{"id":4558,"date":"2020-11-25T15:39:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T15:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwstaging.keesdeboekhouder.nl\/rob-malasch-ik-heb-het-meest-verdiend-aan-dat-wat-niet-verkocht-werd\/"},"modified":"2024-10-11T13:17:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T13:17:20","slug":"rob-malasch-i-earned-the-most-on-what-i-didnt-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keesdeboekhouder.nl\/en\/rob-malasch-i-earned-the-most-on-what-i-didnt-sell\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Malasch \u2013 \u201cI earned the most on what I didn\u2019t sell.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The cheery Rob Malasch (72) has lived his life to the fullest and is still doing so. After more than twenty years as a gallery owner (Serieuze Zaken), he is now using all his experience and knowledge as an art advisor.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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His beautiful office can be found in a well-hidden courtyard on the Lauriergracht. His whole life Malasch has only done the things he really enjoys: \u201cAs long as you use your intuition and the scope of possibilities, you can do anything you like.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of art in your office. Are any of these works made by you?
<\/strong>No, I\u2019ve been a gallery owner for twenty years, which was very nice, but there comes a time when you\u2019ve done enough exhibitions. Here you can find a part of my collection. Pieces I\u2019ve held to myself over the years. There is this unwritten system in the gallery world: you buy five pieces by a young artist and you sell four of them so you make enough profit to keep one. That doesn\u2019t always work, because sometimes you don\u2019t sell anything. When you\u2019ve had a gallery as long as I have, occasionally some pieces are left over.<\/p>\n

How do you know if a young artist will sell?
<\/strong>It\u2019s kind of like roulette, because it\u2019s hard to estimate if an artist will be world famous or not. Back in the days I could\u2019ve bought work by a Chinese artist for prices between $100 and $1.000. Those pieces are now sold at auctions for prices between 5 and 8 million dollars. If I hadn\u2019t sold those then, I would be doing this interview from the Bahamas!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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photo: Volkskrant<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Is speculation an important factor in the art world?
<\/strong>I do think you really need to have love and passion for art. But speculation is definitely an aspect that counts. In some miraculous way, when I started my career, I had a good nose for young talent that would make it to world fame later on. I actually made the most profit on what I didn\u2019t sell. But of course there\u2019s also a lot of art I find interesting that others wouldn\u2019t even want for free.<\/p>\n

Maybe that will change after the artist dies?
<\/strong>It might, but I\u2019m not going to wait for that!<\/p>\n

You have been a gallery owner for twenty years and now your website states: art advisor. Is that the obvious route to take?
<\/strong>After so many years as a gallery owner you build a reputation in the art world. Collectors came to see me for advice and I liked that part of the job. I always tell them I can\u2019t guarantee anything. But I do have a specific taste that sometimes proved itself to be good taste. Art will still remain an intangible phenomenon. Do you know what Dutch collectors love to tell people?<\/p>\n

Well?
<\/strong>\u201cI bought these paintings by Marlene Dumas when she was really young and just left art school. For only thousand guldens. Now they\u2019re worth five million apiece.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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photo and exposition: Koos Breukel<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Stories like that will undoubtedly entertain people at a cocktail party.
<\/strong>Indeed, I think it\u2019s typically Dutch to buy something for a song and brag about it. In France, Italy and the U.S. they enjoy telling people: \u201cI bought this painting and it cost 10 million.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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