ART BOULEVARD
In March of 2010, people came by droves to the auction of the former Peter Stuyvesant Corporate Collection. On the viewing days, the Sotheby’s townhouse in Amsterdam was packed with art, lining the walls and ceilings in the corridors and four spacious rooms. Introverted white reliefs by the zero artist Jan Schoonhoven, ‘Lily ou Tony’, the enormous woman by Niki de Saint- Phalle, the Op-Art canvases by Victor Vasarely, to name but a few. At the auction, managing director and auctioneer Mark Grol wielded the hammer. A nod, a phone call and the work was sold. The 160 top-notch pieces brought in a total of €13.6 million, the highest proceeds ever for an auction in the Netherlands.
In 1999, the Dutch branch of Sotheby’s international auction firm settled at De Boelelaan, number 30, in a district of Amsterdam that at the time was still called Buitenveldert. Grol praises the foresight of his predecessor – he has been director since 2006 – and is extremely happy with his location in the Zuidas in a group of four townhouses that form a prelude to the area’s high-rise buildings. In the Zuidas, Sotheby’s has plenty of room, including parking, and its location near the A10 is ideal. ‘No matter how you get there, the Zuidas is extremely accessible – by public transport, car or plane. But if you want to have a painting accessed, you come by car,’ says Grol.
The other way round, Sotheby’s is important for the flavour and diversity of the Zuidas. Grol and his twenty-five co-workers – experts and supporting staff – organize seven to eight auctions a year, with public viewing days, often in the weekends. ‘At that point we function as a complete museum.’ Large collections are auctioned here in the Zuidas, such as those of Frits Philips, Robert Noortman, Boudewijn Büch and the Elephant Collection of Prince Bernard. In addition, the auctioneers have has space for exhibitions and for – private – lectures, fashion shows and conferences. A café restaurant with a terrace brings life into the area.
Over the last few years, Sotheby’s has decided to change course. ‘We now focus on paintings and large collections.’ This not only means nineteenth-century masters, but also more and more modern and contemporary works. ‘As far as that’s concerned, I see a change in people’s tastes. Nowadays everybody is modern.’ Not surprisingly, Grol is proud of the recent auction on behalf of the Rijksakademie’s Artists’ Endowment Fund, for which the auctioneering firm waived its mark-up. ‘There was an incredible amount of interest in the work of those young artists trained at the
Rijksakademie, also on the part of corporate collectors – which is only logical, because it’s affordable and makes a good statement.’
Grol purposely organized the auction for the Rijksakademie during the Art Amsterdam art fair. He feels that cultural players in the Zuidas should work together more often. Similar to the way that Amsterdam Zuidoost has the furniture boulevard, he sees a role for the Zuidas as an art boulevard, with ten to twenty bespoke contemporary galleries and art dealers located near one another. ‘They will strengthen each other and make it attractive to come here. I truly believe that over time the Zuidas will become the new centre of Amsterdam.’
Sotheby’s Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 30, www.sotheby’s.com
