Buying art can feel like a matter of taste, but taste does not protect you from overpaying for a misattributed work, a clever reproduction, or a piece with hidden condition problems. An appraisal is what separates buying with evidence from…
Aug 25 A painting may be hanging in an estate home, stored in a climate-controlled collection, or sitting unrecognized in a business office. In each case, art liquidation starts with the same question: what can this work realistically bring in…
Aug 29 A signature can add substantial value to a painting, print, sculpture, or drawing. It can also create false confidence. Knowing how to authenticate signed artwork means looking beyond the name in the corner and evaluating the entire object,…
Aug 23 A charitable gift of art can produce a meaningful tax deduction, but only if the documentation can withstand scrutiny. IRS art appraisal requirements are not the same as getting an informal opinion of value, an auction estimate, or…
Sep 4 What is fair market value when the asset is a painting, sculpture, print, or collectible artwork? It is not the highest number an owner has heard, the gallery price on a similar piece, or the amount needed to…
Aug 27 A work can be genuine, visually compelling, and signed by a recognized artist, yet still be difficult to sell if its ownership history is unclear. Knowing how to document art provenance gives collectors, heirs, and sellers a practical…
Sep 6 A strong art investment rarely begins with a dramatic auction result or a trend on social media. It begins with evidence: who made the work, when it was made, where it has been, what condition it is in,…
Sep 12 A signature is often the first place an owner looks, but it is not the first place an appraiser starts. Is unsigned art valuable? It can be. A work without a visible signature may be worth very little,…
Sep 10 A promising painting can have an impressive signature, a convincing frame, and a seller who sounds certain. None of those things establishes its ownership history. This art provenance research guide explains how collectors, heirs, and prospective sellers can…
A five-star rating is not proof that an artwork was valued correctly. Appraisal service reviews are most useful when they show how an expert handled the details that affect a real transaction: attribution, condition, provenance, market comparables, and the intended…