| 【富比世／Nicola Ruiz】
《Place Branding and Public Diplomacy》雜誌編輯兼《2008 City Brands Index》（2008年城市品牌指數）調查（上月公佈的排名就基於該調查）作者 Simon Anholt 表示：「倫敦的唯一不利因素就是它的安全性和消費水準。」Anholt 還與城市及國家政府就提高其國家聲譽的政策、投資和策略進行了諮詢。他說：「但是這兩個因素也幫助提升了其形象：如果太安全，人們就感覺不到刺激，如果消 費水準太低，它的受尊重度就會降低。」 名列前10的城市還包括澳洲雪梨、羅馬（義大利）、西班牙巴賽隆納、澳洲墨爾本、柏林（德國）、荷蘭鹿特丹、和西班牙馬德里。 數字背後 Anholt City Brands Index（Anholt 城市品牌指數）對18個國家的18,000人進行了調查。評判城市的標準包括生活方式、口碑、文化多元性、文化生活和吸引力。比如，受訪者會被要求根據氣 候和天氣、污染程度以及建築和公園的外表吸引力列出40佳城市。他們被問及他們所預期的每個城市人們的熱情度，以及每個城市在過去30年裏在科技、文化和 政治領域對世界的貢獻大小。 Anholt 說：「較精明的政府一直以來都將他們的城市看作是一個需要向外推廣的品牌。但全球化的後果之一就是城市之間對遊客、投資者、企業和重大盛事的競爭變得空前激烈，因此適當注重聲譽現在已經以一種以前所未有的方式加以強制。」 酷都 倫敦位居榜首，這部分歸功於全球近三分之一的人口（包括澳洲、印度和加拿大）與英聯邦有聯繫，並將倫敦視為世界金融、時尚和音樂之都。之前宣佈的2012年奧運會舉辦權又給這座城市貼上了一枚時尚的印章。 其孕育超凡魅力領導人的能力也沒有減弱。在1997年掌權之際，首相東尼‧布萊爾 (Tony Blair) 推出了「酷不列顛」(Cool Britannia) 計畫，旨在將倫敦定位為一個酷而時尚的新銳城市，展現在世人面前。這個推廣口號旨在嘗試為英國重塑一個進取、有遠見且多元化的形象，並同時推廣 Oasis、辣妹 (Spice Girls) 和 Blur 等英倫搖滾品牌。 這似乎起了作用。美國西北大學 (Northwestern University) 國際行銷學教授、40多本區域行銷著作作者 Philip Kotler 表示：「這裏有悠久的歷史和多元文化的人口。這裏是世界金融中心、藝術中心及文物中心，並有著生機勃勃的能量。」 關於巴黎排名第二，Anholt 表示，在贏得這一領先位置方面巴黎所做的努力少於其他城市。自20年前的 Arche de La Defense 至今，巴黎就沒有出現新的著名建築，最近也很少舉辦過受大眾喜愛的盛大活動。Anholt 說，與羅馬和米蘭一樣，巴黎是坐享其成。 他表示：「巴黎是最時尚的城市之一，這幾乎成了一種陳詞濫調。但它卻已發展成為一種全球性的流行文化。尤其是在發展中國家，人們都期望能在法國享受美食、時尚以及精緻的生活方式。多年後它可能會變成一座糟糕的城市，但它卻不會因此失去這種聲譽。」 不管怎樣，如果你希望置身於美景當中，那麼巴黎仍是不二選擇。當被問及哪座城市最美時，50%的受訪者表示巴黎最為迷人，而46%的人認為當屬羅馬，29%的人選擇紐約，只有5%的人認為是北京。 位居最時尚城市排行榜第15名的城市米蘭被選為對全球時裝作出最重要貢獻的城市，而華盛頓、馬德里和東京則分別在政治、文化和科技方面做出了最重要的貢獻。 當然，每座城市都有其自身獨特的榮譽需要保持。有些政府想打造一座安全乾淨的城市，而有些政府卻努力將自己的城市打造得更加酷勁十足。 Anholt 說：「荷蘭給人的印象是穩定、可靠、高效、富有和無趣。而阿姆斯特丹給人的感覺就時尚很多。這一切都是因為色情、毒品和搖滾。該城市政府希望能保持那樣鮮 明時尚的吸引力。」Anholt 稱位居最時尚城市排行榜第9名的阿姆斯特丹是少數幾座透過酷T恤測試 (cool T-shirt test) 的城市之一。「如果你將『I heart Amsterdam』印在一件白色T恤衫上，那麼它的售價比沒有這幾個單詞的白色T恤要高。」 雪梨同樣也透過了 Anholt 的酷T恤測試，該城市在最時尚城市排行榜上排在紐約、羅馬和巴賽隆納之前，位居第三位，這令除了那些在雪梨享受生活的人們之外的所有其他人都感到非常驚訝。 Anholt 稱：「每個人都熱愛澳洲。它代表了一種令人嚮往的品牌，這幾乎在《鱷魚先生》(Crocodile Dundee) 裏都有所體現。這部電影為澳洲城市的形象增添了奇跡般的光彩。該電影已風靡全球。如今澳洲被認為是一個完美的國家：熱情、富有、好客和文明。」
原文：Forbes.com The World's Most Stylish Cities
【2008-04-24 富比世】 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008年5月8日 星期四
時尚城市王 倫敦打敗巴黎
2008年3月31日 星期一
英美術館驚現希特勒私家藏畫 由德畫家創作
英國國家美術館日前發現，館藏的一幅油畫竟曾是納粹元首阿道夫·希特勒的私家收藏。它由德國著名宮廷畫家老盧卡斯·克拉納赫創作，美術館正進一步搜集該油畫的相關資料。
這幅名為《丘比特向維納斯訴苦》的油畫名稱用拉丁文標注，是克拉納赫1512年創作的。雖是復制品，但仍然非常珍稀。熱衷收藏希特勒遺物的普林茨·施瓦茨博士在希特勒早年的相冊中首先發現了關于這幅油畫的照片，其中一張能清楚地看到，這幅畫被陳列在希特勒私人藝術館中。這本相冊是希特勒私人圖書館中的藏品，如今已被轉送到美國國會圖書館中收藏。希特勒分別擁有一個館藏1200卷圖書的私人圖書館和一個藝術館。英國國家美術館已著手調查這幅油畫被希特勒收藏的具體時間。據悉，1963年，國家美術館從紐約的希特曼兄弟手中買入該畫，但1909年至1945年間，該畫不知去向。美術館認為，希特勒很可能是在1933年至1945年間通過不合適途徑獲得該畫的。
2008年3月27日 星期四
德國指揮家來台 詮釋巴赫難度最高合唱曲
2008.03.27 07:37 pm
鑽研「音樂之父」巴赫權威的德國指揮家海慕特‧瑞霖 （HelmuthRilling）應邀來台，將在三月二十九日率領台北愛樂合唱團、長榮交響樂團於國家音樂廳演出巴赫的「Ｂ小調彌撒」，此曲華麗而難度甚高的演唱技巧，國內至今尚無演出紀錄，此次台灣首演令人期待。
