The monumental work of Konstantinos Parthenis “The Apotheosis of Beauty” sold for 370,680 euros at auction of Vergos House, the highest price for the Greek art market and among the 5 highest in the world, as mentioned in the House’s 2021 annual report.
Likewise this year, the following art works secured the highest prices globally: the “White Iconostasis”, by internationally recognized artist Steven Antonakos and “Signal [1974]”by avant garde sculptor Takis. A Cavafy single page manuscript of the poem “Che fece… .. il gran rifiuto” also sold at a record price at a recent rare book auction.
It was mentioned that in the last auction of 2021, that of Modern Greek Painting, the steadily growing interest of Greek and foreign collectors for the domestic art scene was confirmed by the highest turnover of the last three years reaching 2,000,000 euros and with 80% of the art works finding buyers.
As Andreas Vergos points out, 2021 saw the start of a new era of physical and online auctions complementing each other successfully, with a good example being the new category of auctions inaugurated by the House in the spring. These are live auctions without the presence of the public, but with the possibility of parallel online monitoring and participation, with original works by major artists at affordable starting prices, to which the public responded warmly, covering a significant gap in the Greek art market.
2021 saw continuous challenges and upheavals but also the dynamic resuming of cultural activities, with an emphasis on the anniversary events for the 200 years of the Greek Revolution. An important moment of the year, both on a corporate and personal level, was the success of the charity auction for the Athens Spastics Society / Open Door held in collaboration with the Skouras Estate. Through it, a considerable amount of money was raised, donated entirely to the Society to support its goals and for the smooth continuation of its commendable work, said Mr. Vergos.