I have been gathering artwork since the mid-1970s. Before, you went to a gallery or maybe auction and also may see or even touch the pieces. The dealer would respond to your questions personally and you can see other certificates or maybe the papers of authenticity. Nowadays, everything that has changed with the creation of the Internet.
Auction sites have listings posted for nearly every kind of artwork imaginable. eBay is the main method for promoting art form and consequently the goal of the majority of the fraudulent dealers. I have seen a few kinds of misrepresentation and think I have to explain to the laymen what you should see for.
Let us start with the clear. In case you visit a Picasso that is mentioned for a couple of bucks as well as the dealer claims it’s an initial signature, beware. Picasso’s signature by itself fetches a huge number of dollars. In his later yrs, folks he dealt with wouldn’t cash his checks since the signature was worth more than the products or maybe services purchased.
This is true for artists like Miro, others and Chagall. In case you run into a hand-signed Rembrandt print, back off entirely. Rembrandt never pencil signed his etchings as they had been signed in the initial etching plate. Later, Amand Durand reproduced Rembrandt’s etchings in the late 1800s, but also he did not sign his prints.
Speaking of signatures, many internet sellers have pages for sale that are hand-signed. You can view the Chagall signature in an assortment of crayon colors. Indeed, they’re hand signed, but not by the artist. This is never reported and you, the customer, simply assumed the signature was from the artist. And there’s no certificate or COA of authenticity anyway. This is why certain issues have risen with regards to authentic art dealing whether on or offline–just take a look at The Bouvier Affair.
Thus, a word about authentication or documentation. It is quite simple to print up anything on a term system and even produce an official-looking seal. So that can conveniently be faked too. So, exactly how do you defend yourself from fraud?
Before bidding, see in case the piece is on the market elsewhere on the web and compares item descriptions, signatures, and the pictures as moderate and size, i.e. print documents lithograph, serigraph. They need to match up. Often you can also observe the day and dimensions of the limited edition. Do research initially. Is the same portion readily available for a great deal less or even more elsewhere? Then something is wrong anywhere within the mix.
Getting a great deal is fantastic if it is a genuine piece. But getting something useless for just a few 100 dollars isn’t a bargain. Educate yourself and attempt to stay with art sellers which have existed for some time. In case you think that something fishy, go on. You will find plenty of dealers available that are genuine and offer a genuine product for sale. Remember that anybody can sign some artwork they copied all over their scanner. And people can buy them. Let us hope it is not you.