How to Tell if Old Art Is Worth Anything

At Art Brokers we are frequently asked if an artwork that someone has purchased or inherited has monetary value. Here we give a rough guide to help yous understand value. Many of the comments might appear to dismiss the creative nature of a work of fine art, something that has been created from the creative person's skill and imagination. We practice non wish to denigrate these aspects in any way, equally an creative person's creation is ordinarily a beautiful and wonderful thing – we are merely describing market place factors.

There are now various online search engines which allow owners to compare their painting to ones which have sold at auction. Establishing prices for works sold privately is much less piece of cake, but it should exist remembered that prices at auction are non the only respond. When you do compare, please take into account the factors I describe below. Your painting might look the same as one that sold at auction or at a fair, but there are many criteria to consider.

Somewhat undefinable factors are visual appeal and importance. Beauty is in the center of the beholder, to exist sure, and defining importance is highly subjective, but an experienced and expert eye is extremely helpful in assessing value.

Value Indicators
So but on practical terms for those who are not experts, there are a number of means to establish value. Firstly, the nigh of import factor in value is the creative person, just equally location determines the value of belongings; a one story building in a great location has more than value than a large firm in a less desirable neighborhood. As a signed and authenticated drawing on paper by Picasso is infinitely more valuable than an oil painting past an unknown artist.

It is important to know the medium. For example, practise yous have an oil painting or acrylic painting on sail, or a drawing on paper, or a gouache or watercolor on paper, or is information technology a print? And if information technology appears to be a painting on canvas, make sure it is not a giclee, which is a print on canvas which usually has a very low value considering it is a reproduction of an original painting.

Pablo Picasso, Mousquetaire a la Pipage, 1968.

The Picasso oil, 1968, fabricated $20.7m at sale and is the second highest toll at auction for a painting by the creative person of a Musketeer. The piece of work on paper, 1967, is the highest toll at auction of the field of study and it made $i.8m.

Pablo Picasso, Mousquetaire, buste, 1967.

Medium
In general terms, and obviously in that location are exceptions, the most valuable two-dimensional works are original paintings on canvas (or less commonly on panel). And then in order of value are pastels on canvas, followed by gouache or watercolor on paper, then pencil or charcoal drawings, and finally prints.

For sculptures, works in bronze and marble are mostly the nigh valuable. Unique clay or terracotta pieces can fetch high prices, only their fragility can be a negative factor. Bronze works are most often limited editions, so in that location should be an edition number about the base of operations. A smaller edition is better for value – so an edition of 3 or 5 is good news. Unless created recently past a sophisticated carving machine, marble sculptures are unique.

Subject area Matter
The question of what subject is more valuable is a very complicated issue, but in full general subjects which are typical of the artist take the virtually value. While demanding subjects are important in many means, a pleasing subject field is more valuable because it is more saleable and has a wider audience than ane which depicts an ugly subject field or i with a potent political, sexual, or religious meaning for example. Such criteria are non so relevant to works of historical importance which might be in museums, as art historians rightly expect at the importance of challenging subjects with layers of meaning - rather than just a pretty girl sitting in a meadow with a parasol – as having more lasting importance, but often the art market favors simple pleasing subjects.

Size plays a gene in value, as a painting which is besides large for nigh collectors has limited salability, only as a very small painting doesn't command the same price as 1 that hangs over the mantle. And in uncomplicated commercial terms, horizontal paintings tend to have more than value than vertical ones of the same size, as they are simply easier to hang over a piece of furniture.

Importance of Date
The date a work of fine art is created is also crucial in two main means. Firstly, art which has a loftier value is usually created soon after the conception of the style in which information technology is painted. For example, the most sought-afterwards Impressionist works are painted during the principal Impressionist era, while a similar looking painting in the same style past a 20th century artist reworking the way has much less value.

Secondly, the nearly valuable piece of work for particular artists are those created during or before long later the artist's main creative period. (Picasso is an exception to this, as he uniquely had many changes of fashion through an endlessly creative career). For example, the works by Andy Warhol from 1963 are hugely more expensive to acquire than works by him which expect very like but are executed in the 70s. Here are two examples which demonstrate this, and of course the subject of Liz Taylor is a highly of import aspect of the cost besides.

Andy Warhol, Liz Taylor, 1963.

Andy Warhol, Farah Diba Pahlavi, 1977.

The Warhol of Liz Taylor has two important factors in its favor as regards value: the glory condition of Liz, and the early 1963 date. It made $23m at auction. The painting of Farah Diba Pahlavi is the same size but the subject's fame is considerably less and it was too painted 14 years subsequently. Information technology fabricated $750,000.

Condition is also very of import in the value of an artwork. Ideally, a painting on canvas should exist on the original canvass and non relined. A canvas is often relined if there is a tear or the pigment is insecure. Any all-encompassing restoration or retouching diminishes value. A work on paper should non accept any harm or tears, and repair of a damage is hard to disguise.

I mentioned higher up when discussing subject matter that typical subjects tend to exist the well-nigh valuable within an artist's oeuvre. The aforementioned applies to style; a painting should be executed in a style typical for the artist to reach a high cost. Very occasionally a work which is a typical and therefore highly unusual can achieve a premium, but in full general collectors search for typical works.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Landscape with Tree to Right), 1936.

This is an early piece of work past Jackson Pollock, dated 1936, whose afterwards Abstract paintings have made more than $100m. This was painted when the artist was 24 years old before he painted in an abstract way and it made $275,000 at a 2021 auction. Without Pollock's proper noun, and if by an unknown creative person, it would be worth less than $20,000.

Provenance
Finally, the question of provenance and freshness to the market needs to be discussed. If a work of art has been in an of import collection, there is a premium added to the value. For instance, works from the Rockefeller collection which sold in 2018 at Christies achieved prices which were about twenty% to 30% college than what they would take achieved if they came from an anonymous drove. Also, works which have not been offered on the market for some time are more than desirable, as they have a rarity value. The market craves works which accept been in a collection for many years.

Claude Monet, Nymphéas en fleur, c.1914-17.

This painting of Monet's Waterlilies made $84.6m in the Rockefeller auction at Christies in 2018. It's probable that the family name added about 30% to the toll.

The near useful database for American clients is world wide web.artnet.com as one tin search past title, size and medium, but information technology requires a subscription. www.artprice.com is used past many European collectors, and that also requires a subscription. If you want us to check some works for you and give our expert input, please inquire.

To conclude, to get a truthful sense of value you lot demand to do much more than than just compare what your work looks like to ane that sold at auction. We have a very good personal experience of this. We helped a client sell at auction a cute Renoir still life executed in an excellent engagement in his career. In that location was a trouble nonetheless, as at that place was an added strip of sheet about half-dozen inches wide which continued the composition on the left and wasn't visible to the naked center. The experts couldn't tell if Renoir or another creative person had added this. Yet Artnet.com promoted their services past showing how our still life was great value compared to others sold at auction, which on face value it was only it didn't accept the condition issue into account.

The four inches on the left of this painting are painted onto an added strip of canvas, which detracts from the value especially as it is not known if Renoir himself added it and the paint.

When valuing a work of art, you can see that a number of standard criteria take to be factored in. The challenge then is to determine what the real value is and what somebody will pay. Please enquire u.s. past calling +1 212 717 9100 or +44 twenty 7734 7800, or emailing info@fineartbrokers.com.

Ray Waterhouse
New York

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Source: https://www.fineartbrokers.com/fine-art-brokers-in-the-news/how-to-determine-if-an-artwork-is-valuable

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