Of Samira Abbassy, impromptu decisions and other things....
On a very cold day in February, I received an Email from Mona Hauser, owner - and soul - of XVA Gallery, pioneer in the art scene of Dubai and an old friend of mine, announcing an exhibition entitled An Autobiography & Other Confessions by Iranian born, New York based artist Samira Abbassy.
![](https://audeamus.capital/content/5-blog/40-samira-abbassy/compulsive-navigation-disorder-2012.jpg)
Abbassy’s oil paintings on canvas or gesso panel, are process-based and explore ideas of cultural identity as expressed through self-portraits and re-interpreted stories of her homeland. I felt automatically appealed by her beautiful reds and blues, her mysterious, powerful, sad and even sometimes disturbing esthetic, which reminded me personally quite a lot of Frida Kahlo’s art (and life).
So I called, asked about the price (I love art as well as I love investing, but price is still an important factor to ponder), I learnt that the one I wanted was already sold, and finally decided to acquire “As she Swallows Their Fate, 2013” pictured below.
![](https://audeamus.capital/content/5-blog/40-samira-abbassy/as-she-swallows-their-fate-2013.jpg)
So far, so good,…. Unfortunately, when the oil on gesso panel finally made it to Germany, 6 weeks later, it did not look like I thought, or at least, as I thought I would look like, and that is when a couple of important lessons –perfectly applicable to the business world - came to my mind:
- The very act of investing (taking a stake in a company, incorporating one or for the sake of it buying a piece of art, and vintage car or a watch) is something exceptional per se, an undeniable source of contentment.
- Once you invest, even if at some point you realize you might have made a wrong decision, or at least it did not turn out as you expected, persevere. Adapt your product, change your value proposition, invest in new segments, hire a new CEO, whatever, but cope with adversity and thrive for success.
- Do not forget the “Sunk cost theory”: sunk costs are past opportunity costs that are partially (as salvage, if any) or totally irretrievable and, therefore, should be considered irrelevant to future decision- making. So simple, so obvious, and still we often forget about it.
- Last but not least, only invest money you are ready to write-off (at least mentally) – no one likes that scenario, no one believes it might happen to him- or herself, but fact is, it happens.
Luckily enough, Samira Abbassy’s “As she swallows her fate” is far, far from a sunk cost. Her work is shown internationally and has been acquired for private and public collections, including: the Metropolitan Museum, the British Museum, the British Government Art Collection, the Burger Collection in Hong Kong and the Donald Rubin collection (Rubin Museum, NY).
So, overcoming my initial disappointment, I choose a stunning gold and black hand-made frame, learnt to appreciate its deceiving simplicity and decided to hang it in my brand new office, as a permanent remainder about how simple seems to do good business and how difficult is to do it great.