TREASURES UNDER THE HAMMER
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers closed 2016 with its last auction of the year which garnered impressive sales,
THERE are many pleasures to art auctions, where the bidding war becomes frenzied, the totalities are overwhelming, and the audience jam-packed with collectors who know very well what they want. We look at the first professional art auction house in Malaysia, Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers (HBAA), which recently held its last show of the year at Balai Berita’s Gallery Prima in Jalan Riong, Bangsar.
HBAA burst into the local arts scene in 2009, and has since seen steady recordbreaking sales. I recently caught up with its executive director Sim Polenn who shares his thoughts about the establishment’s latest auction.
Which top three pieces were sold at the highest prices?
Dr Jolly Koh’s late 1960s oil on canvas was sold at RM95,812, Eng Tay’s 2001 oil on canvas at RM56,360 and Kow Leong Kiang’s 1996 oil on canvas at RM54,105.60 respectively.
Did these pieces exceed expectations?
They were within expectations as these are established artists with a strong pool of followers. Performing remarkably well were Samsudin Wahab’s 2010 piece which fetched RM47,342.40 and Fadilah Karim’s 2015 at RM29,307.20. It’s very encouraging to see young artists like them getting so much support from collectors. These prices were due to intense bidding.
Which ones were expected to fetch highest prices but didn’ t make the mark and why?
Some of the pieces were sold at lower estimates. For buyers who acquired these pieces, they were good bargains! Probably people are more cautious about spending money purchasing art at this point where the economy is uncertain. Many corporations are also tightening their belts.
How was the selection process made for artworks and how are they categorised?
The auction team is sent to collectors’ houses to source for artworks. Among the 400 pieces of the ones photographed, the panel selected the 131 lots for auction. It was based on group decisions, majority vote by the panel. We tried to include various types of art expressions/ medium, thus the lots on offer ranged from traditional Chinese ink painting to modern art, cutting-edge contemporary art pieces, abstract, impressionism, realism and surrealism to naive art and pop art, catering to different audiences.
What was the sales volume for this auction?
Among the 131 lots on offer, 101 pieces were sold, 30 pieces unsold, recording sales of about RM1.41 million, with a 77.1 per cent success rate. We’re happy with the results. Compared to our sales in April this year, we have a 40 per cent growth, which is promising. Strategy works!
And we were really quite taken with the venue and the close collaboration shared with Galeri Prima and the NSTP team. That’s why we did the auction here.
There are, of course, mixed reactions from collectors and audiences. We still need time to digest their feedback, and see what can be done to further improve things in the future.
How is Henry Butcher different from other local art auction houses?
It’s in the transparency that we practise in various aspects, bearing the responsibility of any credible art auction house. What are the pluses of auctioning your artworks instead of going the traditional route of selling? Art auction houses promote a secondary market. It provides a platform for collectors to sell their artworks. One thing that’s constant is that taste may change. The artworks you purchased today may no longer be your cup of tea five years on. Selling through auction houses is exciting as the seller can try his/ her luck, and see if prices soar or otherwise. Meanwhile, there’s risk also. In case the work is unsold, the seller is required to pay a small sum, minimal fee to cover insurance/ administration and marketing costs to the auction house.
Do you have your own appraisers to safe guard against fraud?
Yes, our panel comprises experts in different art fields. HBAA has been running
professionally to avert mistakes.
Tell us a little about your in-house auctioneers and their influence on art collectors when bids are made on the floor.
We recruited Talita to fly in from Holland to be our auctioneer. An observant auctioneer is crucial, to get the bidders into the right mood, to spot each bid (be it floor, phone, online or absentee). Talita is very experienced and has anchored many at home and abroad. Bidders are familiar with her style, her voice, and her gestures. She has been with us for at least five auctions.
Collecting habits of local buyers vs international ones?
Most local buyers mainly support local art. International ones support Southeast Asian art.
How did HBAA first take root?
HBAA,thefirstprofessionally-runartauction house in the country, started off with holding art charity events in 2008 and 2009, and in 2010, the inaugural art auction took place, receiving tremendous and encouraging responses from audiences. My father, Datuk Vincent Sim, co-founded HBAA together with Henry Butcher’s Lim Eng Chong and director Long Tian Chek. Malaysia needs an art auction house, to complete the art industry infrastructure.
Secondary market is important to further boost the art industry. Besides, it provides the pricing reference/benchmark of an artist via the realised auction results. Art auction houses help to facilitate a stronger networking within the art community in Southeast Asia. Through this platform, being run transparently, collectors compete fairly to acquire rare gems and precious artworks. Sometimes if one is lucky, collectors get to buy quality works at cheaper prices.
The global art market is flourishing, and art auction houses, once seemingly the sanctuary of the exclusive, are enticing new, more diverse audiences. Art collecting is no longer for the wealthy alone and art auction houses are playing a major role in this shift. They’re now friendlier, more accessible and serve trendy young professionals, the new breed of art collectors.