評(píng)論
打印
Steven Murphy's short reign as the chief executive of auction house Christie's has been marked by record sales that have kept it ahead of its main rival, Sotheby's.
馬文斐(Steven Murphy)擔(dān)任拍賣行佳士得(Christie’s)首席執(zhí)行長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間不長(zhǎng)，但在此期間佳士得實(shí)現(xiàn)了創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的銷售額，并一直領(lǐng)先于主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手蘇富比(Sotheby’s)。
But the 60-year-old thinks the company, the largest art auction house in the world, is lagging behind when it comes to contemporary technology.
但現(xiàn)年60歲的馬文斐覺得，作為全球最大藝術(shù)品拍賣行的佳士得在現(xiàn)代科技方面落后于人。
'I felt the art auction world had not experienced the tidal wave that music, video and books experienced with the advent of online,' said Mr. Murphy, a former media executive whose resume includes stops at health publisher Rodale and Walt Disney Co.
曾任媒體行業(yè)高管的馬文斐說，他覺得拍賣行這個(gè)行業(yè)沒有經(jīng)歷音樂、視頻和圖書在網(wǎng)絡(luò)時(shí)代來臨時(shí)所經(jīng)歷過的那種浪潮。馬文斐的履歷包括曾任職于健康類出版商Rodale以及華特-迪士尼公司(Walt Disney Co.)。
Mr. Murphy has made the company's online strategy his main focus even as sales soared last year to $7.13 billion, a 14% rise over 2013 and a 36% improvement from 2010.
佳士得2013年銷售額飆升至71.3億美元，全年增長(zhǎng)了14%，較2010年增長(zhǎng)了36%，此時(shí)馬文斐將公司的網(wǎng)絡(luò)策略作為關(guān)注重點(diǎn)。
That was the year Mr. Murphy joined London-based Christie's. The company is also rapidly growing in emerging markets: Hong Kong sales in 2013 rose 30%, and the auction house opened new outposts in Shanghai and Mumbai last year.
馬文斐正是在2013年加入總部位于倫敦的佳士得。該公司同時(shí)還在新興市場(chǎng)迅速發(fā)展：2013年香港銷售額增長(zhǎng)30%，該公司去年還在上海和孟買開設(shè)了新拍賣行。
And Christie's sold more than $2 billion in postwar and contemporary art last year, which was the biggest driver of sales growth.
佳士得去年售出價(jià)值逾20億美元的戰(zhàn)后及當(dāng)代藝術(shù)品，這是推動(dòng)銷售額增長(zhǎng)的最大類別。
Last year, it sold 'Three Studies of Lucian Freud' by Francis Bacon for US$142.4 million, a record price for a work of art sold at auction.
去年，該公司拍出弗朗西斯·培根(Francis Bacon)的《弗洛伊德肖像三習(xí)作》(Three Studies of Lucian Freud)，創(chuàng)下1.424億美元的藝術(shù)品拍賣價(jià)格紀(jì)錄。
Mr. Murphy spoke with The Wall Street Journal's Jason Chow and Wei Gu in Hong Kong about why he thinks the art industry's greatest opportunity lies online, the emerging markets in Asia and why he doesn't think there is a bubble in contemporary art.
馬文斐在香港接受《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》記者Jason Chow和顧蔚采訪，討論他為何認(rèn)為藝術(shù)品行業(yè)最大的機(jī)會(huì)在于互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和亞洲新興市場(chǎng)，以及他為何不認(rèn)為當(dāng)代藝術(shù)品存在泡沫。
Edited excerpts:
以下為經(jīng)過編輯的訪談內(nèi)容：
WSJ: Who is Christie's typical customer today?
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：佳士得現(xiàn)在的典型客戶是什么樣的？
Mr. Murphy: There are three types. There's the deep art collector, a true aficionado, who spends a great deal of money on their collection. Contrary to common wisdom, our biggest clients buy across seven categories of art. Our next group of clients are an emerging group and are extremely active in the pursuit of art and objects as an experience. That group is growing exponentially around the world.
馬文斐：有三種類型。一種是真正抱有狂熱愛好的資深藝術(shù)收藏人士，他們?cè)谧约旱牟仄飞匣ㄙM(fèi)不菲。與人們通常認(rèn)為的相反，我們最大的客戶購買的對(duì)象涉及七大藝術(shù)類別。我們的第二大客戶群是一個(gè)新興的群體，他們十分積極地追求藝術(shù)和目標(biāo)，將其作為一種體驗(yàn)。這個(gè)群體在世界各地都以極快的速度增加。
The third group is the enthusiasts. The auction world has only ever captured a part of the already-interested clients. We're discovering, in a big way in Asia and China, an entire new group.
第三大類是藝術(shù)愛好者。拍賣行業(yè)只吸引了一部分已經(jīng)有興趣的客戶。我們?cè)谥袊蛠喼薨l(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)全新的群體。
WSJ: Christie's reported that 30% of the buyers last year were new clients. Who are they?
