Kathimerini, Greece
April 11 2005
A gallery of many dimensions
Kalfayan Fine Arts specializes in a broad gamut from the
contemporary to the antique
A post-Byzantine icon of St George from the 17th century. (Photos
courtesy of Kalfayan Galleries.)
By Alexandra Koroxenidis – Kathimerini English Edition
A playful exhibition, well timed to welcome spring, brings humor to
the current art scene through the work of three artists: Constantinos
Kakanias, Tassos Pavlopoulos and Yiannis Pavlidis. Held at the
Kalfayan Gallery here in Athens, «Encounters,» the title of the
exhibition, shows just one aspect of the kind of art represented by
this multidimensional gallery.
At the end of the week, an entirely different exhibition opens at the
Kalfayan Gallery in Thessaloniki. Organized to reflect the Easter
spirit, the exhibition puts on view Greek post-Byzantine icons, a
field in which the Kalfayan has specialized for decades now.
Dealing in a broad gamut that stretches from contemporary artworks
through old masters, antiques and religious icons is what gives
Kalfayan Fine Arts a distinctive position in the Greek gallery scene.
Theirs is an eclectic approach that shows an appreciation for all
periods in art but is also based on connoisseurship.
Of Armenian descent, brothers Roupen and Arsen Kalfayan were born
into a family of antique and art collectors that goes back a couple
of generations. Their mother, an archaeologist, opened an antique
shop in Thessaloniki in the mid-’80s, and the Kalfayans, who have the
official and limited permission to deal in antiquities and icons
(permission having been granted by the Greek Ministry of Culture),
were among the founding members of the antique fair exhibition in
Athens.
In London at the time, Roupen was studying prehistoric archaeology of
the Middle East and Islamic archaeology while Arsen was specializing
in paper conservation. Shortly after their return to Thessaloniki
they opened a contemporary art space (in 1995), and four years later
began their operation here in Athens. Dealing both in the primary and
secondary markets, they have the exclusive representation of
contemporary artists such as Tassos Pavlopoulos, Lambros Psirrakis
and more recently, Marios Spiliopoulos. Other collaborators include
Edouardos Sakayan, Constantinos Kakanias and Miltos Manetas.
Besides exhibits on contemporary artists, the Kalfayans have
established an annual exhibition on Greek modern art. Works by
artists such as Alexis Akrithakis, Thanassis Tsingos, Yiannis
Spyropoulos, Yiannis Moralis and Nikos Kessanlis were part of this
year’s exhibition. «Through these exhibitions we would like to show
the continuity between modern and contemporary art and connect what
is happening now with the works of the recent past,» Roupen Kalfayan
explains.
Also set on an annual basis is the exhibit on post-Byzantine icons.
«We really think that icons are undervalued in the art market. It is
amazing what one can buy with the same amount that one would spend on
a contemporary artwork,» Roupen comments. The tight strictures and
licensing requirements placed on owning and marketing icons is the
main reason that discourages dealers from buying and selling
religious icons.
Drawing on their resources and motivated by an interest in all
periods in art, the Kalfayans have also dealt in Greek late 19th and
early 20th century masters (such as Constantinos Volanakis and
Nikolaos Gyzis), a field in which international auctioneers have
shown an interest in recent years (the annual Greek sales at
Sotheby’s and Bonham’s are an example).
The auctions, which began as a response to a demand that a mostly
Greek public living abroad have for these works, have created further
demand and stimulated competition in the field. «Today auction houses
have ended up selling more expensively than gallerists. In recent
years auction houses have become something like retail outlets, which
is not what they were in the past, when their role was to sell to the
dealers and not straight to the collectors. But auctions are now very
much in fashion so everybody runs to them. There is always the
incentive that a work might sell at a record price, but the problem
is that the percentage of the auction house’s commission is really
very high,» says Roupen. «There is also the problem that the
guarantee of authenticity that an auction house provides usually
expires after five years, which is not the case when a gallerist
sells to his client. Also with the auction houses, if some kind of
question comes up concerning the authenticity of the work, the
customer has to prove it himself. Things are much more flexible and
negotiable between professional gallerists and their customers. The
relationship is more personal, more customized,» Arsen Kalfayan
explains.
The growing competition in the art market is one of the many signs of
how art is increasingly becoming a commodity. «Most people do not
approach art for the sheer pleasure of art but are concerned with
profit. In the past, collectors were more of the connoisseur type,»
says Roupen. «Nowadays, there are many patrons of the arts, but
financial figures are very much something in their mind,» adds Arsen.
As far as the Greek market is concerned, the Kalfayans believes that
it is consistently expanding as new collectors are emerging and
galleries becoming more professional. But they are also skeptical
about the efficacy of the attempts – notably last year’s Greek
representation at Madrid’s Arco fair – that have been made toward
giving Greek art international exposure. Both Roupen and Arsen
Kalfayan will agree that most of these moves are more about politics
and lobbying, about advancing the interests of a clique. «With all
that money having been spent at the Arco, we should really expect
better results, like seeing more Greek artists being represented
abroad. Moreover, if the Arco was such a success for the Greek
galleries, I wonder, why is it that no Greek gallery participated in
this year’s event?» asks Arsen.
Strangely for a gallerist, the Kalfayan is also against the state
subsidizing Art Athina, the annual Greek art fair. «Why should the
Greek state keep spending money in order to support a commercial
event from which galleries profit? Everybody raves about how the
success of Art Athina is increasing by the year. With all this
success, why isn’t the event self-supported?» Arsen inquires.
Supporters of sponsorship coming from the private sector, the
Kalfayans believe it is time for visual arts events, institutions or
galleries to become more self-dependent and less reliant on political
decisions and liaisons. They also believe that there should be a
wiser distribution of money across art projects and better planning.
«When in Thessaloniki one museum opened after the other, everybody
was pleased, but now they all complain about meager budgets. Back
then, I proposed that the two museums, the Macedonian and the State
Museum, become one,» says Arsen Kalfayan.
Compared to the past, the visual arts scene in Greece has of course
changed for the better, and the Kalfayans will admit that with no
reservation. There is more to see, greater variety and different
angles. Kalfayan Fine Arts provides an example of this broader
phenomenon. Run by two driven, educated people with strong beliefs
about the field of art, it brings different perspectives to art and
connects the art of the present with that of the past.
«Encounters» at the Kalfayan Gallery in Athens (6 Kapsali,
210.721.7679) through 14/5. Greek post-Byzantine icons in
Thessaloniki (43 Proxenou Koromila, 2310.231.187) from 16/4-14/5.