Art Appraisals Photography Shack Guide
Art Appraisals Confirm Value Of Artwork
By Jane Lovell
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell fine art, art
appraisals are a quintessential first step. Frequently
you hear about people who’ve paid 75% more than the
market value for a particular piece, or conversely you
hear about people who’ve bought a painting at a garage
sale for a few dollars, only to find out that it is
worth over a million dollars!
To be on the winning side, it’s a good idea to get
your work appraised, ideally by a professional. While
it will cost a few dollars initially, the money you’ll
save by getting top dollar or the best value will be
far greater.
There are several steps in getting an art appraisal.
First of all, note whether you have original artwork,
and if it was directly created by the artist. If you
are unsure, visit a frame shop or an art gallery to
help you figure out if you have a print or the original.
Look For Signs Of Damage To The Art
Next, find the artist signature to ascertain the artist.
Some auction houses will accept works without a discernable
signature, so long as you provide clear pictures. Thirdly,
gauge the condition of the art you possess. Are there
any rips, signs of over-painting or corrections?
Has the color faded, are there watermarks or does it
need cleaning? Never try to fix a painting up by yourself!
There are professional restoration experts who can carefully,
gently improve the overall appearance of the work, without
making it obvious.
Registered With The Fine Art Registry
If this painting has been handed down from generation
to generation, or owned by prominent figures, then the
value of your piece could increase significantly, although
it’s rare to find paintings with complete ownership/artists
records.
You can check with the Fine Art Registry to see if
your piece has ever been tagged and logged into the
system.
Researching Your Art Piece Online
After that, you can review your options and look up
artist or auction result information on a site like
AskArt.com
or FindArtInfo.com.
They are invaluable arts resources for such things as
art appraisals, when it comes to researching a piece
of artwork in your collection. You can view the highest
auction prices, and subscribers can view all auction
results for each individual artist on AskArt.
On FindArtInfo, non-members can browse a particular
artist’s sold artwork and view a listing of the date
sold, title, medium, size and price. To view the pieces
and get full access to other information (like where
it was sold, or where to find similar pieces, etc),
you will need to pay for a $4/day or $15/month subscription.
Prices May Be Inaccurate Or Deceiving
The danger of the do-it-yourself approach, of course,
is that art price lists can be very inaccurate and deceiving.
For instance, fine art may sell at bargain prices if
an auction is poorly promoted or if bidders are uninformed.
Secondly, private sales can be much higher than auctions,
so if you’re looking for top dollar, you won’t find
it in auction results. If an artist’s range is wide
(say, $1,000 to $100,000), then it’s a good idea to
get a professional opinion.
Professional Art Appraisal
Thirdly, historical significance and current marketplace
activity can affect the supply and demand of your fine
art for sale. Lastly, professional art appraisals can
help pair you with the most valuable collectors by subject
matter.
Check with the Art Dealers Association of America,
American Society of Appraisers, the International Society
of Appraisers or the Appraisers Association of America
for an honest art appraisal of your exquisite masterpiece.
About the Author:
Jane Lovell has written a number of articles on art, digital photography including
Best Digital Cameras,
Mini Digital Camera,
Photographer School,
Portrait Photography,
Still Photography,
Boudoir Photography,
Amateur Photography,
Photography Backdrop,
Photography Tips,
Digital Photography Tips,
Photography Studio.
Keep a lookout for more articles coming soon.
More Art Auctions Facts....
What should I look for in a painting or piece of art
before I bid?
Assuming that you will be bidding
in person at an art auction, you need to look for any
surface blemishes. This applies to any type of art work.
Take careful note of any imperfections.
If the painting or art piece
is old, you can expect it not to be in perfect condition.
There may even be water stains. How well known the artist
is or was will also affect how much the art work will
go for.
You can expect rare art work
to go for hundreds of thousands of dollars and higher.
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