New commercial gallery opens in Bucharest

Point Contemporary is the final part of the city’s Artmark project

By Richard Unwin | Web only
Published online 4 Jun 09 (market)

BUCHAREST. Point Contemporary, the final component of Bucharest’s new Artmark business, has opened in premises close to the organisation’s headquarters. A commercial gallery directed by Liliana Popescu, Point Contemporary will run its own independent programme, hosting exhibitions throughout the year. Ms Popescu told The Art Newspaper that she had originally intended to open her gallery in the main Artmark building, but she decided it would not provide the best environment for exhibiting contemporary work.

Artmark, which also comprises an auction house and modern art gallery, is the largest commercial art project in Romania, with funding connected to the country’s richest individual, Dinu Patriciu. The Point Contemporary premises, visited by The Art Newspaper while under renovation, amounts to one of the most extensive spaces in Bucharest, with galleries covering two floors of a newly built villa in the centre of the city. Ms Popescu has plans to open a bookshop and café, as well as making use of the building’s roof terrace; additions that are rarely found in Bucharest’s art scene.

While the contemporary art market in Bucharest remains relatively small, the city has seen a number of new openings that have provided much-needed modernisation and diversification. Artmark itself has so far received a cautious welcome, with existing galleries hoping that the venture can attract new buyers into the market, rather than expressing concern about increased competition.

Of greater concern to many is whether the current size of the contemporary Romanian market is compatible with an auction programme modelled on western standards. Artmark’s initial two auctions, held in December 2008 and April 2009, have so far shown modest success, with the most impressive sales achieved for Romanian paintings in the impressionist style. Even in the case of Point Contemporary, it is likely that the most important business in contemporary art will remain within the gallery circuit, rather than at auction.