Given the mind-boggling number of games designed by Dr. Reiner Knizia (sitting at 765 on BGG, as of this writing) it’s no wonder so many consider the German mathematician to be the Board Game GOAT. For the past 40+ years, he’s been creating innovative and accessible games, but what’s always impressed me has been the staying power of some of his earliest titles. The man is no stranger to auction and bidding games, with classics like High Society and Ra to his credit. However, there is a reason that Modern Art, in particular, has been consistently reprinted since it was originally released back in 1992.
I got 5 on it
In Modern Art, each player is a curator of a world-famous museum, buying and selling paintings by 5 different artists, using 5 different auction rules, until the 5th painting from a single artist is revealed and the round ends. Value is assessed based on the popularity of each artist and money is paid out for every painting purchased that round. Four rounds of this and the museum with the most money wins. Buy low, sell high, and try to grab the best deals. Simple enough, right? Well, this is very much a case of a game with an uncomplicated ruleset but a deceptively deep strategy.
First off, though there are works from five different artists, only three will pay out each round, which means some players will be stuck with worthless paintings that they may have spent a decent amount of money on. This is life in a volatile art market. Second, when it’s your turn to sell a painting from your hand, you act as both auctioneer and bidder, which opens up your range of options. Do you try to make the most cash from a rival curator, potentially handing them a lucrative masterpiece, or do you buy it yourself to ensure that they don’t acquire it? Or do you perhaps push the price up on a piece that you have a good idea won’t bring any return? Each turn plays so quickly, however, there is very little time to react if your strategy goes off the rails. Like some of the best Knizia games, Modern Art is an intense balancing act of manipulation and greed, which can lead to some very stressful moments.
Going once…
Auction types and scoring rules. That’s all you really need to learn the game, and both are very straightforward. Every auction type comes with its own strategy, from the classic free-for-all, with players calling out higher bids until only one remains, to a hidden auction, where each person puts their best bid in a closed fist and then all reveal at once. The most compelling of these is the Double Auction, where 2 paintings from a single artist are put up for bid at once, and these can throw the balance of a round off completely.
As I mentioned earlier, whenever the 5th work from a single artist is “put up” for auction, the round ends immediately, and that wording is important because this painting is not actually auctioned off. So, as the numbers for each artist’s sold paintings tick up, it becomes a game of chicken as to who will play that final card. Even though it won’t be sold, it ensures that a particular artist will be the most popular and each of their works will score a minimum of 30 dollars. I say “minimum” because the scoring rules are one of the most significant and diabolical facets of Modern Art. Every round, each painting scores points for not just how popular they were in the current round, but also all previous rounds, given they remained popular throughout, without any gaps.
By the last round, each painting has the potential to bring a massive haul and can swing the game wildly. One artist who was most popular in rounds one and two could have their paintings return nothing in the final rounds if they didn’t maintain that adoration. Since the players control when each round ends, they all have a chance to finesse the auctions, attempting to ensure the artist they want on top stays making money. It’s a brilliant push-and-pull, with some players needing to work with their competitors, else they both wind up with a museum full of yesterday’s news. Since all money is hidden, you’re never quite sure how close things might be to those you’re helping.
Going twice…
Since all you really need to play Modern Art is a deck of cards (paintings) and a scoring card, it makes sense that all previous versions of the game came in small card- or paperback-sized packaging. It’s a game you could easily throw in your jacket pocket or backpack. The latest CMON production that I reviewed comes in a standard 12×12 board game box, with large cards and quality components, but mostly filled with the molded insert. Is it excessive? Yes. Is it wasteful? Probably. Is banging the little wooden mallet on the tiny sound block to end a big auction extra satisfying? Absolutely! Also, yes, I had to look up what the proper name for the thing you bang the gavel on was called.
Additionally, they really paid attention not just to the physical components. The artists that they chose are not the famous household names you’d expect, like older versions have included, and it was a lot of fun seeing some really outstanding work from these five, all active in the last 20 years. In fact, 22 of the 28 pages in the rulebook were solely dedicated to these artists, and the paintings featured on the cards. I was thrilled to get a chance to learn a bit more about each one. CMON thought about the little things. In fact, if I hadn’t just gotten back recently from a trip to Paris and visited the Centre Pompidou, I would have completely missed the loving detail that was put into the screens used to hide your money, each replicating a real-life modern art museum. So, yeah, it’s overkill when considering the scale of the game itself, but going a little overboard is worthy of such a classic.
Sold!
Knizia has the reputation for making “theme-less” games, with many over the years being reinterpreted and released as entirely new titles, but Modern Art is an exception. This game oozes the theme, taking you and your fellow players into the beautiful and backstabbing world of art dealing and collecting. As for complexity, it is one of the simplest economic games to learn, but a tricky one to master. It doesn’t take long to play, either, so it’s easy to get to the table with almost any group. I should note that it gets better with multiple playthroughs, as it can feel a little basic on your first play, since most people will focus on learning the different auction types and which works to collect, without thinking about their strategy. Once everyone realizes how much influence they can have on each hand the game really shines. I would put it solidly in that narrow slice of games on my shelf that I will bring out with occasional and hardcore gamers alike, and its brevity makes it an excellent choice for most situations.
Modern Art details
- Designer: Reiner Knizia
- Artists: Carole Carrion, Chen Cheng-po, Daniel Melim, Gianfranco Giordano, Manuel Carvalho, Mike Doyle (I), Paul Laane, Pete Fenlon, Rafael Silveira, Ramon Martins, Sigrid Thaler, Zeilbeck & Natzeck Design Company
- Publishers: Arrakis Games, Asmodee Italia, CMON Global Limited, DiceTree Games, Drosselmeyer & Co. Ltd., Fractal Juegos, Galápagos Jogos, GeGe Co. Ltd., Hans im Glück, Kaissa Chess & Games, Land of Beautiful Mind (سرزمین ذهن زیبا), Lautapelit.fi, Lavka Games, Lighthouse Games, Matagot, Mayfair Games, New Games Order, LLC, Odysseia Jogos, Oink Games, Pegasus Spiele, Phantasia Co., Ltd, Rebel Sp. z o.o., Wargames Club Publishing, WoodCat
- Release Date: 1992
- Player count : 3 - 5
- Age range : 10+
- Time range : 45 minutes
- Mechanism(s): Auction: English, Auction: Once Around, Auction: Sealed Bid, Auction: Turn Order Until Pass, Auction/Bidding, Commodity Speculation, Hand Management, Victory Points as a Resource
- BGG Geek Rating: 7.50838 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 4.0.
- More articles about Modern Art.
Add Comment