Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bagu
When a person has something old be it a painting, clock, furniture, whatever, pass it down to the most interested Grandchild as a heirloom for future generations to admire it being from a past relative.......afterall MEMORIES are PRICELESS.
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Yup. Usually more than the art, but not always.
It helps a lot if a fmaily member stops and thinks about the family and the art owner before he does anything further.
Some good questions:
-Has the family ever been comfortably well off to wealthy in the past. If so, how far back in the past? Is the family still relatively prosperous?
- Does the family have a dedicated collector in the family tree? If so, what was collected?
- Does the family have a tradition of keeping stuff and passing it on to following generations? If so, what is kept?
- Does the family have an artist in it's family tree? If so, was the member professional or amateur?
- Does the family have a continuing interest in the arts? If so, which art? Were there any professional musicians, dancers, actors, orators, writers, or organization leaders in the past?
There are many more than can be asked. Once a person asks some questions like this, some things become pretty obvious.
A family that has generally been poor to middle class does not commonly spend money on art. If they collect anything, the objects usually have some practical purpose, even if they are artistic.
A family with one collector may have a painting worth some money. Collectors very often buy or swap a piece outside of their area of interest, so they can have something to offer when an interesting piece does come along.
If a family tends to hang on to its stuff and passes it down, there's a good chance a painting may have some value. It depends on circumstances and other things. If a family tends to get rid of Grandpa's stuff, it's doubtful any art will be worth much.
Ancestors who were active in the arts often end up with some paintings, even if art was not where they were active. Professional musicians, for example, can end up with original paintings that were done for advertising printing. Dancers sometimes pose for painters, etc.
An artist in the family tree, even if they are only dedicated amateurs, often end up with a painting of some value. Much depends on location, area population, time period, personal associations, etc.
Art appreciation runs in family trees. Art as an occupation does, too. Both are pretty safe bets whatever art is passed down is pretty good.
But there's always the salesman who gets art instead of money, a maid who is rewarded for good and long service, a long-deceased thief who was too afraid of getting caught to peddle what he stole, and the everyday Joe who fishes out a nice looking painting out of a garbage can on the way to work.
If a painting has a colorful family story surrounding it, it may be valuable, but the story is often incorrect and very inflated in some way.
Odds are if Grandpa liked to go hunting, played poker with the boys and worked at a hard physical job as an employee, whatever picture that was hanging on his wall is a print Grandma bought at a furniture store to decorate a wall.
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Hiring a bona fide Fine Art Appraiser is expensive. My recommendation is if a person has art they enjoy, hang it where it can be appreciated and don't be concerned with what it's worth, which is probably not much.