台北愛樂表示，巴赫的「Ｂ小調彌撒」被譽為「音樂領域中最崇高的作品」，這一次由高齡七十五歲，畢生鑽研巴赫音樂的海慕特‧瑞霖指揮，由知名聲樂家廖聰文、鄧吉龍、旅德聲樂家李佩穎以及德籍女低音安亞‧許洛瑟（Anja Schlosser）擔任獨唱。
海慕特‧瑞霖畢生研究巴赫音樂，自1970年起每年七月皆於美國奧瑞岡州舉行巴赫音樂節，並開設大師班研究巴赫音樂作品。1981年瑞霖又創立國際司徒加巴赫音樂學院，並以十四年的時間完成史上第一套完整的巴赫清唱劇錄音。
西元2000年，海慕特‧瑞霖指導完成了巴赫作品全集錄音，共一百七十二張CD，在國際上贏得了最高的評價。這一次是繼2005年與台北愛樂合唱團合作布拉姆斯德文安魂曲後，再次與台灣的聲樂家與合唱團合作。
2008年3月13日 星期四
當時尚遇上藝術：When Fashion encounters Art
時尚產業與藝術的結盟從來就不是一件新鮮事，某些時尚工業在早期甚至是藝術的贊助者，例如香奈兒的創辦人嘉比愛．香奈兒（Gabrielle Chanel）生前即結交不少藝術圈好友，她曾贊助俄國芭蕾改革派大師迪亞吉雷夫（Serge Diaghilev）的《春之祭》（Le Sacre du Printemps）芭蕾舞劇製作費用（註1）；而於1948年以製造精品珠寶、鐘錶聞名的卡地亞（Cartier）在巴黎創辦「卡地亞當代藝術基金會」（Foundation Cartier pour l'art contemporain），其宗旨在於「鼓勵當代藝術的創造與藝術知識的流通」；而2003年路易．威登（Louis Vuitton）與日本當代藝術家村上隆（Takashi Murakami）合作的成果除了掀起了十足的話題性、為企業注入些年輕、普普可愛化的形象，更拉寬原本消費群的年齡層，帶來實質的營業額成長……在此，時尚以不同的方式介入藝術世界，扮演各不相同的角色；這些合作的目的也許是真心喜愛藝術，也許是為了回饋社會、或藉此重塑自我的品牌形象，再創商業新高點……背後的意圖其實是相當複雜的。
藝術與消費文化
然而在近幾年來，我們可以觀察到一個有趣的現象：在國際藝術雜誌《ArtReview》、《ArtForum》及《Frieze》裡，除了畫廊、美術館所刊登的展覽廣告外，我們亦不乏見到時尚品牌的新品廣告，而這些廣告與刊登在《Vogue》、《GQ》雜誌上的並沒有什麼不同；並且，從2007年下半年以來，《ArtReview》甚至在雜誌中另闢了一個名為「消費」（CONSUMED）的新單元，像評選當月最佳展覽般地選介該月份由商店、美術館、畫廊推出的藝術商品，例如在其中可見以攝影聞名的美國當代藝術家普林斯（Richard Prince）與設計師賈各柏（Marc Jacob）合作為LV設計的一春夏新款「笑話包」（Jokes），以及赫斯特（Damien Hirst）跨足為Levis設計的一款新型501丹寧牛仔褲，上頭有著他前一陣子引起軒然大波，號稱史上最貴的當代藝術作品《獻給上帝之愛》（For the Love of God）的經典骷髏頭圖案，只是在牛仔褲上的骷髏頭鑲嵌的不是鑽石，而是一顆顆的施華洛世奇（Swarovski）水晶，在這單元中，除了商品簡介外，產品的售價（就連是否含稅）、幣值、可查閱的延伸網站、藝術家的最新動態都標註於其上（註2）；這些現象傳遞的訊息是——藝術與時尚／商業的消費文化之間的藩籬已越趨模糊，在新時代中，兩者以更輕鬆的姿態貼近彼此，藝術在今日甚至可能已被某些人視為一種「時髦的新潮流」；而辯論這兩者之間產出的結果是high art或low art？或談論藝術與商業間的共謀彷彿顯得是那麼地天真，或許就如1966年沃荷（Andy Warhol）曾告訴我們的：「Art is commerce」，試問當代藝術家又有誰能向流行時尚產業的合作邀請說不？然而，將藝術與消費文化之間區隔開來的最後一道防線又會是什麼？
一場流行的神話
而在這一波時尚與藝術互相擁抱的趨勢中，最受人矚目的，要屬香奈兒在其創意總監拉格斐爾德（Karl Lagerfeld）的帶領下，宣布與藝術圈進行的合作案—— 一個富有野心與企圖心的大計畫「Mobile Art」（流動的藝術）。它產出的結果，不像是LV與村上隆的合作，只催生出幾款具甜美感的LV提包這般單純，而是一個「展覽」！
香奈兒聘請巴黎《Beaux Arts》藝術雜誌主編暨藝評家布思托（Fabrice Bousteau）擔任策展人，其邀請20位來自不同地域的藝術家以香奈兒經典的「2.55」菱格紋手袋為發想起點，各別創作一件作品。不少參與這項計畫的藝術家皆具高度的國際知名度，例如，有以魔幻動態建築風格著稱，曾於2004年獲得建築界最高榮譽「普立茲獎」（Pritzker Architecture Prize）的哈蒂（Zaha Hadid）、作品蘊含高度觀念性與社會批判性，甫於法國卡地亞當代藝術基金會舉辦個展的韓國藝術家李部（Lee Bul）、印度當代藝術紅星古普塔（Subodh Gupta）、在去年以作品《好好照顧自己》（Prenez soin de vous）代表法國館參加「威尼斯雙年展」（La Biennale di Venezia）的藝術家卡爾（Sophie Calle）、曾獲第47屆威尼斯雙年展金獅獎的法國藝術家貝赫（Fabrice Hyber）、日本當代攝影師荒木經惟（Nobuyoshi Araki）、小野洋子（Yoko Ono）、及以運用台灣傳統花布於創作，個人特色鮮明的林明弘、與作品屢現於國際大展的楊福東等人。
事實上，這個計畫十足地令人玩味，首先它要求藝術家創作的是一件「作品」，而非一件「商品」，據悉主辦單位強調，這是一個「純粹的藝術展覽，當中不會有任何的商業行為，香奈兒也將不會在那展示該品牌的包包或衣服，展館裡將只展示藝術家的作品」（註3）；第二，雖說「賦予藝術家高度的自主性」，但唯一的條件卻又須如香奈兒時尚總監帕洛夫斯基（Bruno Pavlovsky）所言：以香奈兒菱格紋手袋為題，「各自發揮創意，以不同的形式給予手袋新的生命——可以是詩意的、不拘小節的，又或是具啟發性的，呈現這手袋的傳奇面貌。」請注意，在這兒他用了「傳奇」兩個字，藝術家的作品在此除了擴充觀者對於香奈兒手提袋的想像與詮釋外，展覽還不著痕跡地為香奈兒打造新時代的傳奇與神話，把時尚自我與藝術連結起來，帶來一種具創造力、創意無限的表徵。法國文學家巴特（Roland Barthes）曾說：「神話是一種言談，一種傳播的體系，一種訊息。」（註4）而在此展中，香奈兒的包包雖是不現於展場內，但一件件的作品卻又不斷地回溯指向它，並使其鮮活化；就如拉格斐爾德所言：「我們可以用廣告淹沒這個世界，但是，這是更為高貴的做法。」試問，還有什麼能比藉著Mobile Art建構屬於它的神話的方式更技高一籌、更為「高貴」？但策展人在這計畫中所扮演的角色又是什麼？這或許是值得深思的。
