Jack The Rippers Bedroom
– Artist: Walter Sickert- Year: 1908
Walter Sickert, noted for his moody portraits and dimly lit domestic interiors, may have harbored a secret darker than his paintings. It has been argued that disconcerting works such as Jack the Rippers Bedroom and The Camden Town Murder may reflect some connection between the artist and the grisly Whitechapel butchereither as an accomplice or the murderer himself.
– Artist: Vincent van Gogh- Year: 1889
Vincent van Gogh is famous for having severed his own ear the strained relationship with fellow post-impressionist Paul Gauguin that precipitated the artists self-mutilation is not nearly as well known. Van Gogh spent 1888 working in the South of France and was joined in October of that year by Gauguin. Their friendship deteriorated, and van Gogh didnt react well to the news of Gauguins impending departure. The troubled artist cut off his ear, wrapped in newspaper, and reportedly gave it to a local prostitute for safekeeping. Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear depicts van Gogh in his studio, with the right side of his head wrapped in cloth. In fact, it was a portion of van Goghs left ear that was removed, with the inconsistency in the painting arising from the inverted reflection perceived by the artist while gazing in the mirror.
Private Vs Public Museums
While privately owned is often understood as the opposite to museum owned, it must be noted that many American Museums are actually private institutions that could sell any of their artworks if the board of directors / trustees vote for that. In fact, deaccessioning of artworks by these museums happen every year. So, will the Met or the MoMA be selling some of its coveted masterpieces soon? While theoretically possible, that will not be happening in the foreseen future given the strict conditions for deaccessioning of works . However, there have been sales of major works by smaller museums, such as the famous Artemis and the Stag, sold in 2007 by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for $28.6 million, or Asher B. Durands Kindred Spirits, sold by the New York Public Library for $35 million in 2005.
Image: Van Goghs Starry Night or Picassos Les Demoiselles dAvignon could easily fetch a price between $500 million and $1 billion each if the Museum of Modern Art decided to sell them.
In Europe, the situation is equally difficult to define. While there have been notable sales by family museums / institutions other private museums seem not to contemplate selling their most valuable works. Take the Fondation Beyeler, whose directorate has made it clear that the core of the collection cannot be sold . This is, in short, a gray area in which we will try to establish as realistic an approach as possible for each case.
Frescoes Villa Of The Mysteries
– Artist: Unknown- Year: c. first century B.C.
In 1909, archeologists working in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii unearthed a villa buried under 30 feet of volcanic ash. Preserved inside was a room, measuring approximately 225 square feet, containing a series of beautiful yet baffling frescoes. The images depict more than two dozen, life-size figures. At the center of the activity is a clothesless woman, shown flogged in one scene while dancing and playing the cymbals in another. Most scholars concur that the cycle represents a Dionysian initiation cult.
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Original Copy Of The Declaration Of Independence
In 1989, a Philadelphia man bought a cruddy torn painting featuring a dismal country scene, for at aflea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, because he was interested in its frame.
When he got home, he started investigating a tear in the canvas. After removing the painting he concluded the frame could not be salvaged, the frame broke apart, and out fell a small folded document which appeared to be an old copy of the Declaration of Independence stored between the canvas and its wood backing.
After one of his friends advised him to have it appraised, he learned that the document was in fact a rare original Dunlap broadside, one of 24 surviving copies from the first printing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Two years later, the document was auctioned for $2,420,000 at Sothebys.
Le Rve Pablo Picasso $155 Million
Le Rêve or The Dream as it translates, is one of Picassos most iconic paintings. The piece of art is of Marie-Thérèse Walter, who was Picassos mistress.
Casino tycoon Steve Wynn owned the artwork for 12 years and agreed to sell it to Steven A.Cohen. However, after a slip of an elbow from Mr Wynn, the painted was devalued by $55 million and the deal was put on hold until it was fully restored.
Cohen did eventually buy the painting but for a lot less than previously agreed.
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Nude Green Leaves And Bust By Pablo Picasso
| Artist of Painting | |
| Price Paid for Painting | $126 million |
Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur is a painting by Pablo Picasso depicting his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, painted in 1932. For over six decades, the artwork was housed in the private collection of Los Angeles art collectors Francis and Sidney Brody.
It fetched $106.5 million when it was sold, which is the third-highest price for an artwork sold at the time.