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：佳士得宣布去年30%的買家都是新客戶。這些客戶是什么人？
Mr. Murphy: The new buyers are from the second category. This is not a group that needs to be introduced to the joy of acquiring art. They're just new to Christie's.
馬文斐：這些新客戶來自第二個(gè)類別。無需向這個(gè)群體介紹購買藝術(shù)品的樂趣。只是對(duì)于佳士得來說，他們是新客戶。
WSJ: You have opened auction rooms in India and China. Why expand when the art world is so global, and collectors are buying online or in New York or London?
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：你們?cè)谟《群椭袊奸_設(shè)了拍賣行。如今藝術(shù)世界的全球化程度已經(jīng)很深，藏家們?cè)诰W(wǎng)上或在紐約、倫敦等地購買藝術(shù)品，為何在這個(gè)時(shí)候選擇擴(kuò)張？
Mr. Murphy: Live auctions and exhibitions, the bricks-and-mortar, is growing as fast as online.
馬文斐：實(shí)時(shí)的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)拍賣和展覽發(fā)展速度與在網(wǎng)上一樣快。
Essentially, these bricks-and-mortar places are really about creating embassies for the international republic of Christie's. When someone steps over the threshold in Shanghai, they're in the Christie's world and they'll become buyers in our London and Paris sales.
實(shí)質(zhì)上，這些實(shí)體場(chǎng)所其實(shí)是為了創(chuàng)建佳士得這個(gè)國際機(jī)構(gòu)的代表處。在上海，只要有人跨進(jìn)佳士得的大門，他們就置身于佳士得的世界，最終會(huì)成為我們?cè)趥惗睾桶屠璧呐馁u會(huì)的買家。
WSJ: The bulk of your business is still live auctions. Where do you see the opportunity online?
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：你們的大部份業(yè)務(wù)仍為現(xiàn)場(chǎng)拍賣，你認(rèn)為網(wǎng)絡(luò)拍賣的機(jī)遇在何處？
Mr. Murphy: The number of active parties is much greater than the audience we've been serving. They've been there at art fairs, art dealers. Now, we're finally accessing them.
馬文斐：活躍群體的數(shù)量遠(yuǎn)大于我們的現(xiàn)有客戶。這類群體參加藝術(shù)展會(huì)并與藝術(shù)商進(jìn)行接觸，如今我們終于有機(jī)會(huì)接觸到他們。
The potential for growth for Christie's is exponential because of the number of active buyers and interested buyers. And online provides us with the means of connection with them that is far more facile than bricks and mortars.
數(shù)量龐大的活躍買家和意向買家，使佳士得暗含巨大的增長(zhǎng)潛力。而網(wǎng)絡(luò)向我們提供了與這些客戶建立關(guān)系的渠道，它遠(yuǎn)比實(shí)體形式要便捷得多。
Last year, was our proof-of-concept year. We had 60 online-only auctions of various categories. It was a year we didn't task our team with doing huge numbers. This year begins the real surge.
去年是檢驗(yàn)理念的一年，我們舉行了60場(chǎng)僅限線上的、涉及多種類別拍品的網(wǎng)絡(luò)拍賣會(huì)。這一年里我們沒有給團(tuán)隊(duì)設(shè)定宏大的業(yè)績(jī)目標(biāo)。而今年將開始真正意義上的大幅增長(zhǎng)。
WSJ: What items sell best online?
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：哪些物品在網(wǎng)上拍得最好？
Mr. Murphy: It's early days. The price point that works best for us, so far, on online-only auctions is between GBP 5000 and GBP 1 million (US$8,414 to US$1.7 million). That's a big zone, but it's not above or below. And the categories that work are myriad. It's not only watches and wine. It's all art, a wide range.
馬文斐：現(xiàn)在作判斷為時(shí)尚早。目前為止對(duì)僅限線上的網(wǎng)絡(luò)拍賣而言，最佳的價(jià)格區(qū)間是五千英鎊到一百萬英鎊（約合8,414美元至170萬美元）。這是一個(gè)很寬的區(qū)間，但也僅限于此不再擴(kuò)大。另外許多類別的銷售都非常好，不光手表和紅酒，而是所有的藝術(shù)品。
The Andy Warhol Foundation came to us because they wanted to monetize their collection, including serious paintings, works on paper, photographs, Polaroids -- the entire range. Christie's was able to provide major paintings at live auction at evening sales, other works at day sales live, then other works in large collections of lesser-priced works online.