移動的展覽館
過去都是我們去博物館看藝術，這一次，我們要讓博物館向我們走來。
——拉格斐爾德
Mobile Art將從2008年2月27日起，以香港為展覽的起跑點，在兩年的時間內，此展將陸續在東京、紐約、倫敦、莫斯科與巴黎巡迴展出；事實上，巡迴展的形式在藝術世界裡並不稀奇，但若整個展覽場是一個可以拆卸、摺疊、帶著走的移動空間，便十分地別出心裁！
這回在Mobile Art展前即吸引眾人目光的，便是由哈蒂運用數位成像軟體所設計面積達29×45平方公尺，高六公尺，充滿未來感的行動藝術館，哈蒂在論及其創作藍本時曾說：「我希望透過設計，讓人置身另一個世界，令人們躍動鼓舞，並對各種意念興奮不已。我們的建築非常富直覺感……著重帶來不同的體驗，提供一種既陌生又新鮮的感覺，彷彿來到新的國度。」在此處雖然無法辨認究竟香奈兒的菱格紋包給了她什麼樣的創作啟示？或許是精密細緻感也好、是未來感也罷，但就是這藝術家自主的轉化能力，以及在藝術家與香奈兒溝通的過程中，可能經過一連串的妥協或不能妥協後產生出的成果，它是使這個展覽之所以有趣的地方。
哈蒂設計的展館，強調流動與自然的建築風格，建築物的外型像是個浮出海面的白色鸚鵡螺，整棟建築似沒有尖銳的菱角，而由流線、飽滿的弧線雕塑而成一螺旋形結構的場館，此經精密的演算，每一個組構、銜接建築的結構元件都不超過2.25公尺，在展期結束後都可以拆卸下來，運輸到下一個城市再重組、裝嵌、重新開館；而其追求自然的建築風格除了展現在建物的外型上，也呈現在素材的挑選與設計上，例如中心展場的天花板上有八片像風扇般聚合在一起的玻璃纖維片，當中位在中央的那片設有一可自行調節開閤的機關，其目的除了能為展場引進自然的光線外，也可突破展館內外疆界的分野，並且，建築的外牆採反光物料，將能映射出周邊環境的風貌。
哈蒂把這棟建物稱為「容器」（container），此得以在其中容納其他參展藝術家的作品，在設計的過程中，她並未遵循一般的展場設計把空間區隔成一個個規矩的方塊體隔間，而是以流動的幾何定律，建構成流暢並充滿動力相連的空間，當中結合了不同的對比效果，如室外與室內、光與暗，以及自然與人為的景觀。展館內不同的力量為每個空間重新詮釋，同時帶領著參觀者的流向。（註5）
電影中說話的演員
Mobile Art的法籍策展人布斯托在記者會上說：這個展覽「是為Chanel而開拍的影片，藝術協辦人（策展人）是導演，參與的藝術家是編劇，參展的作品則充當演員」，其以電影的概念來看待這場展覽，而參與的觀者則訴諸大眾，因此，為了要讓這部電影容易被閱讀與理解，他特別找來紐約「Soundwalk」團隊（註6）來與參展藝術家合作，根據展出的作品，共同構思與作品搭配的音樂、聲音、音響效果、以及導覽的內容（可選擇不同語言的作品介紹、導讀），觀展者只要在展覽入口領取一mp3，即可隨著樂音的帶領，開放自己的知覺、視覺與聽覺感官，融入這場電影之中。
此展將於2月27日於香港中環舊天星停車場開幕，而就真宛如電影工業的操作一般，香奈兒對於作品在上映前十分保密，除哈蒂的巨型展館外，其他參展藝術家將進行的計畫（也就是電影中演員們的實際演出情節）公開的甚少，但目前確知的是：日本攝影師荒木經惟延續他以拍攝女人、花朵而聞名的主題，在其中探討人生，特別是生與死的內容，將帶來《Kaori與花》（Kaori and Flowers），在花朵交疊的影像中，呈現一身上被Chanel手提包的金屬鍊綑綁下赤裸的年輕女子，與她正躍動、掙脫的景象；李部將為此展創作《Light Years》，此為一件具有象徵意義的多媒材裝置作品，據悉藝術家將於作品上鑲嵌數百片的皮袋與鏈帶碎片，而在主體的內部裝有一閃光燈，藉此「向創造了 2.55包的Chanel女士致敬」；小野洋子則帶來一件祈願的互動裝置，她將在展覽現場邀請每位蒞臨展場的觀者以米紙寫下自己的願望後，把紙卡懸掛於樹枝上。
而當中有數位藝術家的作品則對消費性的香奈兒精品手袋提出反思，例如在印度藝術家古普塔展出的《所有東西都在裡面》（All the things are inside）錄像裝置裡，他回溯手袋對印度文化的意念，現場並列放映兩部電影，一為一位印度男人收拾行囊，離開家鄉到杜拜工作的過程；另一則為其剪輯印度寶萊塢電影中關於手袋的精華片段；此作品表達藝術家對全球化時代下，印度整體在追求現代化過程中，社會型態改變的關注，例如，對外移的勞工來說，香奈兒的手袋是派不上用場，或是他們所無法負擔的，他們需要的，只是一個可以把將到外地去工作所使用的日常用品全收納進去的大塑膠布袋，而綑綁這行囊的是簡易、唾手可得的塑膠繩，兩則電影顯示出強烈的反差，像是呈現兩個不同的對比世界。而俄羅斯當代藝術雙人組合「Blue Noses」則以作品《西元50年之後／手提包的反叛》（Fifty Years After Our Common Era or Handbags’ Revolt）用歡樂可愛的塗鴉，提出對香奈兒手提包的嘲諷與脫序的有趣想像；而這些多元的反向思考豐富了展覽的可觀性，並表現了藝術的獨立自主。（註7）
註1：迪亞吉雷夫（Serge Diaghilev）生於1872年，其於1908年創立俄國芭
蕾舞團（Ballet Russes），致力於「以芭蕾為全世界再創一個屬於俄國
的傳說」，香奈兒與他為摯友，在其劇團經濟困難時曾贊助他30萬法郎
使《春之祭》順利演出。參考《可可香奈兒：時尚就是我》（Le style
c’est moi-Coco Chanel），卡塔莉娜．茲爾可夫斯基（Katharina
Zilkowski）著，張育如譯，高寶國際，2001，頁110-119。
註2：參見2008年1月號《ArtReview》，頁32-33。
註3：香奈兒發布資料。
註4：《神話學》，羅蘭．巴特（Roland Barthes）著，許薔薔、許綺玲譯，