In 1932, Picasso produced a portrait series of his lover Marie-Thérèse Walter, including Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust. The canvas, which is more than 5 feet tall, is painted in a bright blue and lilac color scheme. Picasso was in a binding agreement with famous French-Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenberg at the time, who purchased the work directly from his close acquaintance.
Valuable Paintings Found In Unusual Places
Hunting for treasure in all its various forms is something humankind has pursued for centuries, from diamonds and gold to a good deal found in the bargain bin. Finding value in something others have overlooked is a unique thrill, and for some art lovers, the hunt has paid off in a big way. Here are eight paintings found in unusual places that turned out to be worth more than anticipated.
Wendy Hawkins, a volunteer at the Hotline Pink Thrift Shop in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was struct by a print she found while sorting through donations. She took the ethereal image to a local gallery, who after closer examination and a bit of research, identified the work as a woodblock print based on watercolors Salvador Dalí created to illustrate Dante’s Divine Comedy. The artist’s authentic signature on the print pushed its value up to $1,200, money that went towards the thrift store’s mission of helping victims of domestic violence.
An out-of-work mechanic in France kept himself busy buying and selling cheap artworks online until one day his hobby paid off. Ahmed Ziani’s eleven-year-old son spotted a signature on a painting he had bought for $700: A. Renoir, 1864. The early Renoir painting was not in the artist’s recognizable impressionist style, but records supported that the painting had once been displayed and had since been lost.
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Jackson Pollock In A Thrift Shop
Retired truck driver Teri Horton bought a painting she didn’t like from a thrift shop. In 1991, she paid $5 for what she intended to be a gag gift to a friend.
Ms. Horton’s pal didn’t like the piece either so she tried to sell it at a garage sale. That’s when it was spotted by an art teacher who said it might be a Jackson Pollock. Ms. Horton’s down-to-earth response was, Who the #$%& is Jackson Pollock? That became the title of a documentary about her story.
Some art experts said the 66-by-48 inch painting was the real deal, others said it was a knock-off, citing the lack of history or a signature.
By 2008, Teri Horton was tired of dealing with American galleries so she shipped the painting to Toronto where it was offered for sale at $50 million. She told the Canadian Broadcasting CorporationDo I personally think it’s worth ? Hell no. It’s worth the $5 I gave for it. It’s ugly.
Apparently, Canadian art connoisseurs agreed with her and the painting went back, unsold, to Costa Mesa, California, where she lived.
How To Appraise A Painting And Identify The Artist
“The Dancers” Edgar Degas, about 1899. Pastel on paper.
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Rumored To Be Destroyed Or Lost
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To Kill A Mockingbird
Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, but it’s often considered a modern classic. Instead of looking for a first edition, first printing, look for later printings that are still worth a decent price. For example, a first edition 7th printing can be worth up to $475.
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Jackson Pollock In A Garage
Four centuries after Caravaggio was turning out masterpieces, we find American abstract impressionist Jackson Pollock splashing dollops of paint onto his canvasses. His works are worth a small fortune .
In 2015, a Scottsdale, Arizona, man was getting ready to tidy up his property and move into a retirement home. In his garage was a collection of odds and ends that had belonged to his half-sister, including a Los Angeles Lakers poster signed by Kobe Bryant. Thinking it might be worth a bit, the man called in an auctioneer for an appraisal. Disappointment followed when the poster was valued at $300, but the appraiser, Josh Levine, noticed something else in the garage a painting that looked a lot like a Jackson Pollock.
When a valuable painting is discovered, it’s important to track down its provenance. Investigations revealed that the Scottsdale man’s half-sister was Jenifer Gordon Cosgriff, a New York socialite who circulated in the east coast modern art scene of the 1950s.
Pollock was prominent in that group, so it’s plausible that’s how Ms. Cosgriff came to own one of his paintings. Further forensic examination determined the artwork was very likely a Jackson Pollock.
But, there’s a twist in the tale. The painting was scheduled to go on sale in June 2017, with bidding to start at $5 million. But then, the auction was postponed and no word has emerged of if it will ever be held.
