WIZ- We all recognize that the job of a carrier is to take your money and never give it back
However, from personal experience, my dealings in a casualty loss have been acceptable. The insurance companies dont want to have to be taken to court for every collection because they will set precedent that is used in future claims. If a large claim is adjudicated against them (which they usually are) the next claimant will use that case as a legal landmark.
The pricing of artwork is so ambiquous or perhaps even enigmatic (!) that there have been no real precedence except for old masters and a handful of modern artists like Robert Rauschenburg who have firmaly established prices. Then, this may change overnight -- follow the link. The price obtained from selling the Rubens actually bolsters the whole art market as there again is a public perception that all artwork is automatically gaining in value. Sad but true that I have to be reduntive and quote the authorities that only 1% of art appreciates. Guess what the other 99% does.
The purchaser of the Rubens, for instance, may not be able to get insurance for the full value of his purchase and if he does, good luck in collecting it in case of a loss. They carrier will tie it up in the courts -- but not too long before they begin making offers as they don't want the market to catch up a validate the claim. There's two things a sociopath can do, be a serial killer or an insurance man. (Works for many occupations).
In that same article, it mentions van Gogh's The Portrait of Dr Gatchet sold for $82 mill. I can't imagine any painting worth that much - even the Last Supper by Leonardo! The art world has gone crazy - or is that only my imagination. c.i.
Robert Hughes, the art historian and critic (Time Magazine), has written a lot about the excesses of the evaluation of art. It's the billionaire collector which can be an individual or group that decides they have to have a painting. Or it's a museum spending their entire year's (or more) endowment for one piece like the Getty when they bought the Van Gogh "Irises" (which is a great location in the museum under a Northern skylight.) This is a good indicator that the world wide economy may be on an upswing and the best news is that it does "trickle down" to the novice artist trying to sell their work.
On the other hand, the Kinkaid fiasco continues. He and the galleries which are closing right and left (the Orange County galleries in the malls all closed) are being sued right and left for misrepresentation and perhaps criminal charges. Maybe he will end up in the next cell to Martha Stewart and she can knit doilies while he can sculpt little cottages to set upon them.
Hadn't heard about the Kinkaid fiasco, but I've often wondered where the "value" was.
c.i.
The "Pet Rock" of the art industry (funny how that terminology has now come into the venacular with all the manufactured art available in the U.S. especially) is now being stoned by those who bought the stuff.
'Nuff said -- it really is too sickening for further discussion.
Well, I can't stop (it is a pet peeve). Suffice it to say, the FBI may enter the investigation as Kinkaid has alledgedly signed originals not even painted by him.
AWWWWW-This thread was goin along so nicely till you brought HIM up. SLOWWWLY I TURNED!
No brickbats, please, farmerman (or don't run over us with a reaping machine).
He's just an example of how flaky the evaluation of art has become.
Art Appraisal
Thank you all so much for the wonderful suggestions, ideas and commentaries. I really liked the suggestion of comparing my work to similar work and of assigning a per hour value to the labor. It sounds very practical. I think I'll do a combination of these things to arrive at a value for my work - hopefully someone will be interested in buying. As for insurance and professional appraisal, the costs seem prohibitive for my budget. And, while I would hate for any of my work to be stolen, I would consider it a compliment!
This is a wonderful website and I appreciate the time you took to respond.
--Y
Yvonne, I have found this Question and the answers useful too. Welcome to a2k....
Yvonne, Glad you were able to find some assistance from A2K. Now that you got your feet wet, don't be a stranger. c.i.
Yvonne, Also, how about posting some photos of your paintings? We're all curious. c.i.
That would be helpful -- I am now in a fulll time consultation position at the largest art gallery in Orange Country, CA and they deal in a lot of originals. They are art dealers and distributors of print art such as Aldo Luongo and Mihail Aleksandrov. It would give you an idea of the demographics here -- what orignals readily sell for on the low end. They are in a marina with a low profile as they deal with a lot of retail galleries in more high overhead locations.
An appraiser isn't really set up to appraise new art -- they are only used to appraise collections or individual pieces after they have been sold. They're more likely to appraise many prints and even originals that are by artists who are either not established or mid-career at 25% of the gallery retail!
wiz, what do you feel about the appraisals given to art from the early twentieth century, as presented on Antiques Roadshow? Have you any comments from you or your colleagues about the level of expertise or the accuracy of appraisal.?
