王新友：推之有情 收亦有道

王新友不是藝術家，但卻有著藝術家的范兒。他說話的聲音很溫和，但是表達卻十分果決。他相信的，仿佛是不容爭辯的。他喜歡的，一定必須是最好的。他從不隨意地出現，對待每天的生活就像對待每一次的策展一樣，似乎步步精心。

作為北京798偏鋒新藝術空間的總裁，王新友擠進藝術市場還不到10年的時間，但是圈子里知道王新友的人不在少數。他以藏品眾多、超強判斷力、努力專注而人氣頗旺。經文化部組織專家討論，中國有11個當代藝術界的頂級策展人作為威尼斯雙年展2011年的中國館候選策展人，王新友位列其中。

經濟專業碩士，大學畢業后先后做過政府官員、建筑設計、裝修工程、系統集成、軟件開發等等工作，卻在接近40歲時，他給生活動了次大手術。從哈爾濱轉場北京，拋家舍業，躋身藝術圈兒。細論起來，這就是他人生的一場必然。

首先是個藏家

11歲那年，比他大很多的哥哥喜添貴子，家里的大人都忙著照顧新生兒，無暇顧及他。王新友拿著媽媽給的5毛錢在新華書店轉悠，莫名其妙地買了一本《黃胄新疆速寫集》，回家后照著書上的圖描描、畫畫。什么叫速寫？誰是黃胄？統統不知道，就是喜歡而已。

少年時期，王新友的寒暑假經常在哈爾濱道里區的文化館度過。由于哈爾濱是日本遺孤最多的城市，對日的旅游、文化交流有得天獨厚的條件。1977年，道里區文化館成立了東三省第一家“松花江畫廊”，每年都會有大量的日本游客來此參觀、買書畫。王新友得空，就往畫廊跑。

“那時候裱畫在北方是一個從業者不多的行業，松花江畫廊從北京榮寶齋請來很多的老師傅給大家培訓。我喜歡看他們裱畫，還幫他們壓石頭，給他們買燒餅，打開水。榮寶齋的師傅走的時候還送過我王雪濤、王正的畫。”

“哈爾濱道里區文化館對面是哈爾濱市的古籍書店。當時古籍書店除了賣古籍善本以外，也賣書畫，甚至金石拓片。我把在文化館發的一天三毛錢的補助攢起來去買畫。那時候兩塊錢就可以買一張高齊佩的畫，或一幅王鐸的字。”

王新友的父親酷愛中國書畫，發現兒子也喜歡畫畫，就經常帶著少年王新友去拜訪李可染、黃胄、何海霞等藝術大家。就這樣王新友跟著父親到南京、上海、沈陽等全國各地尋找喜愛的書畫藝術品。無論喜好，還是家傳，多少有點兒著魔的意思，慢慢地，他也養成個習慣，手里有點錢就都變成了字畫。

上世紀90年代末，王新友就和黑龍江省畫院的人摻和著一起創意，邀請全國的知名畫家到黑龍江辦展覽，搞筆會，到俄羅斯旅游。那時候一次就能聚齊十幾、二十多個名家，一場活動下來，他們就能囤積一批畫。在當年幾千塊錢一幅的作品，放在當下都是幾十萬，幾百萬。

和大多數從傳統藝術轉向當代藝術收藏人的道路一樣，王新友也一度因為油畫的價格便宜而廣收了一批作品，其中包括陳逸飛的作品。后來，逐漸認識了更多的藝術創作者，他有機會走訪了很多藝術工作室，并用很小的代價收到上好的藝術作品。

然后是個推手

“因為我是藏家，才產生了推動藝術發展的興趣。”2003年“非典”以后，中國的藝術市場有如井噴。文化市場的繁榮的前沿陣地一直就在北京，這讓遠在哈爾濱的、熱愛藝術、能看出門道的收藏家王新友情何以堪。“非典”之后他就決定要到北京發展，看了好一陣子之后，到2005年他才明確了專心開一家畫廊做藝術推廣的方向。2006年，王新友在北京索家村成立了第一家畫廊：偏鋒藝術中心，開始了他的劍走偏鋒之路。

“如果開了畫廊，你自己都不收藏的話怎么去說服別人呢？怎么會讓別人相信呢？你自己推的東西有沒有價值，可以用你自己買不買作為一個衡量標準。” 王新友的這番話挑戰自己，也挑戰這個行業的操守。

“我在選擇藝術家的時候，第一，要有接壤未來的能力。第二，要有持續創作的能力。第三，要有學習能力。第四，要有合作意識和懂得分享。如果處處以自我為中心、一己利益為核心的話，無法前進，也不能同行。”在此基礎上，偏鋒不僅挖掘了以康海濤、吳笛為代表的一批藝術新秀，同時也使得梁銓、王川等曾經被忽視的不再年輕的藝術家受到了應有的重視。

