Art Auction..What a Deal?
Alice Lessard
nuts...got to get my champaign. Are there really any greats deals? Is
this just another way for the lines to get your money? Seen alot of
pictures I would like to have,but don't know enough about art to take
the chance.
thanks for any imput....alice
Marc Davidson
Rule#1 -- Never buy art unless you want to look at it everyday. Art is an OK
investment, but you can't put it in a safe-deposit and forget it.
Conversely, if you really love it, does it matter if it's not valuable? One
of my favorite paintings I bought for $100, and it's hanging right next to
one I paid $2500 for.
Rule#2 -- Do a little prep work. Learn about how originals and prints are
made. Go to an art gallery or two in your neighborhood. Or even look around
on the Internet. Get a feel for what things are selling for. As a general
rule, I don't buy anything that came in an edition of over 500, but that's
my rule - not yours.
Rule#3 -- Reread rule #1
Rule#4 -- Talk to the dealers on the ship, look carefully at the lots before
the sale. The dealers I've met are mostly pretty honest, although they're
likely to give you the hard sell. You don't have to fall for it. On the my
most recent cruise, the auctioneer offered a genuine Rembrandt etching.
Bidding started at $6,000. I didn't bid. Neither did anyone else. But people
did buy less expensive and more colorful things. I bought a pencil sketch
(original) of Betty Boop on a Harley for about $150 -- a gift for a Harley
dealer I know. I bought a Rembrandt elsewhere for $2,000 -- that's the value
of shopping around.
Rule #5 -- Reread rule #1
Rule #6 -- enjoy yourself. Art auctions can be a lot of fun if you go in
knowing what you want and how much to pay.
TNT
-- Marc Davidson.
PS: let us know if you buy any good ones!
Alice Lessard wrote in message
<15498-38...@storefull-247.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
JCrui0922
do. I agree, I buy what I like not for it's value. Great comments!!!
Sherrie in Nashville
www.justcruisinplus.com
800-888-0922
Tom & Linda
Almost all (maybe even "all") art pieces on ships are just prints of
painted originals.
I paint in my spare time. I paint in oil, onto linen canvas. If you
buy an original oil painting on canvas, you have something. If not, all
you're getting is a fancy Xerox copy. That's not art. That's a Xerox.
Maybe they pick a fancy name like lithograph, but it's still just a
copy.
If you want a piece of art, look for an original oil painting on canvas,
or watercolor on paper. Then you have something of value. Something
where the artist put his hands, his mind, his eyes to work. But not a
copy.
When we were in St. Lucia, a young guy "conned" us into buying a coconut
that he had climbed up and cut from a palm tree. We saw him climb the
tree and gladly paid him some money for the coconut which he cut into
pieces for the kids to try. The kids had a lot of fun. Later, he went
off to his little shed and brought out two pieces of what looked like
stone but were actually some kind of wood or root. They were about 2
inches long and 1/4 inch round and very hard. He carved faces in both
and gave them to us. ..... That's more art than what they sell on the
ships. He used his hands to make it. It was original.
Just my 2 cents.
--Tom
Jim and Vicki
the same price or more than at home. If you like it buy it who cares what
it is worth.... In your mind is where the value is.
A couple of things, if you can carry it, go for the "take-off's" since you
don't have to pay for shipping (which is expensive unless you buy several
pieces). Also many takoffs are "with frame" where what is shipped to you is
usually the art only. A good frame and matte will often cost as much as the
print...
The champaign is cheap stuff but then again it is FREE!
--
Jim and Vicki Bober
jbo...@rochester.rr.com
Alice Lessard <LOV4PO...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:15498-38...@storefull-247.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
Jdarmo
Seas that I've seen on other ships in the past. My only problem is that
since I live in Michigan, I had to pay SALES TAX because the gallery is in
Southfield Mich.
:-(.
Joe<-----Majesty review almost complete
Fred M. Lanyard
I spend a little time in art galleries if I come across them on
vacation. My last visits to the Wyland Gallery in Las Vegas and the
Kinkaid Gallery in Palm Springs and the Holding and Amos galleries in
Bermuda taught me that there is indeed value in these "copies",
especially from known artists. Some are enhanced by the artist adding
paint to the "copy" and some are just numbered copies. Think about
it...if an artist gains fame, he is limited in the oils (originals) he
can produce so it is natural that the clones will also have value. I
agree with the poster who said you should just like the art mainly and
most of us are probably "collectors" or admirers rather than "investors"
so it is a viable art form in todays world. Whether purchasing on board
is worthwhile is another story.
Fred
Tom & Linda wrote:
> Almost all (maybe even "all") art pieces on ships are just prints of
> painted originals.
