Newbie question - anyone heard of these? Value?

Hey Jason,

you can't be insulting - this guys prices are!
If you look to buy contemporary art go to Armory Show in N.Y or one of the side shows or maybe an other art fair in an other city like Art Basel/Miami. You should check the big artfairs first, then you get a feeling for the galleries as there are thousands.
If you are looking for decoration either you can do a painting on your own or you spend a few hundreds but not thousands. If you really want it offer him 500 USD.
I do collect contemporary art for more than 12 years now and own more than 450 single pieces, so I guess that I can judge this way.

 

Art is very odd to buy pricing as caprion has stated can be all over.

First you need to love it. Then you need to offer him what your gut says. If he's asking 1000's he's been in the game a while and has sold enough pieces to wait for a buyer. Vacation resorts if that's where you are always have pretty high prices to me in comparison to local places like he also mentions.

If he's asking 4k I doubt he'd let more than a 30% discount happen. You won't get it for 1k.

If you like it offer 2500 and see what he says. If he says no 3k. Walk away.

If you pay 2500 you've got a piece you like and paid an ok price. Most art won't go up in value so look at it as a few years worth of viewing. Now you've only spent 600 a year for 4 years and it's quit cheap

Now if you find an original Miro or Picasso don't expect the same discounts

 

Another option: there is an FChatter in NY who I think is a gallery owner; you can probably find him on the NY Forum section, I think his name is Jerome-something. He might be able to give you some pointers on buying from 'no-name' artists...

Of course, just as with cars, buy what you like, not because it's an 'investment'. If you like it and you can afford it, buy it. It's not like you can find the same piece at another dealer.....(usually....

 

No.. obviously you cant.
Congratulations... you have just been more insulting than anyone thus far... $500. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Would you go into a Chevy dealership and even think about asking for a new car for $2000. What you would receive from the sales person you would deserve. Yet you think you can have some sort of right to to undercut his prices that far and feel like youve done the world a favour. Yes, a couple prices are astronomical... but offering a price from his whole portfolio of work -20%, would be a proper and respectful starting point. $500. Shameful.

GT

 

Certainly I can - every work and every price is based on production costs plus working hours, except artwork. Why?, because some artworks became huge speculation objects and everybody who can make a drawing is jumping on this train. Why should I be ashamed? Is 500 USD nothing? My employees need to work hard for a whole week to earn 500 USD!
A Chevy has a resale value - put one of these works on Ebay, you wouldn't sell it for my offer!
In a good gallery I would say 15-25 % is possible (depends on how much you spend), in a tourist trap you can ask 90 % as NO serious artist, gallerist or businessman would ask YOU to make an offer. It reminds me of one of these tourist markets in Bangkok. This "Artist" offers works for 1 million, 3 million and 25 million?!?!?! on his homepage next to works that cost 2500, this is not a joke - that's tasteless. So if one work is 1.000.000 one is 25.000 and a couple is 4.000 I WOULD OFFER 500. But my choice would be to donate the money to some poor kids.

BTW You're mixing up honesty with insult.

 

After looking I personally wouldn't offer the guy more than $100 for any of them. There is no collector value to james john prattas art, it's $50 in supplies and a few hours of his time.

Have your 10 year old niece make you one in her art class, it'll have more value to you.

 

I'm not saying this guys resale value will be anything in the future. No one can and niether can you for that matter. But YOU placing a value on something you know nothing about, or worse dont like and refuse to acknowlege the effort and talent is ignorant.
try this:
The famous Pablo Picasso was at a party. A woman recognized him and approached the Master. She asked, “Will you create a sketch for me?” Picasso agreed, and, as he pulled out his sketchpad, asked her for a subject. “A bird in a tree will do,” she responded. So Picasso spent about a five minutes doing what Picasso does on the sketchpad. Finished, he ripped the sketch off the pad, handed it to the woman and said, “That will be $10,000.” The woman was floored. “Ten thousand dollars! Why, it only took you five minutes to draw that sketch!” To which, Picasso replied, “No, madam. That sketch took me a lifetime.”

