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Akoun 2007

It comes out a little after the Michelin guide and is not spoken about on the front page of the press. And yet «the» Akoun has its collectors as well since 1985. This census of the rates of 77 000 artists is a practical tool to carry to auctions to check out the artist before being carried away by the purchasing fever. Certain unprecisions can surely be found. For example, Gauguin’s most expensive painting, «Maternity», is said to have been sold in 2005 in the United States while actually it was in 2004 and it is not known whether the price given (transcribed in €, but without giving the exchange rate) includes or not the fees (that can represent up to 20 %). We will forgive them for taking the tool for what it is: a compilation (easy to handle!) of avearge rates of artists of which most are not well known by the public at large. Around Gauguin, to pick up his example once more, we see Gauffriour, Gaugiran Nanteuil, Gaulbert, Gauley, Gaulis… How could we rate them and compare them to one another? For all these unknown artists, the choice is to imagine what a painting in a standard format, of 65 x 50 cm would cost, based on extrapolations on the recorded auctions. This would be an original exercice, that would be clear cut and contested if it were not often accompanied by real results with an indication on the dimensions.

• Akoun 2007, La Cote de l’Amateur publishing house, 2007, ISBN : 2-85917-459-0, 920 p., 32 €.

Akoun 2007 -


Review published in the newsletter #42 - from 12 April 2007 to 18 April 2007

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