在王新友看來，偌大的中國藝術畫壇上，從事藝術創作的人萬萬千，能稱為藝術家的少之又少。因為能勇敢呈現自己內心的一點點小感受、一點點小表現、一點點小欲望的人太少了。他花大量的時間去關注那些無論應屆還是往屆的八大美術院校的學生。為此，他幾乎走遍了上海、江蘇、浙江、沈陽、云南、貴州、四川、河南、河北等地，順著一點點兒線索去挖掘。

新友說他深受3個不同時代的中外藝術家的影響。羅丹說：“大師之所以是大師，是因為他能夠在別人司空見慣的地方發現美。”清代大和尚石濤說：“筆墨當隨時代”。現代藝術大師潘天壽說：“不同才是藝術”。

2010年，偏鋒推出王川個展《逍遙與邊緣》，就是一個藝術家“被遺忘和被喚回”的實證。王川畢業于四川美術學院中國畫系。上世紀80年代、90年代，他分別以布面油彩《再見吧！小路》和裝置《墨﹒點》成為“傷痕藝術”和“存在主義藝術”的重要代表人物。而新近幾年王川的畫所擁有的學術價值和市場價值，都是和王新友的挖掘分不開的。

看到一個有潛力的藝術家，王新友并不急于簽約。他需要兩到三年的時間去研究其近年來的創作，去判斷這個人的藝術未來，當然也要觀察人品。一旦確定了合作，王新友會幫助藝術合作者做好學術定位； 尋找適當的群展、聯展的機會，開個展的機會以及市場推廣。藝術家市場推廣也是一個漫長的過程，從研發、生產、媒體推廣，到最后銷售，一個環節都不能少。在王新友看來，他推的是藝術家，而不是藝術明星。他希望通過和畫家的共同努力，在美術史上寫下一筆，而不僅僅是賺一些錢。他說：“藝術的工作就是為了獲得尊重。”

收藏建議

對于一個好的藏家來說，沒別的辦法，必須要做好“五多”功課。那就是多看、多想、多問、多聽、多買。坐在家里，接觸幾個人，聽幾次講座，有過幾個交流，有過成功的購買經驗，你就收藏成功了？那是不可能的。收藏是一門學問，是一個體系。“收藏不等同于消費，所以進門的人一定要問自己是想做個藝術消費者還是要做個收藏家”。

王新友說他的收藏比較廣泛。書畫、珠寶、裝置、雕塑，甚至一些皇家用的工藝品他也收藏。他認為收藏是一個很個性化的體驗，仁者見仁、智者見智。但是要收藏有價值的藝術品確實需要有專業的眼光。很多人的收藏需要有專業的從業人員幫助完成，這個環節很重要。還有就是藏家要看大量的專業展覽。目前在中國，美術館沒有起到應有的美術教育的提升作用，反而畫廊更貼近實際和更接壤未來。

“收藏這事要根據個人的習慣和能力，真心喜歡藝術的話，一件作品，至少需要持有5年的時間。從投入和回報來說，5年是一個很好的周期。”王新友說。

Wang Xinyou carries the air of an artist， though he is not one. His voice is mild but determined， as if his words is unquestionable， and his choice is always the best. He never shows up randomly， living each day like curating an detailed-planned art exhibition.

As President of Pifo New Gallery in Beijing 798 Art Zone， Wang Xinyou is less than 10 years into the art market， but he has already established his name in the circle for his huge collection， keen judgment， and devoted efforts. In 2011， he was recommended by a panel organized by China’s Ministry of Culture as one of the 11 candidate curators for China’s art exhibition at the La Biennale di Venezia.

With a master’s degree in economics， Wang pursued an unusual career path， from government to architecture design and house furnishing， from system integration to software development， until at close to 40， he took a dramatic turn of his life course. He left behind his career and family in Harbin and diving headlong into the art circle in Beijing. But in retrospect， it all seems like the inevitable for Wang Xinyou.

First a Collector

At 11， his elder brother gave birth to a son， who immediately held the attention of the whole family. Given 50 cents to take care of himself， Wang wandered into the Xinhua Bookstore and bought himself a Sketches of Xinjiang by Huang Zhou. He had no idea what sketch is or who Huang Zhou is， but out of pure interest， he started to draw sketches as shown in the book.

At school age， Wang spent most of his summer and winter holidays in the Cultural Center of Daoli District， Harbin. Home to many Japanese orphans left behind during WWII， Harbin is a popular destination for Japanese tourists and cultural exchanges. In 1997， Songhuajiang Gallery， the first gallery in northeast China was opened， attracting Japanese tourists and buyers alike. Wang frequented the gallery whenever time was available.

“Mounter was not a popular profession in the north， so the gallery invited senior mounters from Rongbaozhai， a top notch auction company in Beijing， to provide training. I was there to help them press stones， buy them pancakes， and get them hot water. And I enjoyed watching them mount the paintings. When they departed， they left me with paintings of Wang Xuetao and Wang Zheng as presents.”

