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Athens: A gallery of many dimensions: Kalfayan Fine Arts

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  • Athens: A gallery of many dimensions: Kalfayan Fine Arts

    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.
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