The ancient art market must open up to sharing and dialogue

Starting a reflection around the art market today, in our contemporary times, is a far from simple matter. First of all, we need to call into question the very, sociological meaning of buying and selling works of art, a meaning that has its roots in eras far older than a few centuries ago and that therefore inevitably pushes us, today, who are trying to decipher its meaning, to consider it under a much broader lens than just the question of tastes. The latter, like fashions, crazes, are nothing but expressions of a certain social feeling that in one way, rather than another, find fulfillment in the enactment of a gesture. The gesture of collecting works of art is surely an action that in some way consecrates a desire for “infinity” that accompanies man as a millennial being in his evolutionary journey.

And we, the practitioners of this world, cannot take leave of this basic assumption. The world of collectors is constantly changing as the global socio-economic environment is changing; new economies are emerging and with them new classes of potential collectors with a different cultural background than we have been accustomed to over the past fifty years. What appears much more reinforced today, however, is the role of ancient art and the great masters in the international art buying scene; the contextual crisis of the contemporary is also a reflection of the same coin. There is a move toward a modus operandi in which collecting art is no longer perceived as a speculative-financial activity, but an erudition of the soul. And in the end, this is precisely what all those in our delicate field must strive toward: nurturing the values of the soul.

The recent edition of the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato clearly expressed what has been said so far in this brief reflection. In just ten days, 28,000 visitors populated the sumptuous spaces of Palazzo Corsini, attracted by an artistic value and taste made up of reflection, mastery, dedication and depth. New hopes, in fact, for the future as well; witnessing events of this magnitude, one cannot help but notice how more and more young people are deciding to move into the meanderings of ancient art, whether they are capable scholars, collectors, restorers or enthusiasts; have we come to the conception that it is perhaps more revolutionary to approach Old Masters rather than the contemporary? It is difficult to answer this question, what is certain is that in an extremely unstable global context devoid of values, perhaps the artistic culture of past centuries can be a safe lighthouse, a reference to follow in order not to get shipwrecked in this stormy value traverse that afflicts humanity globally. A true journey of (re)discovery of the past in order to conscientiously orient ourselves in the future, this I believe is what the new generations are asking of us.

In conclusion, I believe that the concept behind a new approach to the art market is one of sharing and dialogue. It is important to get in touch with other cultures, to confront them, to learn from them and at the same time to be a spokesman for the artistic wonders that our ancestors left us and that we temporarily have in use. Surrounding oneself with art means surrounding oneself with emotions, and the market must continue to exist to carry on this unstoppable blending of suggestions that distinguishes humanity as a whole. There can be no development, for any nation, for any people, without drawing on its roots.

This contribution was originally published in No. 24 of our print magazine Finestre Sull’Arte on paper. Click here to subscribe.

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