Lark Mason
No one is in a more respected position than Lark Mason to forecast the direction of new collecting trends, up or down. Thanks to his stellar position as an expert, appraiser, author, and television personality on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow, Mason, founder of iGavel Auctions, the online international network of regional auction salesrooms, anticipates trends far in advance of just anybody else. Here are his in-the-know predictions for What’s Hot and What’s Not for 2013:
Chinese Porcelain, Tongzhi Period
1. Don’t Break The China
The Chinese economy is tied to the West which in today’s world is not a good thing, but China is also benefiting from a rapidly growing group of consumers of which a portion want to own something from their past. The sheer numbers of buyers in China is staggering and the quantity of material limited – a classic supply and demand equation that will be with us for many more years. The Chinese are becoming ever more selective and discerning and the frothiness of the market ought to become a bit more subdued and rational with a focus on the universal criteria of collectors: quality and rarity.
2. Meet George Jetson
Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Eames for Herman Miller, Mid 20th C.
The hottest area in the decorative arts continues to be mid-century furniture and odds and ends. Those spikey doos and winged jackets push all the nostalgic buttons for young families putting together a new home. The material is attractive, functional, and the look is being supported by major designers with newly made objects and is relatively inexpensive, still in pre-inflation Jetson dollars. It is also rebellious enough to satisfy the need to be different from the parents. Blurring the lines between old and new, formerly stuffy shops now regularly mix and match modern and earlier material for a fresh, livable environment. In any successful market there is a range of material for both the “starter home” set and those who have settled down and have more to spend and in this market, there is no shortage of supply. Great quality works abound that were created in this most recently past century in every category, from furniture to glass. Get on your scooter and go shopping.
Chinese Contemporary Watercolor, 1979, ‘Coastal Mountains at Dusk or Dawn’
3. Contemporary and Modern Paintings are the One Percent
This market is international. The one tenth of the one percenters want the best and will pay to get it to fill all those empty walls of all those houses. This market will remain vibrant regardless of downturns in Greece or elsewhere.
Ladies Platinum & Diamond Ring
4. Jewels and Precious Metals Both Shine
Even in a nasty economy people want things that are pretty and what is better than jewelry, gold, silver, and platinum? And, buying such for yourself or your favorite other has the added advantage of keeping the pragmatic side of a relationship secure and happy knowing that should everything go bust, you can always hock the jewels.
5. Watches Keep Ticking
Men’s Rolex Oyster Chronograph Antimagnetic Wrist Watch
Watches appeal to men who otherwise would have nothing to do with the art market. Watches make sense to guys. The engineering, appearance, materials all have value and communicate status to other members of their particular tribe. And in addition to all these great features, watches are the ultimate ego boost for men who insist that everything pass the practicality test. After all, if nothing else, men are practical or at least believe themselves to be. In times of economic uncertainty, when stocks, bonds, and everything else has taken a lickin, watches keep on tickin.
6. Keep pouring the wine
Except for Mitt Romney, everyone enjoys wine. We drink it while enjoying great food and good company, and associate it with sophistication and connoisseurship. It is also easy to categorize, with labels identifying where and when it was made. For women, it is a staple of romantic evenings and men love the technical data and gadgets and in tough times it perks us up. After all, who doesn’t like to show off in front of friends (or others) by knowing the latest tid-bit from Mr Parker? For collectors, 2013 will be a good vintage.
7. Old Growth Forests are Still Growing
Important Pair of Federal Mahogany Lolling Chairs, Boston, circa 1775-1790
Some of the best value out
there are the wonderful old growth woods and other materials used by our forebears to create furniture and other objects prior to the 20th century. The best pieces are catching the attention of buyers, whether made in the USA or elsewhere. The gradual fall-off of interest in these objects over the past fifteen years had more to do with a natural recycling of taste than a rejection of quality. Prices rose, buyers dropped out, new areas were discovered, and the cycle goes round and round again. Traditional “antiques” – a word most in the trade wants to avoid – are holding their own and being recognized by the astute as a good value.
8. Quality and Condition are More Important Than Ever
In categories that are soft or retrenching, only those pieces in tip-top shape and the best quality will be in demand. Even the slowest markets have bright areas and in those, buyers will always be more interested in pieces that are the best over those that are not.
9. No Place for Lockets and Lace
Think of grandma’s living room. In this case, a “boomer’s” living room filled with priceless stuff handed down that no one else wants. Odds and ends jammed into cabinets, spread across table tops, and filling drawers are about as out as out can be. No one has enough time or energy to fool with this material.
10. Function Trumps Form
The number of collectors of out of date and useless gizmos from the past is burdened by the cries of their partners to “stop dragging that stuff home!” But, in tough economic times when it costs more to lug it around than it costs to purchase it, fewer and fewer people are going to be looking for that rusted gearbox. Same with furniture. It has to make sense and have a use. Potty stools are not going to be setting the market afire even if owned by Louis XV.