“Opposite the cultural center is a rare book store. But apart from rare books， it also sold calligraphy works， paintings， and rubbings. I saved all my allowances from working in the cultural center， which is 30 cents a day， to buy paintings. At that time， I could buy a painting of Gao Qipei or a calligraphy of Wang Duo for just 2 Yuan. ”

Wang’s father is an avid fan of Chinese calligraphy and painting. When he found out that his junior son shared his interest， he started to bring him along on his visits to art masters like Li Keran， Huang Zhou， and He Haixia. Wang Xinyou followed his father in pursuit of interested artworks throughout the country. With a fascination to art， he developed the habit of investing all his spare money into paintings and calligraphy works.

In the late 1990s， Wang joined his friends in Heilongjiang Fine Art Academy to curate art exhibitions， which include inviting famous painters to Heilongjiang， arranging exchange activities， and organizing tours to Russia. As each exhibition attracted 10 to 20 artists， by time they accumulated a large number of paintings. The works， which then cost just several thousand Yuan a piece， now worth from several hundred thousand to several million.

Like most collectors who switched from traditional art to contemporary works， Wang once purchased a great number of oil paintings， including that of now famous Chen Yifei， when prices were low. As he get to meet more artists and visit more art studios， he found increasing opportunities to purchase fine artworks at very low cost.

Then a curator

“The collector in me inspired me to become a curator.” After SARS in 2003， China’s art market experienced an outburst growth， the frontline of which was Beijing. Seeing this window of opportunity， Wang could no longer hold back his ambition. After the endemic， he made up his mind to go to Beijing. And in 2005， after months of surveying the market， he decided to open an art gallery and to be an art curator. In 2006， the Pifo Art Gallery was established at Beijing Suojiacun Art Camp， and Wang embarked on a path of Pifo， a path less taken.

“If you are not a collector yourself， how can you convince others that the works you promote are valuable？ To judge if a piece of artwork is worth promoting， you can simple ask yourself if you are willing to buy it.” He said this as a challenge to himself and the ethos of the industry.

“I select artist partners based on four criteria---the ability to adapt to future， the ability for sustainable creation， the ability to learn， and a willingness to cooperate and share. If an artist is self-centered and cares only for his own interests， then we cannot work or develop together.” Based on this， Pifo not only discovered a batch of emerging artists， but also helped many forgotten artists to reclaim the attention they deserve.

In Wang’s eyes， there are thousands of art workers， but only a small number can be called artists， because only few of them are brave enough to display their innermost feelings and desires. He spent a lot of time following graduates from the top eight fine art academies in China. To this purpose， he had traveled to Shanghai， Jiangsu， Zhejiang， Shenyang， Yunnan， Guizhou， Sichuan， Henan， and Hebei to track the trails of potential brilliant artists.

Wang said he was influenced by three artists---Auguste Rodin who said “A master is one who can find beauty in what is commonplace in the eyes of others”， Qing Dynasty Monk painter Shi Tao who said “Calligraphy and painting should keep up with the times”， and contemporary artist Pan Tianshou， who said “Art lies in difference.”

The 2010 solo show of Wang Chuan， curated by Pifo， is a solid proof of how a forgotten artist was rediscovered. Wang Chuan graduated from Sichuan Art Gallery and became a representative artist of Scar Art and Existential Art in the 1980s and 90s but was then forgotten. It is through the promotion of Wang Xinyou that the academic and market value of his works appreciated in recent years.

When he discovered a potential artist， Wang Xinyou would not rush to sign him up. He would spent two to three years to observe the artist and study his works in order to establish an understanding of his personality and growth potential. Once decided， he would support the artist in market positioning， exhibition， and promotion. The promotion of an artist takes a long time， from RD， production， media promotion， to sales， every step matters. Wang Xinyou promotes artists， not art stars. Rather than just making money， he hopes that through his efforts， he and the artists he promote could be remembered in the history of fine art. As he said， “to work for art is to gain respect.”

Suggestions for collection

It takes considerable observation， thinking， asking， listening and purchasing to be a mature collector. You cann’t expect to be a successful collector by just attending a few seminars， exchanging some experiences， or making several successful purchases. Collection is a science and a systematic process. “Collection does not equal to consumption. You need to first ask yourself if you want to be a consumer or an art collector.”

Wang Xinyou collects a wide variety of works， including paintings， calligraphy works， jewelry， installations， sculptures， and royal artifacts. He believes collection is a personal experience. But it takes a professional perspective to find collectible works of art. Many collectors work with the aid of professionals， which is important， and attend a lot of art exhibitions. In China， Fine Art Museums are not playing their due roles in educating the public， so art galleries fill in as they are closer to reality and to the future development of art.

“Collection is shaped by personal habit and ability. If you really love art， then you need to hold a piece of artwork for at least five years， because from an investment perspective， five years is about the right cycle for art investment.”