there, but these high end houses usually just put stuff on the block that has some "juice" to it...I think this may be an exception because of the spirit of the sale...still, I would not be surprised if something like the GID Zag goes over the high estimate...remember that most of the people who will be at the event don't visit the same sites we do... this is an odd sale to say the least, but I am very curious what will happen, and will let people know when it goes down...
Oh yeah, she's ace. The rare contemporary artist who appeals equally to adults and children. Have you ever seen her large-scale sculptures in person? Perfect execution, and totally fun. I wouldn't worry too much about the conventional art world getting into neo kaiju en masse. The appreciation may be there but from what I've seen, "serious" art collectors consider vinyl toys to be something that you get a couple of to decorate your office, and that's about it. They're in a different league and game although some of the phenomena (e.g. buying frenzies, the addictive aspect, competition and some degree of elitism) are the same. Just ... a lot more expensive.
m3kcomp. thanks for the thread. miami, thanks for the link. Some really cool things, especially as I like art, furniture and industrial design. Picked up a number of names to explore and find out more about.
i am going to roll up there on my lunch break with a pocket stuffed full of £50 notes... that clear zag WILL be mine for £200
OMG !! One of my favorite artist of all time HIDEAKI KAWASHIMA has pieces in this lot. If only I had the money
not a big deal, but Nara is a guy...one of the big names in japanese art right now along with Murakami, Mr., and others...
also, if you like the stuff you see in this sale online...i fully recommend the catalog, which i scored a copy of today...it's a really beautiful book as they always are nowadays...and after the sale they usually show up on ebay for a fraction of what they cost pre-sale...which can be very, very pricey.
it's an easy mistake to make xoco, i did the same thing a long while back becasue i just saw all of these paintings of angry little girls....living in san francisco, you get to see an awful lot of angry little girls and angry little girl art shows so i just assumed.....my bad.....turned out it wads a japanese guy with an angry little girl fetish
Angry girls in San Francisco? Sounds like the Mercy High School student body. Thanks for being cool playdoh but as an art lover who's appreciated the Superflat stuff for years, I'm pretty red-faced about the gender blunder. Oh well, live and learn.