1997，桂冠圖書，頁169。
註5：參考香奈兒發佈資料。
註6：「Soundwalk」為一成立於紐約的公司，從事製作與設計規畫錄音導
覽內容來提供觀者／聽者在徒步之中，邊走、邊看、邊聽來認識一新文
化、新事物；該公司曾廣泛的與產業界如Adidas、Sony合作，並曾為法
國羅浮宮規畫錄音導覽。參見◎www.soundwalk.com。
註7：更多資訊請見◎www.chanel-mobileart.com
2008年3月10日 星期一
慕尼黑事件19死 奧運史上最恐怖
2008.03.11 02:57 am
每四年一次的奧運會吸引全球數十億觀眾的目光，成為恐怖份子下手行動的最佳時機。史上最著名的奧運恐怖事件，就是發生在1972年的「慕尼黑慘案」，造成19人死亡，包括13名以色列隊員、5名恐怖份子和1名西德警察。
慕尼黑舉辦1972年夏季奧運會，八名巴勒斯坦武裝組織「黑色九月」恐怖分子，於九月五日清晨闖入慕尼黑奧運村的以色列選手駐地，當場擊斃兩名以色列隊員，並挾持另外九名運動員及兩名教練，奧運會被迫中斷。恐怖份子要求，釋放被以色列關押的234名巴勒斯坦政治犯。
由於西德警方的救援行動失敗，十一名以色列人質全部喪生，八名恐怖份子當中有五人被消滅，但也折損一名警察，成為奧運史上最慘烈的一次恐怖攻擊事件，好萊塢著名導演史蒂芬史匹柏也據此拍成電影「慕尼黑」。
2001年美國911事件後，奧運會等世界級的大型運動會一直是恐怖份子的作案目標，許多恐怖組織揚言將在比賽期間發動攻擊。例如：2004年的雅典奧運，賽前一百天，三枚炸彈在雅典一個警察局外連環爆炸，讓雅典奧運在緊張氣氛中開幕。
04年的雅典奧運，希臘投入12億美元強化安全措施，並部署八萬名武裝維安人員，堪稱史無前例。希臘根據各國運動員可能受到的恐怖襲擊威脅程度，將保安工作分成三級。英國、美國和以色列代表隊被列為最高級保護的國家，這三國的運動員享有廿四小時全天候的隨身武裝人員保護。
2008年2月17日 星期日
A cathedral for the god of motors
Stephen Bayley
Sunday February 17, 2008
The Observer
'Die Welt ist alles', according to Wittgenstein. In saying the world is everything, the philosopher affirmed the significance of life in the face of the nullity of death. 'Is a little bit crazy, no, like a hurricane?' is what they say of BMW Welt. Here in BMW's World is its own affirmation of life. They used to say BMW stood for 'Baader Meinhof Wagen', the favoured wheels of last year's model terrorists. Now BMW represents the apogee of consumer desire.
The swaggering, vitreous, filigreed, technophiliac grandiosity of this megastructure - near Munich's spectacular 1972 Olympic Stadium, not far from Dachau, 20 minutes from the airport - is astonishing. Especially in a week when General Motors reported a $37 billion loss and the Mayor of London continued his vengeful assault on the private car with a muddled, technologically illiterate and socially divisive tax. BMW Welt has just celebrated 100 days of activity. It presents, as an architectural phantasmagoria, an entire world organised and designed to BMW's meticulous engineering standards. Scary or magnificent, depending on your perspective. At five minutes to midnight for the automobile, what does it mean?
To call BMW Welt a showroom is to betray a conceptual poverty and further to betray the poverty of language that is its handmaiden. But, in all essentials, that is what it is. German car manufacturers have a tradition of allowing customers, usually from abroad, to take delivery of their precious new vehicle at the factory. In other countries, this might be a desultory experience, but not so in Bavaria. A certain formality and pomp attends the handover ceremony because this is Germany and they take things in general, and cars in particular, very seriously.
