The Art Newspaper

Liverpool's A Foundation looks to attract collectors away from London

The non-profit space launches a commercial exhibition with UK and international partners

By Richard Unwin. Web only
Published online: 27 April 2010

One of the UK’s largest independent spaces for contemporary art, A Foundation, Liverpool, has launched a commercial exhibition designed to attract collectors to less trodden regions of the European market. It is expected that it will be the first of a series of annual events, with organisers looking to bolster Liverpool’s position as a centre for visual art outside London.

“The Economy of the Gift”, which runs until 22 May, began by A Foundation selecting four non-London UK galleries. The galleries then each selected one international partner gallery to join them.

Included in the exhibition is the first UK presentation of work by veteran Romanian artist Geta Bratescu (b.1926). Bratescu is considered to be one of Romania’s key 20th-century artists, but remains little known in the west. Represented by Ivan Gallery, Bucharest, Bratescu is showing a series of collages from the 1980s, each available for £4,500. Other exhibited artists include the UK’s Eric Bainbridge, with works for sale up to £20,000, and American video artist Elodie Pong with three works, selling for between £12,000 and £22,000 in editions of three and five.

While all involved expressed excitement at taking part in the “Economy” show, there seems to be a question as to whether it can successfully function as a bespoke art fair. Jean-Claude Freymond-Guth of Elodie Pong’s Swiss gallery Freymond-Guth & Co, Zurich, noted: “A Foundation deserves much respect for the courage to provide both means, time, and the will to learn. As far as how the project is considered an ‘alternative art fair’? I don't think this would be the correct label right now.”

During the opening weekend, panel discussions involving speakers from Berlin and Bucharest, and Paul Hobson of the UK’s Contemporary Art Society, sought to shed light on the relationship between the public and private in art, as well as the development of art scenes in new EU member states. A key concern to emerge from these discussions was the relatively weak buying power of state institutions in Eastern Europe relative to the resources of private collectors.

Asked whether there was any conflict in a charitable organisation such as A Foundation providing a platform to commercial galleries, Waugh suggested that there was a need to break-down traditional barriers between public and private activity and that it was important to support the cultural value provided by arts entrepreneurs.

The eight galleries in the exhibition are: Andréhn-Schiptjenko, Stockholm; Bureau, Manchester; Ceri Hand Gallery, Liverpool; Freymond-Guth & Co Fine Arts, Zurich; The International 3, Manchester; Ivan Gallery, Bucharest; Jack Hanley Gallery, San Francisco/New York; and Workplace Gallery, Gateshead.