Recognize the talent, and effort and what really went into it. It just might be worth it. If you dont think it is. Simple. DONT BUY IT.
Of course its always easier, thru jealousy, to knock it down and say "my kid can do it". I guess that makes it easier to ridicule him and his work...

GT

 

Ahhh, the famous "what is art" scenario This guy is no Picasso, don't go there.

 

If you love it, make an offer, or just buy it. Or get to know the artist a bit better and start will a smaller piece.

The cost of art is interesting and whimsical in many cases. I personally know a few artists and have asked the question of how they price their art....interesting and variable. Not much science to art in either it's creating, appreciating and pricing. (in many cases)

I guess that is what makes it art....beauty in the eye and all of that.

Another interesting question to consider when buying art directly from an artist is the price compared to what a similar piece from the same artist sells for in a privately owned gallery. Offering 50% of gallery price is often not an insult when you consider that.

 

What a load of BS.

Offer him between $100 and $200. He will take it. He would never ask you to make an offer if his art was selling, or if he had a reference point. And it's $100 more than anyone else is putting in his pocket at the moment.

It is worth exactly what the market will pay for it. His market consists of...ummm, maybe, just maybe, you. And no one else. Because what he is creating is not desirable to anyone else.

Forget the anecdotes about picasso. When this guy is famous, perhaps you will get to say how you saved his starving ass and kept him painting for $100. Or perhaps, you will get to say how your offer discouraged him so much that he went into real estate where he made millions.

If you get it, enjoy it.

 

I wouldn't low ball the guy with 100-200$ offers.

A piece like those aren't my style, so I wouldn't make an offer myself.

That said... maybe it is $50 in raw materials, but I guaranty that just the process of stretching the canvas is worth 100$ of my time.

My honest opinion is that he never took a course in color theory. I think it would be very difficult for most of those pieces to be shown in any room with any color walls.

If you REALLY like it, than don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Offer 600-800$ .... are these originals you would be buying, or giclee prints?

 

This is what it all comes down to. If you like it it doesn't matter how much it costs if you aren't expecting returns.



Art is so subjective and all about timing for actual pieces of value.

Funny I just recieved an email today from a galary back east asking if I had interest

Any guess of values?
all from a new dead artist that I've never heard of
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39 cents?

 

fixed it

30-40k asking

While stupid money for prints it's all in the eyes of the beholder.

I'd pay $30k-$200k for a Picasso like this. I love most of his stuff. Unfortunately the stuff of his I really like is 5-10 times that.




I agree there is a ton of crap art out there for my tastes but I would never tell someone it's crap. If it suits your eye it suits your eye. That's the only thing Art should do for someone.

 

I don't condone violence but if anyone on this board pays $50k for a framed toilet seat to hang on their wall I go back to my old ways j/k

 

+1
Willing to pay for your legal defense, especially if you remove said toilet seat from wall, use it for its original purpose, then use it to reduce the buyer to stinky pulp. After all, you are acting in the public interest.

 

I have bought some artfully painted skateboards in the $100 - $200 range, now THAT is ART!

Have to keep the wall hangers away from the grinders, of course...
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Figure out what you could resell it for yourself tommorrow, and it's worth less than that...

An artist asking $4000+ should have resale value.

 

Just like my framed toilet seat I'm selling now for $49,999.99! Retail value is $2 million.

If his painting had to be resold tomorrow by a 3rd party (not whats his name the artist) it would be worth $0-$100 only from a board member or family member that felt sorry for him/them, we have gotten more talk/views about his art than probably anyone. It'll cost $100 to ship so keep that in mind.

I forgot the guys screen name who has the black Enzo here, he is a big art broker, take this to him and see what he says. LOL

 

Sucker born every minute

 

Never heard of him before, presume no resale value.

 

An interesting aside when discussing art values.

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_19675102?source=pophome