This is what happens. A broker from New York, for example, will order his new BMW and jet to Germany to pick it up. But this is not a banal transaction. At BMW Welt he is confirmed in his good taste as a consumer by not only an architectural spectacle of the very highest quality, but also by technology exhibitions, shops, bars and restaurants. At the most exclusive of the latter he can lunch at altitude, a lead-crystal glass of high-specification Van Volxem Riesling to hand, while gazing through thrilling space at shiny new motors respectfully arranged for veneration as if religious artefacts. With BMW thoroughness, not to say mania, there is BMW-baked bread on the table and four varieties of salt on offer (with scrupulous descriptive notes: I especially enjoyed the Australian Murray River Pink Salt Flakes, rich in algae).
After lunch, and a period of smug self-congratulation, our New York broker enjoys the rehearsed ritual of the hand-over, gets into his Monaco Blue BMW 530i and vrooms off on a 14-day tour of Europe, with an itinerary (Grossglockner, Lake Garda) helpfully provided by BMW as part of its commitment to providing him with a memorable experience, from soup to lock-nuts. On his return, the car is put in a container and reverentially shipped across the Atlantic where it will be unpacked by a Jersey longshoreman probably unfamiliar with the coruscating values and unhesitating perfectionism of BMW's World.
Necessarily, a great deal of infrastructural sophistication is required to support the flawless dreamworld. So what we see above ground level is only about 40 per cent of the whole because, while there is heaven, there is an underworld too. To facilitate the handover ceremony, cars arrive the day before. As they have full tanks of petrol, regulations require that they are stored in an oxygen-reduced environment to obviate flammable risk. Underground, 285 brand new BMWs, like souls waiting to be released from Purgatory, are silently shuffled around on robotised pallets in an environment pressurised to the equivalent of 4,000m above sea level.
BMW Welt is the result of an architectural competition won in 2001 by the Austrian firm, Coop Himmelb(l)au. This name is revealing since it plays on notions of collaboration, blue-sky thinking and divine aspiration. It is one of those firms which emerged in the Eighties, put the Satan of frivolous postmodernism behind it, and reinvented modernism, making it more conceptually liberal, less tight-arsed and altogether more inventive in terms of spatial and formal invention. You could say much the same of Zaha Hadid, a runner-up in this competition. Significantly, at just the moment Coop Himmelb(l)au (which is an incongruous functional nightmare to type) was going techno-organic bonkers with this amazing building, so Chris Bangle, the American designer, was redrafting the signature look of BMW's cars, replacing visual decorum and rationality with complex curves and strange, agitated surfaces. Never forget, these are the people who gave us the word 'Zeitgeist'.
The building technology is appropriately grand. BMW Welt is supported by 775 concrete piles, each of them penetrating the earth's surface to a depth of 17 metres. The structure above ground is a geometrically boggling double cone, a design which would have been impossible to manage before computers with sophisticated three-dimensional modelling became available. There is 14,500 square metres of glass and the roof - a 'cloud hovering in space' according to Coop Himmelb(l)au's Wolf Prix - is covered with photovoltaic cells. As an architectural visitor, the experience is very nearly sublime. The enormous captive volume - exciting rather than daunting - is punctuated by aerial ramps. Prix, continuing his engagement with metaphors of height and air, said 'I want to fly', and this is what the visitor feels, transiting through this BMW-branded world, led by continuously shifting vistas. Subtle angles ease the process, and all the time, a sense of controlling intelligence coupled with superb detailing, worthy of a 7-series' cutlines, make a concept that was perhaps a little bit crazy entirely acceptable to the sober-suited board of the mighty BMW AG.
Impressive as it is architecturally, BMW Welt is even more interesting for its symbolic meaning and its significance as evidence of the status of the brand in modern thought. BMW has always been a company keenly aware of its image. It has also had associations with art that go back to its origins as a machine shop run by Karl Rapp in the days when Wassily Kandinsky was Munich's leading artistic figure, busy with the philosphical basis of abstract painting. Originally a manufacturer of aero-engines, in 1923 Rapp Motorenwerke's Max Friz produced the BMW R32 motorbike: a design of Bauhaus purity. In 1938, BMW created a department of Künstlerische Gestaltung (artistic development), the first of its type in Europe.
As a result of absolute consistency in technology, design and advertising (a commitment aided by being a family-owned business with no need to pander to short-termist investors) BMW built not just an industrial empire, but the most titanium-hard set of brand values on the planet. Its 'Neue Klasse' saloon of 1961 defined the achievements of the Wirtschaftswunder and became a symbol of the New Germany. Nine years later, BMW began work on its new HQ in Oberwiesenfeld in Milbertshofen, site of its first factory. This has become known as the Four Cylinder Building since its tectonic inspiration was a car engine. Designer of the Four Cylinder Building was Karl Schwanzer, teacher of Coop Himmelb(l)au's Wolf Prix.
Nowadays, big companies are aware of architecture's role in building their brand. A building is like an advertisement, only it lasts longer. Equally, the big international architectural practices are, themselves, becoming brands. So there is something interestingly symbiotic in BMW Welt: a joint-venture by BMW and Coop Himmelb(l)au in the creation of valuable image capital. It is said that the corporate ego of BMW met its match in the architectural ego of Professor Prix. Additionally, this emphatically industrial monument is a ravishingly conceived, spectacularly hard-edged and crisply detailed reminder that, so far as corporate architecture is concerned, the information age has produced little of interest. Google's HQ looks like a double-glazing depot. Cars may be facing extinction, but they are more gorgeous than intangible gigabytes.
So there is something triumphant and perhaps a little elegiac about BMW Welt. Maybe even Weltschmerz, that untranslatable German word for 'the sadness of things'. With their national economic commitment to the car, the Germans are perhaps a little behind the rest of us in revisionist transport policies. BMW is not alone. The Welt is just the latest in a series of vanity projects throughout Germany. Volkswagen has built Autostadt in Wolfsburg and its Glass Factory in Dresden, where car assembly is turned into a sort of industrial opera. BMW had Zaha Hadid build a factory in Leipzig. Audi has turned the centre of Ingolstadt into a celebration of itself. Both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are building ambitious new museums. Next stage in BMW's own programme of dramatic self-mythologising is reconstructing its own museum, just opposite the Welt. It will be fully five times bigger than its predecessor.
Would we really like the rest of the world to be as well-designed as BMW Welt? There is something in the English love of amateurism that rejects its daunting perfectionism, something in English understatement uncomfortable with its bossy bravura. But then, again, you look at a superb magnesium casting on display and only a very dull person would not be moved to tears by its beauty. It was a Frenchman who said 'cars are our cathedrals', but it is BMW that has built the most exquisite shrine to the automobile.