What Is An Etching And Are They Valuable
Etching is a specialised form of print-making. A metal plate is first given an acid-resistant coating. An image is then scratched into this coating using needles, and the plate is submerged into an acid bath. The coating resists the acid except where the image has been scored through. The acid is able to eat the metal in the scratched-out areas, leaving behind a roughened surface. The plate can then be inked up and pressed onto damp paper, which will draw the ink out of the indentations left by the acid.
Etchings have been around since the 16th century, and many famous artists, including Goya and Rembrandt, have experimented with this art form. Because they tend to be produced by the artist himself rather than by an engraver or print studio, etchings are often more highly sought-after. Etchings are considered to be works of art in their own right and attract higher prices than prints.
Resale Tip
Just as with any other piece of art that you may try to sell, it is very important to retain the original frame unless specifically advised to do otherwise.
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s monogram. Courtesy of Wiki Commons
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A Very Valuable Diamond
It was cold weather that drew Beth Feeback into a North Carolina Goodwill store in 2012. She stopped to buy a blanket on the way to an art show where she planned to sell her own work.
At the shop, she happened to notice a few paintings selling for $10 each and purchased them, thinking she’d paint over the large canvases. But a friend recommended that she do some research first.
When Feeback finally got around to doing that months later, she was surprised to learn that one of the works was Vertical Diamond by 20th-century abstract artist Ilya Bolotowsky. The painting eventually sold for $34,375.
Interchange By Willem De Kooning
| Artist of Painting | |
| Price Paid for Painting | $328 million |
Willem de Kooning, the Dutch-American painter, created this famous work of Abstract Expressionism in 1955. Considered to be Americas first modern art movement, Abstract Expressionism was pioneered by artists such as de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. Interchange marks a shift in subject matter for the artist, who went from painting women to painting abstract urban landscapes.
Franz Kline was influential in getting de Kooning to change his technique from using often violent brush strokes to rapid and gestural movements. The focal point of the painting is the large mass which is centered in the composition and pink in color. It represents a woman reclining. In September of 2015, Kenneth C. Griffin acquired the oil painting for $300 million from the David Geffen Foundation.
At the time of its sale, it was the most expensive painting around the globe.
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Billy The Kid’s Photobomb
Randy Guijarro was looking through boxes at a Fresno, California, curio shop in 2010 when he discovered old tintype photographs that he bought for $1 apiece. The more he looked at one of them, the more he recognized one of the figures.
Upon doing some research, Guijarro discovered his hunch was correct and that the figure playing croquet was indeed the famous outlaw Billy the Kid. The other men in the photo were members of Billy’s gang.
One of the only two authenticated pictures of Billy the Kid in existence, it’s been appraised for $5 million.
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone
When J. K. Rowling’s first hit book was published in the U.S. in 1998, the title was changed from the Philosopher’s Stone to the Sorcerer’s Stone. If you can find a first edition first printing of the popular Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, it could earn you between $4,000 and $6,500. Hardcover versions and those signed by J. K. Rowling are worth more. Other books from the Harry Potter series are also worth thousands of dollars, especially later books signed by the author.
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The Concert By Vermeer
This is the second most expensive painting that has gone missing and was a part of a major art heist that left the world calling for vengeance. This was painted sometime in the 1660s and was at the midpoint of Vermeer’s career. He died young, so his works are less plentiful then other artists of his day, but it is also the reason for the high price tag. The profoundness of this image is what draws people in and makes them feel something, which is another reason why the art community hopes to see its return.
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How To Find Antiques And Collectibles At Charity Shops And Garage Sales
Get yourself a good Carters antiques price guide
Rare Vintage books are not too hard to find
First Edition dr. Zeuss kids book
Inside cover signed by dr. Zeuss
An early first edition comic- very rare
Look for rare and valuable paintings like this Van Gogh
Old Movie posters can be really valuable
Old vintage records are not too hard to find
Look out for 1950s/1960’s board games
The original Star Wars figurines are worth a packet
Toy robots from the 1960s are now very sought after
Look for old tin toys hopefully in their original box
1966 Batmobile by Matchbox toys
Old valuable dolls can be found
A Steif German Teddy Bear
Clarice Cliffe ceramics from london are very rare and valuable as well as colorful
Depression glass is relatively easy to find
Valuable jewellery is almost impossible to find
Quite often you will find vintage guitars, they can be worth a mint
Pianos turn up quite often
Brass instruments need to be well researched
Vietnam War memorabelia is sort after
Nazi collectibles sell well
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