Eat your art out: JAFA comes to Christchurch
An Auckland art gallery is bringing works by Pablo Picasso, Colin McCahon, Gordon Walters and Damien Hirst to sell in Christchurch after seeing the number of art buyers from the city double during the past two years.
The Gow Langsford Gallery will open a pop-up exhibition in Christchurch’s The Tannery from November 4 for about three weeks to test the local market. The show is called Just Another F ..... Art Gallery, or JAFA for short.
The artworks in the show have a total value of between $3 million and $4m. The most expensive artworks are a painting by Colin McCahon and a Gordon Walters artwork, which will be priced at around $800,000 each.
The move comes as other New Zealand galleries have noticed a rise in Christchurch people buying contemporary art, with one other Auckland gallery considering a presence in the city.
Gow Langsford director Gary Langsford said it was the first time they had held an exhibition in Christchurch.
‘‘In the last couple of years we have noticed more people flying up from Christchurch to come to our shows. The number of Christchurch buyers has at least doubled in the past two or three years.’’
He said the new art buyers were slightly younger than established Christchurch collectors.
‘‘I wonder if it is part of the rebuild experience, with people looking for new things, or people have moved house and want new artworks.
‘‘We have had plenty of discussions about a permanent gallery in Christchurch. This is a good way to find out if it would work.’’
The 2011 earthquakes closed many Christchurch art galleries. The Jonathan Smart Gallery and Chambers Art Gallery are the main players in the local market.
Other dealers have also noticed a rise in Christchurch people buying contemporary art. Auckland gallery owner Michael Lett said he was considering establishing a presence in Christchurch.
‘‘Over the past few years we have noticed a stronger collector base coming out of Christchurch and I can only imagine that maybe things have settled a little and Christchurch is shifting into a more positive gear,’’ said Lett. ‘‘There are some very well established collectors in Christchurch that have probably had other things on their mind in the past few years.
‘‘The city feels like it is wanting for really great artists. There are some really great New Zealand artists who do not have representation in Christchurch. I love what Jonathan Smart does, but he is a lone voice in a quite a vibrant town.’’
Smart said the growth in the Christchurch art market was partly down to people wanting something for the walls of their rebuilt homes.
‘‘I think it is due to several things. There was probably some joy for Christchurch people in getting out of the city after the quakes and going shopping in the north.
‘‘There is no doubt professionals in this city have probably done quite well and some of that interest and business has come my way and some of it has gone north.’’
Smart said the Christchurch art market was under served. ‘‘My colleagues are well aware that before the earthquakes there were a number of galleries in Christchurch, but now there is only myself and Chambers.’’