The best of BMW: Four landmark designs
A revolution on two wheels
The BMW R32 of 1923 established the 'architecture' of BMW motorbikes for the next 70 years. Designed by Max Friz, in between aero engine projects, it was a beautifully conceived engineering diagram, a graphic of dynamic forces. A cross-section of the R32's famous twin cylinder 'boxer' engine resembles contemporary abstract pictures produced at the Bauhaus.
If it's good enough for 007...
The BMW Z3 driven by James Bond in GoldenEye looked both forward and back. It was one of the first BMWs to be designed by Chris Bangle who, over the past few years, has overseen a complete transformation in design policy. He has moved away from austere Bauhaus principles, although his inspiration was the Nazi-era BMW 328. One version of the car was copied by Jaguar to create the famous XK120.
In the 'Knick' of time
The 'Neue Klasse' saloon appeared at the Paris Salon de l'Automobile in 1961. It was BMW's first wholly modern car, a confident expression of what had been achieved in the Wirtschaftswunder. There is a purity to the details, a hierarchy in the effects that is pure Bauhaus. Designer Wilhelm Hofmeister was the author of the signature features seen here: the prominent beltline, airy glass house and the 'Hofmeisterknick', the reverse bend on the rear pillar.
We are the Welt
The X6 is BMW's latest car. It retains established BMW styling cues, as well as familiar BMW competence, but recognises new market conditions. It occupies an indefinable category between 4x4, sports coupe and saloon. In terms of vehicle architecture, it exploits the technical limits of shape-making as surely as BMW Welt itself. If the old BMW was the rectinlinear Bauhaus, the new BMW is the morphologically complex Welt.
2008年2月13日 星期三
拒絕遺忘 德意志精神的一個側面
◎王丹
七十五年前的1月30日，希特勒通過選舉成為德國的總理，納粹黨正式掌握了德國的國家
機器。從此，歐洲，乃至整個世界籠罩在法西斯統治的陰影之下。這一天，被看做是德國
歷史的一個新的開端，當然，是一個不幸的新的開端。
1月28日，德國文化部長宣布，將在柏林建造兩座紀念碑：一個是紀念被納粹屠殺的德國
吉普賽人；另一座是紀念在納粹統治時期死於集中營的德國同性戀者。這是德國政府在納
粹上台七十五週年的日子，推出的一系列歷史反思活動的最新動作。早在去年11月，座落
在原來納粹統治時期的蓋世太保總部遺址上的國家恐怖研究中心開始動工興建。10月，一
個紀念二戰受難者的大型展覽在原來的Bergen-Belsen集中營展出。在著名的達豪集中營
，新的導遊中心也正式開放。艾弗特市也正在討論興建一個關於二戰期間納粹設置的焚屍
爐的博物館。同時，在德國，至少有兩個新開幕的展覽，專門討論二戰期間德國鐵路系統
在大屠殺中的作用。在這樣的一個歷史性的時刻，德國人再次對二戰和納粹的統治進行廣
泛的討論和反思，《紐約時報》的專題報導稱之為「新的一輪集體性的靈魂探索」。
毫無疑問，納粹的上台給全世界帶來了戰爭災難和滅絕人性的種族屠殺，這是德國的恥辱
，也是德國人心靈上的傷疤。面對這樣的羞恥和創傷，德國人是如何看待自己的過去的呢
？從德國政府上述的一系列舉止我們可以看到，儘管歷史已經過去七十五年了，儘管面對
過去會讓德國的集體精神再次受到煎熬，儘管今天的德國人沒有幾個曾經參與過當年的罪
惡，但是除掉極少數極端主義分子之外，這個民族的主流意志並沒有迴避自己的恥辱，沒
有刻意給自己的過去找尋藉口，更沒有試圖讓歷史逐漸淡漠，逐漸被世人遺忘。相反，他
們主動地觸動傷疤，主動反省自己的民族在歷史中對人類犯下的罪行。這種勇於反省，拒
絕遺忘的精神實在令人敬佩。
每個民族都有自己的歷史，這些歷史也都有輝煌和黑暗的不同內容。德國有二戰的歷史，
有納粹的歷史，但是他們也有對人類精神世界發展做出過的巨大貢獻。僅僅以哲學為例，
德國貢獻的思想家之多，眾所公認是其他民族無法匹敵的。德國人當然以此為驕傲，但是
他們的民族自豪感絲毫也不會使得他們迴避歷史上的罪惡。自豪自己的輝煌容易，肯於正
視並一再反省自己的黑暗很難。德國人今天這樣的反省精神，正是德意志精神的一個側面
。德國在經歷了兩次世界大戰的曲折之後，至今仍然是世界上舉足輕重的大國，這種德意
志精神不能不說是復興的基礎之一。
我想，不管輝煌還是黑暗，一個民族的歷史就是刻在軀體上的圖案，最重要的是不能對自
己的過去視而不見或者刻意遺忘。在文明的版圖上，高下之分也許就在這裡了。
2008年1月13日 星期日
歐洲管理學院新主張
巴黎郊外楓丹白露的INSEAD管理學院以往沒有競爭對手，是歐洲頂級管理學院，唯一堪與
匹配的大概只有倫敦商學院（LBS）及瑞士的ＩＭＤ。今天，INSEAD一年的ＭＢＡ課程仍受
各國有工作經驗學子的歡迎，它也是唯一可跟美國商學院競爭的歐洲管理學院，三萬三千
個校友是來自世界知名全球企業的主管。但是，今天愈來愈多競爭者衝著INSEAD來。
巴黎高等教育學院（ＨＥＣ）就擁有一二七年歷史，今年也搶下《金融時報》歐洲管理學
院排名的第一名，超越INSEAD與倫敦的ＬＢＳ。由經濟學人資訊中心（ＥＩＵ）製作的全
球一百大管理學院排行榜中，INSEAD排名第十七，落後其他七家歐洲管理學院，包括西班
牙巴塞隆納的IESE、馬德里的皇家學院（Instituto de Empresa）及英國劍橋大學的賈吉
商學院等。
INSEAD一位知情人士指出，學校被這一連串排名、競爭弄得一團混亂，並指出INSEAD對排
名非常在意，常針對排名做很多院務管理動作。《經濟學人》資訊中心的排名是針對學生
滿意度、畢業後工作機會、薪資、校友連結等調查評分排定。《金融時報》排名則針對投
資報酬率（學費與後來薪資成長比例）為主。INSEAD發言人指出，這些不同標準的排名方
式，對學校來說很不友善。
這星期，柏林的歐洲科技管理學院（ESMT）開學，有十三個國家的三十名企業主管將開始
他們的ＭＢＡ課程。德國二○○二年開辦國際管理學院的課程，三十名學生跟INSEAD每年
九二○名學生相比是小巫見大巫，跟新加坡大學跨國合作經營的INSEAD管理學院共有一四
三名老師，德國的ESMT只有二十二名。但在政府支持下，德國ＥＳＭＴ未來五年將擴充三
倍，背後的企業資助從德國的聯安人壽到ＢＭＷ、拜耳藥廠、博世家電、西門子等巨人，
目前執行長也是以往知名 INSEAD教授，未來課程將以科技、公共政策管理為主。
（宋東譯）
2007年5月29日 星期二
視覺藝術全球指標－第12屆德國卡塞爾文件展6月登場
全球最重要的視覺藝術展覽之一「卡塞爾文件展」（Documenta），將於6月16日正式對外
開放，這也是在德國童話大道上的這個小城市、每5年才有的一次文化盛會，它將有足足
100天的時間發亮發光。
卡塞爾文件展的背景跟德國的文化企圖與視野大有關係。第一屆文件展於1955年以聯邦園
林展的附屬展方式舉行，出乎意料的大成功，因此，當時的負責人期盼藉此讓多年來受納
粹獨裁單一藝術影響的德國人民，有機會接觸各種現代藝術流派，拓展大眾審美視野，而
把文件展發展成一個有計畫性而且愈具規模的國際展。
本屆為第12屆卡塞爾文件展，藝術總監羅格．馬丁．布霖格（Roger M. Buergel）企畫展
出世界各地所有現行媒體的藝術品，並藉由向群眾提問的方式，展出各種與藝術相關的議
題，如「所謂的現代就是我們的古典嗎？」、「何謂單純的生活？」、「我們該做什麼？
」等。
展出內容除包括一系列觀念藝術，還有相當特殊的行為藝術；空間方面除傳統的幾個展場
如Fridericianum之外，這次主辦單位也特別蓋了一座12000平方公尺的水晶宮做為新展廳
。卡塞爾文件展將於6月16日展出至9月23日。
2005年7月4日 星期一
So much for BritArt: Saatchi turns to Germans
Monday, 4 July 2005
Charles Saatchi has shunned British artists in favour of Germans in a new exhibition of paintings that opens tomorrow at his London gallery.
The show is the second of a trio of exhibitions under the title The Triumph of Painting, which began in the former County Hall building earlier this year.
