ARTISTS GO IN DISFAVOUR, THEN RE-DISCOVERED AND TAKE THE RIGHT PLACE IN ART
AN IMPRESSIVE OIL ON CANVAS OF ZENETZIS, PAINTED IN 2003-04
THE WORLD OF ART IS A HARD ARENA FOR MOST ARTISTS, WHERE MANY TALENTED, REALLY GOOD ARTISTS ARE NEGLECTED, SHUNNED AND AVOIDED EVEN THOUGH THEIR ART IS VERY GOOD, THEIR SUBJECT MATTER DESIRABLE AND AT TIMES EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR MANY ART LOVERS WORLDWIDE.
VASILIS ZENETZIS (1935-2016), THE IMPRESSIONIST ARTIST WE LIKED IMMEDIATELY WE SET EYES ON HIS WORK HAS HAD A ROLLERCOSTER AUCTION PERFORMANCE SINCE 1997, WHEN HE FIRST APPEARED FOR AUCTION AT SOTHEBYS IN LONDON. THAT WAS DUE TO THE FINANCIAL SITUATION IN GREECE AND THEN WORLD ECONOMIC MELTDOWN OF 2008.
HOWEVER, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HIS ART IS BEING RE-APPRAISED, HIS AUCTION PERFORNACE IS STEADY AND IMPROVING AND TO THE BETTER. THE FUTURE PROMISES BETTER THINGS TO COME, WE BELIEVE, AS THE ARTIST IS NOW DEAD AND WHATEVER HE PAINTED IS FINAL.
ZENETZIS STARTED SELLING HIS ART AT SOTHEBYS LONDON IN 1997 AND THEN CHRISTIES AND BONHAMS PLUS OTHER SMALL AUCTIONS. FOR MANY REASONS KNOWN AND UNKNOWN HE WAS SHUNNED FOR SEVERAL YEARS EVEN THOUGH HIS WORK WAS GOOD TO VERY GOOD. THAT WAS UNTIL RECENTLY, WHEN HIS ART IS BEING ACCEPTED AGAIN AND HIS PAINTINGS SELL FROM CYPRUS, TO GREECE AND TO THE UNITED KINGDOM ONCE AGAIN.
WITH HIS LATEST AUCTION PRICE REACHING THE £2000 BRACKET FOR A MEDIUM SIZE PAINTING OF THE ACROPOLIS, THE WORKS OF THE ACROPOLIS AND ATHENS LOOK TO BE THE TOP SUBJECTS THE COLLECTORS PAY HIGH DOLLAR FOR. THESE WORKS LOOK DESIRABLE, THE DEMAND IS STEADY AND THE MONEY PAID IS IMPROVING. WITH LIMITED NUMBER OF PAINTINGS OF ATHENS AND ITS MONUMENTS, WITH LIMITED PAINTINGS OF CYPRUS, ZENETZIS WORK IS QUARANTEED A STRONG INTEREST IN THE YEARS TO COME.
QUALITY WORK, SCARCITY OF SUCH WORKS AND CONTENT COMBINED WITH MANY COLLECTORS AFTER SUCH WORKS, THE FUTURE LOOKS ROSY FOR THE LAST GREEK IMPRESSIONSIT OF THE 20TH CENTURY AND BEGINNING OF THE 21ST. NEEDLESS TO MENTION THAT ZENETZIS PAINTED ABOUT EIGHTY PAINTINGS OF THE ACROPOLIS, PLAKA, OLYMPIAN ZEUS AREA OF ATHENS OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS OF HIS PAINTING CAREER THAT VIRTUALLY ENDED IN 2005. THE PAINTINGS OF CYPRUS ARE NO MORE THAN TWENTY PIECES MOST OF WHICH ARE IN IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS ALREADY.
PETER CONSTANT
