Practical advice for buyers of art

Practical advice for buyers of art
(Computer translation from English)

If the purchase simply for the love of painting, there are many features and conditions that must be considered and looked at the purchase of fine art. Questions in no particular order of importance, but may be useful in the evaluation prior to purchase works, especially when choosing from a large variety of similarly priced items, such as those at the auction.
For academic clarity, these issues can be divided into two categories: the first category is related to the artist and the second on the actual art. The main article of tangible and intangible assets may be applied.
Artist
Tangibles:
1. Has a professional or amateur artist production pictures?
2. How old is the artist, if living artist and the artist still active?
3. Who were the teachers of the artist, who were students of the artist, and what degree of fame did the members of each group to achieve?
4. If the artist's life, that the expected performance is the artist?
5. If the artist's life, how many works are carried out each year, and what is the trend of the market for works of this artist?
6. What percentage of the deceased artist's output is in private hands?
Intangibles:
1. What gallery sells the work of the artist?
2. As collectors and museums, that the artist's own work?
3. What awards have been earned by the artist, and how are they important?
4. How many books, articles and directories have been published about the artist, some publishers, so that the authors, and when?
Work
Tangibles:
1. What medium (oil, watercolor or other) used to work?
2. What is the height and width of the work?
3. What is the quality of the frame, if framed?
4. If signed, it is the quality of a signature?
5. If not. Is there a certificate of authenticity and what authority issued it?
6. Is the work from?
7. Is the work original (sometimes a very complex issue and requires professional intervention)?
8. What is the highest sales achieved to date for the painting chosen by the artist?
9. Where this has been achieved for sale?
10. There is a gallery, auction house or a frame label on your back? There is all that is written on the back or works of art or math?
11. Was painting offered for sale recently, and what was the result of the sale if any?
Intangibles:
1. Is the work titled or untitled?
2. Is the trend in prices for the artist up or down?
3. Does have historical significance?
4. What is the central work on the most popular after the period and the subject of the artist?
5. What recent comparable sales in the amount of work, subject matter and other variables?
6. Is the trend in prices on the class of matter (abstract, pop art, genre, portrait, etc.) up or down?
7. What is the origin (history of exposure and property), on the job?
The main article of tangible and intangible assets are controversial, and some of them can be easily transferred from one species to another have questions of authenticity and historical significance.
If someone can not answer all these questions, professional advice should be taken. This might provide a better chance that one buys the right piece at the right price, with satisfaction of possible values.

Dr. Alexander L. Grigoriev
BLACKSPHERE Fine Art Gallery
217 Swan St, Richmond VIC 3121
(03) 9486 0838
www.blacksphereart.com.au
grigoriev@bigpond.com