I do know you're going to make fun of me, so let's just get this over with. I purchased art on a cruise ship. OK, laugh. Gallery owners and art appraisers will mock you for it, but it surely might be worse.
My husband and I were faced with an unusual situation in our home: a blank wall. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but now we have different tastes and different philosophies. I wish to buy art from local artists. He likes art from “well-known” artists. And we rarely have time to walk through galleries or visit art auctions together.
“We'll see when we cruise,” DC said a number of months ago. I sighed. He's a much bigger fan of cruises. The considered those oversized ships with their central parks, ice rinks, huge buffets, and free-flowing alcohol used to make me need to camp. But he convinced me to offer it a try. I've modified my mind. And that's marriage.
He also convinced me to attend the ship's art auctions, which I used to think were kitschy because a few of the art on the market there’s actually the sort that involves two olives holding hands and dancing in a martini glass. That's not a judgement. It's only a fact.
Park West, the corporate that conducts art auctions for a lot of cruise lines, knows what its cruise customers like. They also know that vacationers, with all their worries at sea on a distant shore, are willing to spend money. These pals hold a glass of champagne in a single hand and a numbered paddle in the opposite, while a jaunty auctioneer on stage unveils artworks and explains why you could change into their owner – this very minute.
Numbers and money (from 50 to five-figure amounts) fly through the air. Hammers bang. And before you understand it, someone goes home with a signed, numbered and framed Salvador Dali. It's crazy. But I used to be there.
We agreed on one thing: we wanted a recent work, as original as possible, about 30″ x 40″, in shades of blue and orange, with a water theme, and, oh, inside our budget. So we told the auctioneer what we were searching for. He opened his laptop and pulled up several works on the boat, including one by an up-and-coming artist from Florida that miraculously met all of our criteria.
We researched the artist online to search out out what prices his works have sold for. The opening bid for the framed original was significantly lower. Now “Sailing at Dawn” is on its option to our home.
Back home, I called Susan Filebark, an art appraiser from Florida. She had learned her craft from her mother, who also worked as a museum appraiser, and had a rule: “Never buy art on a cruise ship!”
After we got past that laugh, she explained to me what affects the worth of a murals, so in case you ever end up standing there with a paddle in a single hand and champagne in the opposite, you'll be prepared.
The artist: Fame, in fact, influences the selling price. Some collectors only want signed originals or limited edition artworks by listed artists, i.e. those that have sold their works at auction.
Original or limited edition: A signed original will fetch the best price, but when that's out of your price range, search for serigraphs, stone lithographs, or engravings by that artist. These limited edition prints are still considered art. As the printing plates age with multiple impressions, production stops when the artist is not any longer satisfied with the standard, making it a limited edition.
Signed and numbered: Look for a fraction, similar to 42/150, written in pencil at the underside of a limited edition print. This indicates that it’s the forty second print in an edition of 150. The artist often signs each print. Typically, these editions are under 250. Editions much higher make the print less useful.
Open edition prints: They are principally posters. If the artist signs it, for instance at an exhibition, that may increase the worth but doesn’t make it a limited edition. Candace Hill, an art appraiser from Colorado, gives the next example: At auction, a signed poster of Andy Warhol's “Marilyn” sold for $952. A signed limited edition screen print brought in $156,250 and a signed original brought in $28 million.
“If you want to buy art by a particular artist,” Filebark advises, “search the second-hand market. Look for works offered at auction, or find the artist and buy directly from their studio.”
Originally published:
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