Auction Results Photography Shack Guide
Auction Results Indicating Trends And Prices
By Jane Lovell
Auction results are important for any serious art collector.
The marketplace is often capricious, with different
trends and artists coming in and out of favor at various
times.
Once one has an idea of his or her taste and favorite
artists, getting market info is essential to getting
a fair deal on artwork for sale. Bidding wars can get
out of hand and for beginners, it can be confusing to
know if the price is justified, if the auction house
is overcharging commission or if other bidders are driving
the prices out of control.
One can research discreetly, without the pressure of
people hovering around them, chattering and auctioneers
shouting. Before attending an auction, it’s good
to review your options and know what one is looking
for - and also what one can expect to pay as a fair
price.
Variation In Prices Over A Period Of Time
Just because an artist is famous, doesn’t mean that
all the works will be worth the same amount, so it’s
good to know the variances in prices for different time
periods of that artist’s life.
Why pay over $478,000 for a Dali from 1957, when one
can pay $5,000 for a piece that’s just as enjoyable,
but was painted in 1983? Also, one can track market
changes through the years and see what someone paid
for a certain painting in 1985, 1995 and 2005.
Often times, rare or unknown works can be viewed in
auction results as well, making the dig an exciting
one!
Finding Art Prices Online
To look up art prices in an instant, there are several
websites of which to be aware. The first, AskArt.com,
is sometimes referred to as "the artists’ bluebook
worldwide," with a database of over 100,000 artists
- with a focus on American artists from the 16th Century
to present.
However, as of January 2007, the database was expanded
to encompass international artists as well! AskArt.com’s
mission statement says, "It is the goal of AskART
to facilitate the exchange of art and information pertaining
to the subject.
Discover Trends Online And Look Facts In Books
We anticipate that our work will better enable art
historians and scholars to define and analyze trends,
make heretofore unrecognized connections, and establish
reputations for those artists who, for whatever reason,
may have eluded fame or fortune in their day."
In addition to gaining access to auction results, one
can easily look up books, museums, exhibits, auction
houses and records, quick facts on a certain artist,
magazine ads, image gallery, artist summaries - or participate
in a discussion board conversation.
Browsing New Popular Artists
This is perhaps the most user-friendly site one could
hope for, with eye-catching topics on the homepage,
like "notable sculptors," "highest prices
at auctions," or "art for sale by dealers."
The curious may research, check the marketplace or
browse new popular artists at AskArt with no registration
required. It is truly the scholarly collector’s best
choice for arts resources!
Browsing Fine Art Catalogs
For a more personalized way of tracking art, one can
register at ArtPrice.com
to keep track of 25 million auction prices and indices,
detailed auction results and 405,000 artists.
Find favorite artists in future auctions out of a 2,900
auction house selection, browse 290,000 fine art catalogs,
read biographies on emerging artists, check past and
present price values for a particular piece and check
the marketplace classified ads with over 1,100,000 Artprice
members looking to buy and sell fine art.
It can be convoluted trying to find auction information
on eBay once the auction’s already taken place. It’s
recommended to use one of the other sites instead, before
going to auctions on eBay.
Reading Results From Auction House Sites
Popular auction house sites like Sothebys.com or Christies.com,
who sell fine art, will publish their auction results.
However, Sotheby’s is the better of the two, as it shows
illustrations and titles along with the prices.
Christie’s is more or less just a "lot / auction"
kind of listing that only pertains to Christie’s bidders,
who may have been outbid and wondered what their favorite
artwork went for.
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 do I need to do if I want to sell a piece of
art?
The first thing you need to do
is get the piece appraised. Once you have a relative
value for the piece it does not hurt to get a little
bit of background information on the artist. This will
be very helpful if you are trying to sell the piece
yourself.
If you do not want to sell the
piece yourself or want to reach a wider audience, consider
letting an auction house sell it for you. You can get
their opinion on the opening bid price and go from there.
You will have to give them a percentage of the sale.
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