Stability, reliability and constant support of collectors and investors are the current characteristics of the Romanian art market, which remains an open scene for those looking for safe and alternative investment markets. Despite the recession, art retains its value in times of crisis, as evidenced by the results of the biggest event on the Romanian art market this season, held last night at A10 by Artmark auction house.

The Autumn Auction – Top 100 Grand Masters of Romanian Art achieved a solid percentage of 107.2% of the market estimate, recording an estimate level of around 80% and a total sales volume of almost €1 million. The event lasted 6 hours and 5 minutes, gathered about 300 participants, including 79 judges. 23 pallets were exhibited in the auction hall, i.e. 29% of the judges were members of the hall, which is a sign that normalization is gradually returning to the Romanian art market with the physical presence of collectors and art lovers in the hall at Cesiana-Rakovica Palace.

Several trends have emerged in the Romanian market in recent years, and the event held last night at A10 by the Artmark auction house reaffirmed the latest trends and developments.

1. Thus, well-known contemporary artists are gaining more and more interest in the market, and a new generation of collectors is increasingly attracted to this segment. Ștefan Câlția, Felix Aftene, Sabin Bălaşa or Georges Mazilu are just some of the artists who classify their tastes and break away from the quota of their generation. An impressive result in the contemporary art segment was recorded by the artist Stefan Kaltia with the work “Papagheno”, which received an award of €38,500, followed by the work “Green Parrot”, which was awarded €32,500. An impressive auction that offered a special show was the work “Evening Twilight” signed by the artist Sabin Balasha. The work, the starting price of which was 3,000 euros, was awarded for 22,000 euros, 10 participants participated in the auction.

2. However, heritage art was more important than contemporary art last night as collectors reaffirmed their respect for classical established values. Great Romanian artists such as Nicolae Grigorescu, Nicolae Tonica, Teodor Aman, Gheorghe Petrascu or Ion Cuculescu achieved the most valuable results. The leader of the auctions was the master Teodor Aman, whose work “Still Life with Cherries, Apricots and Tobacco” was sold for 70,000 euros. A small work, “Ciobănaș pe Valea Doftanei”, signed by Nicolae Grigorescu, was awarded for €50,000, confirming the fact that any appearance by a national artist arouses the interest of major collectors.

3. At the same time, beauty is important and brings unexpected results. Some works signed by lesser-known artists exceeded Artmark’s Casa A10 rating. The absolute author’s record was achieved by Pericles Capidan, a rare appearance on the Romanian art market, whose work “The Little Macedonian” was awarded 10,000 euros, which is twice the maximum estimate. The interior composition had a starting price of 2,800 euros. Another author’s record was set by the artist from Brasov, Ernst Honigberger. The large-scale work “Erna (Artist’s Wife)” attracted the attention of collectors, surpassing the A10 estimates of the Artmark auction house.

Investors and collectors in the turbulent period chose art as a container to secure money or as a form of investment, continuing the upward trend of the Romanian art market. Autumn Auction Results – Top 100 Great Masters of Romanian Art aligns artists exhibited in Romanian museums with artists of the moment in a strong market trend, demonstrating collectors’ interest in diversifying and developing art collections.

Also this week, the auction house A10 by Artmark is organizing the last event of October – the Elegance Auction, which will bring together several collector cars, exclusive watches, unique jewelry or limited edition bags. The event will take place tomorrow, Thursday, October 27, at 19:00 online on the Artmark Live platform, as well as in the auction hall of Palatul Cesianu-Racovița.

Papageno – Stefan Caltia

Article supported by A10 by Artmark