Think of antiques in Bucharest and one's thoughts are instinctively drawn to the consignatie of the Lipscani area in downtown Bucharest. However Alis Auction House can be equally enjoyable as a treasure hunt coupled with the adrenalin rush of entering into a bidding war. And as with any auction house, there is the psychology of auctions as the winning bidder asks himself: "I won, by paying more than anyone else in the room. No one else was prepared to pay that much. Was that a good buy?"
Given Romania's rocky road to fully embracing capitalism and a free market, it is fascinating to consider that Alis was established in 1990, within a year after the Revolution by a group of six engineers who had no experience at all in running an auction house, and has been smoothly managed and run ever since. The fortnightly auctions are well attended by a blend of professional antique dealers, collectors, up-and-comers looking for that one piece to complement their new living room, interested onlookers, and pure entertainment-seekers. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and you would have to search far and wide for a cooler, more professional auctioneer than the man with the hammer, Nicolae Ghimis, the lead auctioneer.
Alis is situated in the Ion Dacian theatrette, an alcove of the National Theatre, just a hop, step and a jump from the US Embassy at Nicolae Balcescu nr 2. Auctions are held every second Sunday morning from 11.00 a.m., with viewing available all day on the Friday and Saturday prior to the auction. Catalogues in English and Romanian of upcoming auctions are available from Alis; that information and a whole lot more is available at their website: www.alis.ro.
An auction proceeds by category, of which there are ten, kicking off with 'Miscellaneous' which means exactly that, and then moves through each section - 'Horology' (watches and clocks), 'Jewellery', 'Silver Objects', 'Ceramics - Glass - Porcelain', 'Paintings', 'Sculpture', 'Icons and Worship Objects', 'Tapestry and Carpets', and finally 'Furniture'.
Reserve prices for auction items are listed in euros but the bidding takes place in lei. Anyone interested in bidding needs to register at the auction house about 15 minutes before the item comes up for sale. You'll then receive a yellow card with a number on it. Bidding is simply a matter of holding the card up as the item is offered for sale. If your bid is successful, Alis requires a down payment that can be negotiated but is usually about 15 per cent. Then you will need to pay the balance completely during the following week to be allowed to take possession of your new purchase. Don't forget too that Alis will add its commission, which will vary from 19.5 per cent to 15 per cent of the sale value. Most credit cards can be used for payment.
While Alis does not involve itself with National Patrimony issues, it is important to reflect that since the recent relaxing of Romania's Patrimony laws, it is, generally speaking, considerably easier to export locally bought antique objects than was the case several years ago. Patrimonium permission to export is still required, however, for any object bought here that is more than fifty years old.
* Andrew Begg is the editor of Vivid (www.vivid.ro)
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