The advertising millionaire surprised the art world when he set aside the installations and sculptures for which he is best known in favour of works on canvas. "For me, and for people with good eyes who actually enjoy looking at art, nothing is as uplifting as standing before a great painting, whether it was painted in 1505 or last Tuesday," he told The Art Newspaper.
Although not necessarily known to a broad British public, many of the selected artists in part two are, like those in part one, firmly established in their own countries. Thomas Scheibitz, 37, for example, is representing Germany at the Venice Biennale, the long-standing international showcase of contemporary art.
The other artists are Albert Oehlen, 51, Franz Ackermann, 42, Dirk Skreber, 44, and Kai Althoff, 39, plus the Pole Wilhelm Sasnal, 33. Their subjects include the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, natural disasters and accidents.
The exhibition is the first curated by Mr Saatchi since the 1987 New York Now show to exclude British artists - though part one included the Brit Peter Doig and the final instalment, due in November, will exhibit work by Dexter Dalwood.
Mr Saatchi lost nearly 150 works, including Tracey Emin's tent embroidered with the names of everyone she had slept with, in the Momart warehouse fire in May last year.
But this has not deterred the determined art-lover from acquiring new works. He is an assiduous visitor to a vast network of small and up-and-coming galleries, as well as more established art venues.
2004年2月29日 星期日
YGAs* set to take BritArt by storm
Sunday, 29 February 2004
It may be the beginning of the end for BritArt. Vastly expensive, habitually hyped and predictably shocking, the work of the YBAs (Young British Artists) is having to make way for the new passion among wealthy collectors and international art-market speculators: the Young German Artists.
It may be the beginning of the end for BritArt. Vastly expensive, habitually hyped and predictably shocking, the work of the YBAs (Young British Artists) is having to make way for the new passion among wealthy collectors and international art-market speculators: the Young German Artists.
The buying habits of the multi-millionaire collector Charles Saatchi can shape art markets. Mr Saatchi is credited with "making" celebrated BritArtists, such as Damien Hirst, the Chapman brothers and Tracey Emin, but over the past 18 months he has been discreetly buying up work by young continental artists in their 20s and 30s, including several Germans.
Now, The Independent on Sunday has learnt, another major international art buyer, the Korean property magnate-turned-artist CI Kim, has focused his attentions on Germany. Mr Kim, who, like Mr Saatchi, has been an avid collector of British contemporary art, has just completed his own hurried shopping spree in Leipzig and Berlin. The IoS understands that he has bought around 20 works by various YGAs. Mr Kim's office would not reveal the amount he spent in Germany, but on a similar spree in London last August, he is believed to have paid several million pounds for works including Charity, Damien Hirst's massive bronze statue of a disabled-girl collection box.
Mr Kim's office told the IoS yesterday: "He is interested in this art because they have such a distinctive character and style." And, of course, if you've a few hundred thousand pounds to spare, new German art could also prove to be a very good investment.
Though yet to command the vast sums paid for some of the BritArt oeuvre, many YGA works are believed to be selling for between £20,000 and £100,000 - the kind of amounts achieved in the early days of the BritArt boom.
Mr Kim has already amassed the largest collection of contemporary British art outside the UK, housed in a specially built gallery complex in the city of Cheonan, Korea. He now intends to create one of the world's great repositories of recent German art.
Such is the current feeding frenzy among buyers for the work of German painters and sculptors that experts say Leipzig, the powerhouse of the country's burgeoning art industry, has sold out of new art. There is now a waiting list of up to three years to acquire new work.
Since the 1960s, a series of German artists have attracted international attention, notably Josef Beuys, Anselm Kiefer and Sigmar Polke. The city of Cologne provided much of the energy behind the modern art resurgence of the 1980s. More recently, the conceptual photographer Thomas Ruff and the Leipzig painter Neo Rauch have received critical acclaim.
