Costco to sell "art" again----

Industrial sized art?  
Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/arts/design/costco-returns-to-the-business-of-selling-fine-art.html?_r=0

Here are my BUYER BEWARE tips:
Please note that this goes pretty much for all art buying!

Is it authentic?  
Just because you are handed "a certificate" that anyone can write, does not mean that the official body, that determines if a Warhol or a Picasso is authentic, has determined that it is real.    A SF dentist that bought at Costco found THAT out!  Speaking of which, even those authentication groups have been plagued by misattributions and loads of lawsuits.

There is a group of artists that you should not touch with a 10 foot pole because of issues of fraud.   You can get in touch with me to find out if a work  you are considering, or have, is one of them. 

Who is selling it?
What is their background?  How many years have they been in business?  Do they belong to organizations that promote ethical behavior and expertise like:  International Fine Print Dealers Assoc., or  Art Dealers Association of America?
You would like to buy fine art?
What to do?  Buy from an established dealer that you can trust and will take back that piece if there are any irregularities!  

Was the word "investment" used?
Anyone that uses the word like a financial term trying to insinuate that buying that a work of art is like an investment- be DOUBLY cautious!   Selling art is very difficult.  Art is also not a very liquid asset.  So, thinking you are going to make a fast buck on art; is not realistic.   Cruise ships are notorious places of dishonest dealing because there is no binding law out there on the high seas!     

What is the fine print?
Auction  Houses are famous for putting in the, itty bitty, teeny weeny,  fine print all sorts of reasons why they will not be responsible if the art work you bought from them is not the real deal.   Do your homework, just like you would when you buy a car, refrigerator, couch. 

What is the reputation of the seller?
So, let see:  The reputation of Costco:  Several years ago Picasso's daughter questioned the authenticity of her father's works that were being sold there.  They stopped selling art for a few years.   Red flag?
Look at what they offer and what they're good at:  Mainly household goods.  It's a big jump to sell "real" art, due to it's complexity.   

If you want wall decoration;  then, lets call a spade a spade.   That's about as far as I'm comfortable going:  Costco is selling wall decorations.  

While it might be a "feel good" moment,  that the warehouse is trying to capture, by "bringing art to the masses"; buyer beware.  
You only have 90 days to determine what you bought is authentic and return it.  

You can find a lot of living artists that will really enhance your life and home, but it's an adventure to find them.   The Bay Area in particular has A LOT of artists just waiting to help you own original art for decent prices.  Galleries often times too, will deal on price.  Just beware of slick stories and "Certificates of Authenticity".  Those things should raise a red flag right away!

Oh, by the way- is your art  insured adequately?   I can help you with some general suggestions for that too. 

Claudia W. Hess
www.hessappraisalgrp.vpweb.com

Carnegie Mellon receives a pledge of $265 Million that will be used for among other things fusion of left- right brain thinking research.  Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce: The Arts mean business.

                                   The author and friend Kevin in front of the orange painting he painted.

I say it again: Creative endeavors are America's lifeline to the future.  Support Arts creation and education! 

For a good book to start thinking about left-right brain fusion with interesting facts and games to try:
Daniel Pink: "A Whole New Mind"
And remember: "People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it." (Southwest Airlines)

Is it in good condition? Or: The 70 million dollar elbow.

Yes, a tear right across the face of that lovely maiden in your painting will sink the value of the painting quite a bit. Who wants to buy damaged goods?  We appraisers will usually be able to see repairs or have the tools to find them.                                    The most famous story about a damaged painting recalls how Steve Wynn accidentally put his elbow through a Picasso RIGHT before his fellow art collecting pal Steve Cohen was due to pay $139,000,000.00 for it.  That unfortunate incident dropped the painting’s value by 70 million! 

Yes, a restorer could have repaired it, but Picasso is dead, and not around to repair his own painting.   So, it not longer is a 100% Picasso painting. 

                                         Le Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso

Please do NOT DREAM of ever “repairing ” any of your works of art that could be of value.  How do you know if it’s valuable?  Hire an appraiser, of course!  

Check out the story in detail: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023ta_talk_paumgarten.

Keeping your valuables safe in vacation time

Protect Yourself during Summer Vacations:

Try to keep all valuable and fragile objects at least three inches off the floor in case of flooding.

Get some lights on a timer.

A few weeks before make sure your alarm is in working order and provide your alarm company with your vacation contact information.

Have someone check on your home weekly to find problems sooner rather than later!

Image: Courtesy of Worthington Gallery, Inc., Chicago.   www.worthingtonartchicago.com

How Rare Is It?

Not everything rare is valuable!  An old book of beautifully illustrated prose might be extremely rare...but who wants to buy it?
Rarity IS one component of value.
What we consider is: How rare was it, when it was made?
Think of a triangle.  At the top are works made with the finest materials, for the use of royalty, and upper classes.  At the bottom: Things that were mass produced that were and are worth less.

Another consideration: What has occurred in the meantime that would make a work rare?
Some German Expressionist Art prints were geared to be shared by a larger audience.  The Nazis branded them as degenerate art and burned them, and artist studios were bombed in WWII.  Therefore there are much fewer works available today than were actually made.  This rarity makes them more valuable.

7 Key Principles of Appraising Antiques and Collectibles

Good morning:
In each of the following 7 posts I will talk a little about the some of the overall techniques I use to appraise antiques and collectibles.

Basically appraising such items is a combination of art and science.   I do a lot of research (science) and also use my intuition (art) honed from over 25 years of examining and collecting antiques and collectibles.    The look and feel of an object gives me a lot of information to hammer down whether it's a fake or not and how much it will be worth.
Here are 7 questions I ask myself when appraising a work:
1.) How old is it?
2.) How rare is it?
3.) Does this fit in with the artist's or makers other works? (typical or trendy?)
4.) Is it in good condition?
5.) Does it tell a story?
6.) Who owned it before?
7.) Who collects this today?
Tune in for more detailed conversation on this topic!
Hapyy collecting- and be sure to get your collection appraised every 3 years!

Seeing the Stein Collection at SFMOMA

I will once again leading a spirited and exciting tour.   This time to:

SFMOMA's newest landmark show:

The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde

Join me as we take a trip over "the pond" with the San Franciscan Stein Family.

Tour dates/oppportunity cost:

Evening Thursday June 23rd:  1/2 price admission to SFMOMA  total cost:  $24   6-8:45pm

Meet at museum at 6pm.  We will go for dinner or drinks afterwards. 

Daytime Sunday June 26th: total cost: $33  10am-12noon.  We can eat lunch afterwards at the museum cafe.  
If we get 10 people by Thursday June 23rd, we may be able to get a group discount. 
Save your ticket stub for $2 off  if you wish to do an optional visit to the Jewish Museum in the afternoon.

Please email me with your commitment at least 3 days before tour at: hessfineartappraisals@yahoo.com.  If you need my phone number, pls. email me. 

View this video of the exhibit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFzJiqz6ZaI&feature=player_embedded#at=183

Stay tuned for the Picasso Show at the De Young Museum tour dates!