Willard Wigan MBE
Last Tuesday morning I previewed the auction of a Willard Wigan microsculpture Lloyd’s of London on a Pin Head at Lloyd's of London (CLICK). How much did it make? No BBC update! Yesterday I tracked down the answer: £94,000. The Lloyd's replica was commissioned and sold by the David Lloyd Gallery at Lloyd's (where the money is) to a former Lloyd's underwriter. Smart move. Previously the David Lloyd Gallery cornered the market for Wigan's work by buying his 70-piece collection (promptly insured for £11.2m). Normally a Wigan piece would be expected to fetch £15,000. So, from £15,000 to £94,000 with one cleverly targeted sale. Very smart move! The proceeds go to the Prince’s Trust and the Dyslexia Association (Wigan is dyslexic and cannot read or write). The gallery (CLICK) can afford to be generous. It's owned by former England Davis Cup captain David Lloyd, who recently sold another of his businesses for £300m. The next Charles Saatchi?
posted by Unknown @ 31.7.07
2 comments
2 Comments:
I'm sceptical about a lot of prices that are paid for works of art. I think collectors, marketers and gallery owners know how to use the media to increase prices.
It's easy to put together a press release and quote prices with lots of zeros on them.
I should be more trusting. But the more I learn about media and the art world, the more cynical I am.
Me too. The hype in the art world is unbelievable. Some of the blurbs I read...!
This is a really choice example, and not too much in the way of blurb.
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