安迪沃霍爾基金會(huì)(Andy Warhol Foundation)與我們接洽，想要對(duì)全部類別的藏品進(jìn)行拍賣，包括嚴(yán)肅畫作、紙上作品、照片以及寶麗來作品。佳士得可在晚間拍賣會(huì)的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)拍賣環(huán)節(jié)對(duì)主要畫作進(jìn)行拍賣，在白天現(xiàn)場(chǎng)拍賣會(huì)拍賣其他作品，然后在網(wǎng)上對(duì)其它價(jià)格較低的大量藏品進(jìn)行拍賣。
WSJ: Postwar and contemporary artworks have become a huge part of your sales. Is that market in a bubble, and are you worried about relying heavily on one category? Mr. Murphy: The success of the postwar contemporary market has encouraged collectors to consign their works.
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：戰(zhàn)后及當(dāng)代藝術(shù)品已成為你們銷售的一大塊。這塊市場(chǎng)是否出現(xiàn)泡沫？你是否會(huì)擔(dān)心佳士得過度依靠單一類別？
The number of fantastic pieces coming to market has been extraordinary. The Bacon triptych we sold ('Three Studies of Lucian Freud') is an irrefutable masterpiece. And masterpieces invite more masterpieces, and that drives the market.
馬文斐：戰(zhàn)后及當(dāng)代藝術(shù)市場(chǎng)的成功激勵(lì)著收藏者將手中藏品拿來拍賣。
It is not a bubble. The demand is increasing because the number of buyers is increasing. The number of works coming on the market has also gone up in artistic quality and are worthy of that demand.
進(jìn)入市場(chǎng)的佳作數(shù)量超乎尋常。我們拍出的《弗洛伊德肖像畫習(xí)作》(Three Studies of Lucian Freud)是一件毋庸置疑的杰作。一批佳作吸引來又一批佳作，從而推動(dòng)著市場(chǎng)走向繁榮。
WSJ: Private sales are an increasing part of the business, worth $1.2 billion last year, rising nearly 50% since 2011. Why is this channel so popular?
這并不是一個(gè)泡沫，需求因買家數(shù)量的增多而增多。進(jìn)入市場(chǎng)的作品的藝術(shù)質(zhì)量也在上升，配得上如此強(qiáng)勁的需求。
Mr. Murphy: We learned in 2010 that our top clients were spending half of their art purchases outside of auctions. They were already operating in the private-purchase space and were asking us to provide that service. So we added private sales teams, and now, our clients are buying with us both at auction and privately.
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》：私下洽購是一塊增長(zhǎng)中的業(yè)務(wù)，該業(yè)務(wù)去年銷售達(dá)12億美元，自2011年累計(jì)增長(zhǎng)近50%。這一銷售渠道為何如此受歡迎？
WSJ: Why do you think buying art is so popular today?
馬文斐：我們?cè)?010年時(shí)了解到，我們的頂級(jí)客戶的藝術(shù)品消費(fèi)有一半是在拍賣活動(dòng)以外進(jìn)行的。當(dāng)時(shí)他們已開展私下洽購并要求我們提供這一服務(wù)。因此我們?cè)鲈O(shè)了這方面團(tuán)隊(duì)，而現(xiàn)在我們的客戶既通過拍賣，也通過私下洽購從我們手中購買藝術(shù)品。
Mr. Murphy: We're living in a moment where we're having a cultural shift, world-wide, towards an interest in art, museums, and the experience of being in front of pictures.
《華爾街日?qǐng)?bào)》: 你認(rèn)為如今為什么如此流行購買藝術(shù)品？
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Museum in Beijing, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, are all experiencing record attendance. That is not unconnected to people coming to Christie's.
馬文斐：我們正在經(jīng)歷一場(chǎng)全球文化的轉(zhuǎn)變，人們對(duì)藝術(shù)、博物館以及欣賞畫作的興趣正變得越來越濃厚。
You take this cultural move and marry it to the facility of imagery being available in HD quality, from your phone to your laptop.
紐約大都會(huì)藝術(shù)博物館(Metropolitan Museum of Art)、北京國家博物館(National Museum)、洛杉磯縣立藝術(shù)博物館(Los Angeles County Museum of Art)的參觀者人數(shù)紛紛刷新紀(jì)錄。這與來佳士得的人并非毫無關(guān)聯(lián)。
It's the equivalent to the explosion of music, globally, in the 1960s and 1970s. Suddenly, in the 1960s, you could hear the same song around the world thanks to radio.
可呈現(xiàn)高清畫質(zhì)圖像的設(shè)備也對(duì)這場(chǎng)文化大潮帶來助推，比如手機(jī)、筆記本電腦等等。
Today, the world knows Frances Bacon and Andy Warhol. The world sees a Rafael drawing and it's in every newspaper, every website, and here on phones.
這就相當(dāng)于上世紀(jì)六、七十年代的全球音樂大爆炸。上世紀(jì)六十年代，在收音機(jī)的幫助下，突然之間人們可以在世界的任何角落聽到同一首歌。
Jason Chow / Wei Gu
今天，全世界都知道培根(Frances Bacon)和沃霍爾(Andy Warhol)。全世界都可以看到拉斐爾(Rafael)的畫作，在報(bào)紙上、網(wǎng)站上，以及在你的手機(jī)上。
