Posted on 06/12/2006 10:12:31 AM PDT by Frapster
I was shopping at Goodwill (don't ask) and found a painting (watercolor) that was very nicely framed and matted. I needed a new painting for my wall but didn't want some cheap print - so I examined it to see if there were 'dots' from the printing process and there were none. I was confident this was a hand-crafted work. As I was examining it a woman approached me - she had been looking at it and wondered whether it was original as well. I told her what I knew and she then informed me there was a second painting back on the rack. She showed me where it was and sure enough - there was another painting identically framed and matted. Stylistically they were identical although they were different subject matters.
I bought them both for $40.
They are signed 'Luigini'. I did some research and there is a Paris artist who lived from 1840 to 1928 and his paintings are identical to the style of what I have. While the signatures and location of the signatures are typical of his paintings mine are slightly different from what I've been able to see of his signatures from images on the Net. His paintings sell from $150 to $900.
My question for you all is are there any knowledgable freepers out there who can speak to the collectibility of Luigini's paintings? More importantly can anyone help me identify them as Luigini's paintings? The signature that I've found on the Internet doesn't match what I see on these paintings completely. I'll post pictures tonight.
I'd start here.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/
There are some people on the forum who ping for art threads, not sure who :~)
Ping to an expert.
You probably do have an original watercolor from this painter. You can take it to any art dealer and he'll tell you if it's hand-painted, but it probably is.
This painter isn't well enough known to have people doing lots of reproductions of his work. That's a good sign.
Goodwill and other thrift stores often have original paintings in the store,, but you have to be there when they arrive, since someone snatches them up if they're attractive.
Is this artist collectible? Sure...why not? But, you'll probably never see another one. Someone bought those two years ago, either at a gallery or on a trip to Italy. They liked the pictures, paid little for them, and enjoyed them. Then they died, or moved into a nursing home, and the paintings went to Goodwill. It's an old story.
Now you have them. If you like the subjects, and they're well-painted, hang them on your wall, but put a little paper label on the back of them, explaining that they're original watercolors and shouldn't be donated to a thrift store when you're gone. A few decades down the road, and they'll probably appreciate some more.
You won't get rich buying paintings at Goodwill, but I've made a few thousand dollars doing it, then selling them on eBay.
You do have to visit your thrift shops frequently, though, and you may buy some junk, too. But, it's fun.
This is a FR antiques roadshow :~)
Can you take a photo and post a picture of them? I'd like to see them.
This was a happy accident and you're right - it is fun. I'm afraid I'm hooked.
I'll post pictures tonight after I return home.
> ... so I examined it to see if there were 'dots'
> from the printing process ...
We are now past the time where commercial halftone dots,
and inkjet droplet dots, are necessarily visible.
Personally, I avoid buying stuff I personally can't
authenticate, like diamonds, but also aftermarket prints
and ostensible originals.
If you like the art & the price, there's no real problem
with buying a "can't tell it's a copy" work, unless it's
inkjet using older dyes that aren't stable in UV.
Another great source for collectible art are the arts and crafts fairs that go through town once or twice a year. I've acquired three beautifully framed European watercolors that way. I think I paid up to $150 for each of them, but they are far more beautiful than any printshop repro to me.
I'm a graphic artist and have been doing print work for the past 16 or so years. Even in the age of continuous tone digital printers there are still artifacts that digital/mechanical printing processes leave behind that betray a reproduction. I actually bought the painting because of the fact that I could tell if I rubbed the signature it would have smeared to some extent. I of course did not touch it - but I know pencil markings when I see them. Plus there were many other signs that this was hand produced - you could see where the edges had been taped (masked) and there were indentations around the perimiter of the paper that indicated this had been painted while affixed to something rather firmly (if not a product of the drying process and keeping it stretched). I'm no expert - not by any stretch of the imagination but I think this is an original. Plus- i'm out $40 at worse. :-)
AAM...You may be able to help.
But this artist doesn't sound like he's worth forging - so these are probably real.
I see that Republicanprofessor has already been pinged. She is the expert, being an art historian.
A quick Google shows some attractive images by this artist, I like his work - he is at least well enough known that you can buy prints of his stuff over the internet, so I think you done good, Frapster!
I've never tried to collect art, but I have the idea that while the work of some artists of the past is worth any number you could name, the work of others which seems equally good is worth real money, but brings no more than that of comtemporary artists who have small but solid followings. That's nothing to sneeze at of course, but I sometimes wonder at the rather massive disparity. Castles in the air, I guess.
The biggest issue I have is that the signatures have some variance between what I have and what I see at the Sanfrancisco Museum of Fine Art's website. They have one of Mr. Luigini's paintings on display... well... at least on their site. However, the style in that painting is identical... particularly the way the people are represented.
I am a watercolor artist. One way to check is the paper itself. Watercolorists usually use a 140 to 300 lb handmade paper from Arches or some other paper maker. If the paper is thin and smooth, then it is probably a giclee' (inkjet) digital print. Another way to tell is to look for pencil guidelines and if you see one, gently try to erase a little piece of it with a kneaded eraser. If it erases, it is real.
I always wonder the same thing... Values on this stuff are all over the board, and some of most valuable, I would never want in my house, while a quaint print that I love may be worth nothing.
"I've never tried to collect art, but I have the idea that while the work of some artists of the past is worth any number you could name, the work of others which seems equally good is worth real money, but brings no more than that of comtemporary artists who have small but solid followings. "
The value of works by a particular artist is an odd equation. While a few artists, from the past and present alike, command enormous prices for their paintings, others, who may seem equally talented, bring what seems like pocket change.
Here's the tricky part. An artist whose paintings are not particularly highly valued today may be highly valued a few decades down the road. How do you know which ones? You don't, really.
If you're buying contemporary artists, just buy what you like. You'll enjoy it on your walls, and it just might increase in value over the years. If you're buying old paintings, again, buy what you like. You can't compete with the auction houses, but you can own some interesting things.
Me? I collect oddball impressionist artists from the USA. Most are names that are essentially unrecognized, and they painted in the teens, 20's and 30's. I like them. I hang them in my house. Will they increase in value? Who knows? They could, though, and it can happen very quickly and surprisingly. It doesn't matter to me, though. I just like the images and spend some time researching the artists, although it can be tough.
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