>
> I paint in my spare time. I paint in oil, onto linen canvas. If you
> buy an original oil painting on canvas, you have something. If not, all
> you're getting is a fancy Xerox copy. That's not art. That's a Xerox.
> Maybe they pick a fancy name like lithograph, but it's still just a
> copy.
>
> If you want a piece of art, look for an original oil painting on canvas,
> or watercolor on paper. Then you have something of value. Something
> where the artist put his hands, his mind, his eyes to work. But not a
> copy.
--
Regards,
Fred Lanyard
CRUISE VALUE CENTER
(888)735-SHIP Residence:(732)636-0938
Mark Goldberg
Alice Lessard <LOV4PO...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:15498-38...@storefull-247.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
> O.K. I have been at enough of these auctions to drive my husband
> nuts...got to get my champaign. Are there really any greats deals? Is
> this just another way for the lines to get your money? Seen alot of
> pictures I would like to have,but don't know enough about art to take
> the chance.
> thanks for any imput....alice
>
Hello Alice
I have a friend who was on the Crystal line as the auctioneer. The art is
basically commerical lithos that are provided by a dealer. The art gets
shipped to the ship and is stored for these sales. Apparently it must be a
great means of income to the ship and much like bingo. The sales take place
when the ship is traveling and my friend told me they get some big money for
some of the pieces. They have special containers that you receive the art
in right on the ship. My recommendation would suggest that when you are on
the high seas and there isn't much competition, it's best to stay away.
Regards,
MG
John Gickler
cruise, we have become very interested in the art auctions. First of all, most
of the works we saw are signed numbered prints. That means that the prints were
created and produced under the control of the artist, and are generally limited
to a small edition ( most under 500). In my opinion this is much different than
"commercial lithographs" which are not generally from limited editions, and are
not produced under the control of the artist.
The price of art is definately subjective, but Parkwest is able to sell works
for considerable lower prices than galleries because of the way they do
business, cutting out distributers, purchasing art directly from artists,
publishing some of the works, and eliminating much or the overhead that a
gallery might have. One thing to keep in mind is that appraisals and retail
prices for art are in my opinion fantasy numbers. I have purchased art for as
little as 1/10th of its retail price. Are there good deals? Yes and even some
great deals, but they are only a good deal if you like the art.
If you would like to buy some art, I would suggest you do alittle research
before your trip. Look at some art resellers on the internet, find out who you
like, and some price ranges. Take a look at the Park West site, they list their
exclusive artists, and give bios on them. Also, once on the ship, if you see
something you like, ask about it, and if possible wait until the last auction to
purchase it, the opening bids tend to drop as the cruise progresses. Also, very
few of the items include framing, and the ones that are are generally the more
expensive items. Also, make sure you understand the true cost of the piece, in
addition to the price you bid, there is also a 12.5% comission, and a shipping
charge.
We have purchased 5 pieces on our two cruises, 2 Dalis, 2 Steynovitz's, and 1
Fanch Ledan, and the prices ranged from $50 to $650 and we are very happy with
our purchases. If you want to see what a good deal some of these works are, go
to a top notch gallery and see what Peter Max, Dali, or Miro prints are going
for. Just as an example, my wife and I saw a Peter Max show at a Chicago
gallery, the least expensive item for sale was a small, etching for around
$1200. On the Monarch, the least expensive Max sold for $750, and there were
several more in the under $1000 price range. The major difference, was that the
piece on the ship were hand embelished, one of a kind mixed media prints,
including a small liberty head, while the etchings at the gallery were much less
desirable in my opinion. Many of those opposed to the art auctions aren't
opposed to the auctions as much as they are opposed to the art market in
general. My wife and I both agreed that we would have gone to the auctions even
if we could not buy anything, we learned a great deal, and had alot of fun. And
as you pointed out, there is always the free champagne.
Marc Davidson
I must take exception to the comment that anything other than a painting is
not art. There are many fine artists who chose to work in the multiples
field. Artists who etch or engrave their image on metal -- such as
Rembrandt, Piranesi, etc.; on wood, such as Hiroshige, Hokusai, etc.; on
stone such as Cheret, Toulouse Lautrec, Mucha, etc.; and even on silk, such
as Erte and others.
I'm the first to admit that a lot of what you see offered as multiples is
junk. But please don't write off a whole field of artistic expression
because of it. Back when I had my gallery, an artist friend of mine did silk
screens of tropical scenes. She usually made editions of 35 or 50, but she
would alter them, changing the colors. She presented me with one as a thank
you that was unique. Is that not art? It's not like anyone elses!
Thanx
-- Marc D. @:>
Tom & Linda wrote in message <38027138...@worldnet.att.net>...
>My opinion... for what it's worth....
>