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Author:
Corinne Cain

Assumption: Art becomes more valuable once an artist dies.

Actuality: Prices escalate only when demand is greater than supply. Prices can increase if there was a shortage of the artist's work prior to his or her death and if the demand continues to be significantly greater than supply. Art News (November 2003) presented an article on the ten most wanted artworks. These would sell individually for more than $5 Million IF the present owners would let me them go. However, as the collectors know they could not acquire a replacement painting/sculpture/drawing, they won't be selling these artworks.

Assumption: An artist's proof is more valuable than a print from the regular edition.

Actuality: Artist's proofs are routinely consistent with the regular edition in appearance and value. On rare occasions, a color trial proof be judged to be more valuable than the regular edition or an artist's proof. this happens when the reigning experts determine the color trial proof represents a more handsome product than the regular edition or artist's proof.

Assumption: It's just a print.

Actuality: Some artist's do or do not choose to paint. Their art "translates" more successfully using an original print medium such as lithography, etching, serigraphy, or woodcuts. Some original prints have sold for more than $100,000 when done by prominent artists. The only time an art professional might utter "It's just a print" is when they are referencing a reproductive print. This is usually a photographic rendition of an existing artwork, in other words, a photomechanical copy.

Why can't you value my art from photographs?

* Liability * As long as I am a professional art appraiser, I am held to a different standard than someone functioning strictly as a dealer. * PLUS I like to be right!!!

Photographs do NOT reveal all condition issues and the public is not trained to properly describe them. How many of you can recognize light staining, mat burning, foxing, etc? These and other condition flaws significantly impact value.

* A reproduction attached to canvas virtually looks the same as an original oil painting in a photograph. Unless I know which museum is currently hosting the actual painting, I cannot be perfectly sure you are showing me a photographically generated reproduction or an actual painting when viewing a photograph. Now there are gicleé prints printed on canvas and enhanced with paint, a hands-on inspection is a must.

About the author:

Corinne Cain is the principal of Corinne Cain, Ltd, a nationally recognized firm affording expert appraisal and consulting services on Fine Art and Native American Art. Her background includes an MFA and MBA from Southern Methodist University. Ms. Cain is also the proprietor of http://Savvycollector.com, a nationally known secondary art market dealer.

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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Art... The Online Art Scene If you appreciate art, try searching for online art galleries on the Internet and you will be amazed at the rich and varied offerings that are available to you. The parade of art is more than just a display of great artwork. There are auction sites, listing of important art events, informative sites that narrate the history of the great artists of all time. And, of course, there's gallery after gallery of timeless and awe-inspiring paintings. A typical art website contains thousands of art pieces, while the more popular among these sites boast of stirring masterpieces in the hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, other sites display paintings by subject matter, whether landscape, still life, figurative, impressionist or abstract. There are websites dedicated to showcasing the works of Pablo Picasso , Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh , Edgar Degas and the other great masters. Others focus on discovering the outstanding artists of today and are a God-send to young and aspiring artists everywhere because it gives them more opportunities to get that elusive first break. With over a dozen websites dedicated to lucrative art auctions, one gets the sense that the art scene is a thriving business where millions of dollars exchange hands. And the good fortune seems to have trickled down to the artists as well. Week after week, these websites announce the latest sales by today's artists (with photos showing the beaming artist beside his work) in a seemingly endless parade. There is also room for the small and medium-sized entrepreneur in the online art world. At this end of the spectrum are the websites which charge $400-800 for a hand-painted reproduction of select art pieces at varying sizes to boot. A notable aspect of the online...