Every year hundreds of people approach galleries and museums with what they think is the next undiscovered masterpiece. Whether your painting is a never-before-seen Michelangelo or the work of a slightly lesser known artist, it is important to know the value of an artwork. You may want someday to sell your painting or donate it to a museum, or even keep it as an investment that will thrive later in your life or those of your children. In any of these scenarios, determining an accurate value for your painting is crucial. The appraisal of a painting may seem daunting, but with the help of some unbiased experts, all you need to do is pay attention. Read on to learn find the value of a painting.
Instructions
1. Determine provenance. "Provenance" is an art historical term that essentially means the painting's financial history: who has bought it over the years, who sold it, where has it been displayed or exhibited. Any of this information can help an expert trace the painting back to its original artist and location. If you have any records or documents proving the identity of the artist or any previous owners, your hunt for an accurate value will become significantly easier. Even if these provenance proving documents are elusive, do not despair. Stylistic elements like brushwork and even pigment type can help a skilled art historian or connoisseur determine the artist and time period of a painting.
2. Create images. Although the first people you may contact regarding your painting will be in your own area, the experts to which you may be directed will most likely be located in a variety of locations across the country, or even the world. Take good, well-lighted digital photos of your painting that can be sent via email. Many assessors will insist you ship the actual paintings to their offices, but this process can be very expensive. Eventually, you will have to ship the painting to the assessors at the auction house or gallery where you wish the painting to be sold, but this should not be necessary for an initial assessment. Also, it is possible to find assessors in your area if necessary.
3. Be cautious. If there is even a slight chance your painting may be of value, take good care of it. Even if you think it's your grandmother's rendering of a shrub, be wary. If it gets scratched and turns out to be a Georgia O' Keefe, the value of the painting will have dropped significantly. When damage does occur, there are excellent restorers all over the world as well, who can help to repair the painting.
4. Take it to the experts. Beware of initially taking a painting to a gallery for assessment. Because galleries exist to make a profit, it is in their best interest to suggest a low value and then offer to buy it. The gallery can then turn around and sell the painting for much more. If you go to a local museum or, even better, the director of a university art collection, not only will they have no financial interest in your painting, but they are often restricted by law from assessing paintings outside their own collection. They can, however, direct you to some of the best experts and assessors of art in the world, and if you are very polite, they may even drop some hints as to their own opinion of the work.
5. Check and double-check. Do not settle for the first opinion you receive. Be sure to get several assessments, even though you will probably have to spend some money, in order to confirm the reports you are receiving. It's a bad sign if one expert attributes your painting to Monet and another to Matisse. The more identical the opinions you are receiving, the more likely they are accurate. Multiple matching assessments will also bolster your credibility if you hope to one day sell this work. Also, always go with the majority. If three experts insist on Landseer, and one on Lee, go with the opinion offered by the largest number of appraisers. Without any confirming documentation, there is no guarantee that any assessment is completely accurate, but for financial purposes, it is close enough.
