PICK UP A PICASSO

SquareOne Entertainment

by Atholl Simpson














Ever thought you would be able to buy a Picasso for under 900 pounds, or a work by Dali for under 7000 pounds? A recent auction at Christie's in London was offering art enthusiasts just that.

The Impressionist and Modern Art auction - which took place last week at Christie's South Kensington branch - offered a selection of ceramics and sculptures by the influential artists.

“Dali and Picasso are two of the biggest names when you think of 20th century artists” Deborah Park, Christie's Head of Department at the branch, told SquareOne. “They are instantly recognisable. People can see the piece and know it's by them.”

A Picasso ashtray was sold for 850 pounds while a sculpture representing Dali's Melting Clock auctioned off at 6500 pounds. Other pieces included ceramic plates - one of them representing Picasso's Don Quijote - and bronze sculptures made in the artists respective workshops.

Park said the works of art were made in editions of up to 450, which explains their low auction price. It was a chance for these artists to make their work more accessible to the public, especially for Picasso.

“He wanted to make his work more affordable to the masses,” said Park. “Back then people would pay for them with the money they had in their pockets, sometimes as little as 30 francs (3 pounds)!”

Park said Picasso moved to the South of France in the mid 1940's, where he continued making ceramics in a workshop in the small town of Madoura until his death in 1973. Dali would create a master cast of his sculptures and instruct how many were to be reproduced.

She said that the works of art were very popular among the buyers and are considered collectables: “It would be a good investment, one for the future. The sale price seems to be increasing."

The auction also included works by Jean Cocteau, Marcel Dyf and Marc Chagall. The most expensive piece sold was a painting by George Rouault, "La Sainte Face", which went for 60,500 pounds.

The next edition of this auction is in December, so you better start saving your pennies . . .

Photo AJ Fischler

FILM OF THE WEEK: LA FRANCE

La France

by Katie Smyth

SquareOne Entertainment

Newlywed Camille awakens in war-torn 1917 France to find a letter from her soldier husband telling her to forget him and that she will never hear from him again.

Undeterred, our androgynous heroine takes off into the wild in search of the Front and her beloved. Garbed as a boy and half-starved she runs in with an unlikely troop of soldiers who after much hesitation, poisonous mushrooms and a wide shot eventually grudgingly accept her company.

All is not as it seems however, as Camille’s new found friends appear less concerned with rejoining the fray than regaling each other with myths of Atlantis and impromptu singsongs. Ever wondered where the Beatles drew their inspiration for Sergeant Pepper? Look no further than the jaunty uniforms, experimental vocal arrangements and dubious instruments of these travelling minstrels.

Unsettling from the start and gripping throughout it’s hard to pinpoint whether La France is more of an indictment of Gallic war mongering or a simple insight into the human need for self-preservation.