Mr Kim is believed to have bought at least one work by Tobias Lehner, a 24-year-old Leipzig painter, while Mr Saatchi is believed to have bought several works by the Berlin-based painter Jonathan Meese. One of these, the huge, three-panel Temptation of the State of the Blessed Ones in Archland, was unveiled in January at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
Temptation is among many European works bought by Mr Saatchi over the past 18 months, and will feature in the New Blood exhibition, which opens next month at the Saatchi Gallery. It marks a clean break with Mr Saatchi's almost exclusively BritArt tastes of the past 10 years.
Including work by several Germans, as well as artists from Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, Israel and the United States, the exhibition will contain only a smattering of young British artists, among them the 26-year-old conceptualist Conrad Shawcross, son of the writer and journalist William Shawcross.
"New German art is being very strongly collected by collectors and banks from within the country," says Jari Lager of the Union Projects gallery in London. "But there are also a few major private collectors in Britain who are now making their first purchases and contacts and visits to Germany.
"The Leipzig artists have sold out of their work - you can't buy anything," she adds. "Everything has been bought. There are around a dozen artists there who are doing very, very well."
According to Anna Somers Cocks, founding editor of The Art Newspaper, the rise of the YGAs began across the Atlantic. "The reason the Germans have become strong is because the Americans adopted German contemporary art with a vengeance about five years ago," she says.
"The Germans have a school of photographers who produce enormous architectural images. The Americans like photography anyway, but these Germans are by far the best photographic artists around."
1998年10月23日 星期五
INSIDE ART; Saatchi Sells; Students Benefit
It has been a few years since Charles Saatchi has surfaced as a seller at an auction. But this week, Christie's in London announced that Mr. Saatchi, the advertising magnate who is also one of Britain's biggest contemporary art collectors, would be selling 130 works by 97 artists, together valued at $1.6 million, on Dec. 8.
The proceeds will be used, in part, to set up a scholarship program to help pay for students' projects and commissions at four London art schools: Chelsea, Goldsmiths', the Royal College and the Slade. The money will also help finance the projects of young British artists who have left college. Members of this older group will show their work at Mr. Saatchi's London gallery on Boundary Road in the East End.
Works being sold are by leading exponents of what contemporary art lovers call the ''Y.B.A.'s,'' or Young British Artists. They include Damien Hirst, Rachel Whiteread and Jenny Saville. Also for sale will be art by contemporary Americans like Cindy Sherman, Charles Long, Sean Landers and Kiki Smith. Christie's estimates that the works will sell for $1,600 to $160,000 each. They will be on view from Dec. 1 through 7 at the Clerkenwell Warehouse, in the London financial district.
Over the years, Mr. Saatchi has bought and sold the work of young artists in bulk, causing the prices of other works by these artists to rise quickly when he was buying and fall as quickly when he was selling. As a master of advertising, he has also helped heighten the public's awareness of many of the artists.
For example, he lent 120 works by young British artists for ''Sensation,'' a show last year at the Royal Academy in London. (On Sept. 30, ''Sensation'' opened at the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, where it will be up until Jan. 17. The Brooklyn Museum of Art has been having discussions with Mr. Saatchi's representatives about getting the show across the Atlantic, though museum officials declined to comment on this.)
Experts at Christie's were quick to say that Mr. Saatchi was not dumping art on the market because he was tired of it.
''It was difficult for Mr. Saatchi to decide what to sell because these artists are still heavily represented in his collection,'' said Graham Southern, who heads Christie's contemporary art department in London. ''They are all artists whose work he is still buying.''
In the early 1990's, Mr. Saatchi was one of Sotheby's biggest sellers, sending scores of major works by artists like Malcolm Morley, Robert Rauschenberg and Jackson Pollock to New York for sale. But Christie's has been aggressively trying to get the business. In fact, Christie's was the major sponsor of ''Sensation.''
''At the time, we didn't know there would be a direct connection,'' Mr. Southern said. ''But anybody involved in the contemporary art world is interested in Mr. Saatchi.''
Mr. Southern did not seem concerned by the poor results of a Christie's sale earlier this month that featured some of the same artists.
''That was a financial thing,'' he said. ''We hit the worst six hours in the market. But it's gotten a lot better since then.''
Shirts Speak
His paintings may be abstract, but Sean Scully's political opinions are clear. This week, every United States senator and representative received a white T-shirt that reads ''Starr McCarthy'' in a black box, and underneath in red, ''Two Great Americans.''
''I wanted to make an image with words that would help Kenneth Starr have the right place in history,'' said Mr. Scully, a New York-based artist.
He said that he also planned to put the same message on the sides of buses in Washington, and that he had been looking for a billboard to rent in New York or Washington.
''Empty billboards are hard to find,'' he said. ''So far, I haven't had any luck.''
Pink Slips
Sotheby's has laid off 20 people in its London office.
''That will be the absolute maximum,'' said Luke Rittner, senior director and head of communications for Sotheby's in Europe. ''We're in the process of a reorganization of some departments which have resulted in redundancies.''
Mr. Rittner said the cuts had nothing to do with the shrinking London art market resulting from a rising two-year-old European Union import tax.
''Business in Europe has changed, and our structure has not changed with it,'' he said, adding that Sotheby's was in the middle of expansion in Amsterdam and Zurich.
Happy Dealers
The rising stock market helped make this year's International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show in Manhattan, which closed yesterday, far more successful than anyone expected.
While not every dealer did as well as hoped, many did. Among the hottest categories: furniture as well as decorative and fine art.
''So far, I sold five pictures, among them a Vuillard, a Bonnard and a Calder, and I'm still waiting for answers on several others,'' said Waring Hopkins, the French dealer.
Art Deco and French furniture fared well, too. Patrick Perrin, the French furniture dealer, said he had sold 35 pieces, including three commodes, five tables, several consoles, sconces and candlesticks. The buyers were mostly American collectors.
''We know American taste,'' he said. ''Nothing too large because of the proportions of New York City apartments.''
Museums were also buyers. The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., bought an important pair of French Empire porcelain vases with maritime scenes for $246,500. A similar pair is in the White House.
''We've done better than we have at any fair, which we didn't expect,'' said John Hill, one of the directors of Jeremy Ltd., the London furniture and decorative arts dealers. ''These days, it's the highest quality goods that have the largest market.''