art expert, expert authentication of master
paintings, painting and art authentication expert evaluation
JMW Turner
the source expert: Renaissance
Rubens Manet
Whistler Monet Rembrandt Inness Diaz Delacroix Murillo Kauffmann Dürer Zorn Goya
Boucher Cezanne Morriseau Varley... art expertise, who and why??
presumptuous indeed... but what is involved???
It is clear that an art expert must tackle diversity!!!
What one should look for when acquiring artwork: Quality... originality... support... rarity... condition
Quality might best be defined as the ability of an artwork to rest comfortably within its format. This takes skill and practice on the part of the artist, and it is the 'master' with the greatest ability to present a bondable unity for the viewer who gains 'genius' status.
This is surely a two-way process by which the viewer must also have the harmony of spirit to appreciate the artwork.
Originality brings the artwork as close to a creator's genius as possible. Firstly the object must be done by the hand of the artist as opposed to a reproduction; and secondly, it should be as central as possible to one of the artist's most innovative periods.
Support for an artist can come in many ways, some orthodox and others revolutionary. The orthodox ones might include: prizes, medals, and professional designations from institutions (for example: JMW Turner RA, or James Orrock RI, ROI). Institutions by virtue of their bureaucratic nature tend to reward traditional artists as opposed to the most innovative ones. There are many more traditional artists.
The French impressionists won very little orthodox support, but were very revolutionary. Price listings for their work and the volume of literature about them attest to their posthumous importance. Turner was also revolutionary and this is what bolstered his fame; much more-so than the support he received from the Royal Academy R. A.
Rarity is a result of limited supply and this in and of itself will increase the price of an artwork. If the art and historic value of an item is great, and the supply is limited, competition will make such work hard to find.
Condition is a relative term. How old or fragile an artwork is will determine the amount of degradation or damage that is acceptable. Seldom does one find a Renaissance sculpture or a medieval picture unscathed. Conversely, experimentation with untested media has resulted in substantial conservation problems for modern works.
general advice on collecting is available by contacting Robert and Graham Setters
IMPORTANT
POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A TREASURE
SIZE:
- Is it portable?
- Is it easy to store?
- Is it easy to protect; does it fit into a vault or safety deposit
box?
- Lifestyle; do you have
a small or large home, apartment or country estate?
DURABILITY /
FRAGILITY:
- Consider the proposed use of
your potential new treasure, and if it is suitable for it’s new location and
purpose.
- Shipping; will it require
special packaging?
- Longevity; is it subject to
environmental degradation?
POPULARITY:
- This is good for immediate resale.
- Conversely, as an intermediate to
long term investment, popularity is a negative factor (a fad soon passes).
PROVENANCE:
- Is the piece from an important
collector, dealer, collection? It helps to establish authenticity and gives the
piece prestige. Although celebrity of a former owner may perk interest
presently, memories of famous people fade, reducing the effectiveness of this
factor long term.
- Has the piece sold through a major
auction house?
- Collect as much literature and
history on a piece after acquisition; this will prove invaluable if resold.
PRICE:
- The dealer motto: “buy low/sell
dear”; if you choose the right dealer he/she will help you accomplish the same.
- Predict popular trends before they
become full blown.
VALUE:
- Is the piece important enough to
interest major dealers, museums, or major auction galleries?
- If an item is part of a collection,
lesser important pieces are acceptable additions.
AUTHENTICITY:
- Is this easily established?
- Have similar items sold at major
auction galleries?
RECOGNIZABLE:
- Recognizable items are easier to
classify and therefore, often develop into unquestioned commodities.
-
Helpful
for authentication.
- It is more difficult to find
recognizable pieces, because most have already been discovered.
DEMAND:
- Is the item attractive to nations
with strong economies relative to ones own? Presently some of these are USA,
Germany and Hong Kong.
CONDITION:
- This is important but is relative
to age, material and rarity.
AESTHETIC:
-
If
your object is aesthetically appealing, then your potential new treasure will
command greater appreciation.
- Has your potential treasure been produced
by a skilled artisan, craftsman or talented artist?
- Decorative quality increases demand and
raises price.
CULTURAL:
- Historic (appreciated by scholars and
connoisseurs)
- Heritage and sentimental value
- Educational value
- Cross-cultural appreciation
PSYCHOLOGICAL
/ MARKET FORCES:
- Negative and positive publicity
- Ivory collecting; what are the legal
consequences? Although an important historic carving medium, recent negative
attitudes towards its use have been very influential politically and socially;
which in turn has affected its desirability as a collectable. Gun collecting is
affected likewise.
- Impressionist paintings, the Art Deco
style, Ming porcelain and the like; recognize how publicity has reinforced the
popularity of these and other collectibles.
SENTIMENT:
- Heirloom
- Heritage
art
appraisal and art authentication of European and American Master
paintings, art appraisal,
art value, art authentication, fine art appraisal,
art appraiser, fine artappraiser, estate appraisal, estate
appraiser, painting value, painting appraisal, painting appraiser, online art
appraisal, online art appraiser, online fine art apprais
Art World’s Dirty Little Secret r malcolm setters / graham setters
Terms and conditions
J.M.W. Turner
Site criticism is appreciated at
jmwturner@shaw.ca
Penticton
© setters 2003, Rescuing Turner: The Art Project &
http://www.jmwturner.ca
Institutional evolution Tribal Instincts Art Expertise Art versus Science
Source:
JMW Turner Joseph Mallord
William, National Gallery of Canada
Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art the British Museum art museum art history
Christie’s Sotheby’s Tate
Gallery art world painting old master paintings
sea piece Shipwreck Martin Butlin Wildenstein
Institute Yale Center
British Art The Getty Getty Research Institute provenance Clore
Gallery Tate Gallery
Turner Gallery curator museum antique forensic fingerprint conservator International Foundation for Art
Research
IFAR English landscape art historian art criticism IIC
CCI Canadian
Conservation Institute McCrone Research
Institute artist artists pictures paintings gallery galleries drawing picture biography collection archive history
of art discovery discoveries discovery ca discovery
forensic science Tate Gallery London the tate
Turner Society Turner Society News
TSN old
master masterpiece Rembrandt Picasso Francoise Boucher Monet Boucher
Claude
Monet
Angelica Kauffmann Murillo Whistler James McNeill Whistler Rubens Peter
Paul Rubens Renior Claude Titian Joshua
Reynolds fakes forgeries
connoisseurship connoisseur
art
expert renaissance Getty Museum James
Orrock
Orrock
Sir J.C. Robinson
Turner
portrait John Paul
Getty Agnew Agnew’s antiques research specialist consultant expertise professional expert
witness Oxford Cambridge Frick Collection curator Andrew Mellon Goya Manet Emily
Carr Manet Durer Albrecht Durer Peter Paul Rubens