To become an artist, what value they must possess?
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To become an artist, what value they must possess?
To become an artist, what value they must possess?
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Answer:
1. Artist
The artist is the most important factor to look at appraising art. Looking at history it’s easy to see that some artists were more important than others and therefore their works will have more value than others. The prolificity of the artist affects the value as well. All things being equal, a work by an artist who produced more will not hold the same value as one who produced less. Other aspects of the artist to consider is when in their career the work was produced and whether the work represents their style (works within an artist’s oeuvre tend to be valued higher).
2. Certificate of authenticity
Sometimes authenticating a work can be as easy as asking the artist, or as difficult as subjecting the work to lab tests, but in either case, documentation is crucial. As more and more private buyers are purchasing art directly from auctions and fairs without proper advice, the certificate that should accompany a work of art became more and more important. No Van Gogh can be sold without the approval of the Van Gogh Museum. For Jongkind and other important impressionists, we have the Wildenstein Institute, for Herbin, we have Genevieve Claisse and so on.
3. Subject
Although it’s a matter of taste to some degree, certain subjects will generally sell better than others, therefore increasing the value. For example, a female nude is generally more interesting to buyers than a portrait of an old man. It’s important to keep in mind that this factor alone cannot determine the value of a work of art. It must be combined with other factors. For example, the subject of work will narrow down the market of buyers who may be interested and as with anything, demand drives price.
4. Condition
Restorations of any kind will decrease the value of art, in fact, some collectors will only pursue un-restored works. Of course, the degree to which the value will decrease is determined by the quality of the restoration. A professionally restored piece will be more valuable than one that has been the victim of a bad restoration job. Some important things to consider when dealing with a restored piece are how the restoration affected the work’s appearance, structure and integrity. It’s true, the better the condition the higher the value, but like all other factors on this list, it must also be taken into consideration with others. For example, work in bad condition may have a higher value if the artist is highly sought after.
5. Provenance
Provenance is key! The stronger the provenance the better obviously. If you can trace a work all the way back to the artist and can create a strong pedigree, it will most certainly become more valuable. Something to consider with provenance is whether the work has been included in the ‘catalogue raisonné’ of the artist if applicable. Additionally, if you can prove that the work was once owned by someone famous aside from the artist themselves, it will be more likely to command a higher price. Finally, it can be helpful to try locating the work in past sale records in order to get an indication of the value.