Buying Paintings From Auctions Buying Paintings From Galleries Buying Paintings Online Identifying Mass Produced Art Original Paintings versus Prints and a lot more

Here are some extracts from the report.

"...Another good reason for buying art through auctions is keeping its resale option. It will be very hard or even impossible to persuade an auctioneer to accept your article for a sale in his room, if you acquired it in a gallery with no previous auction sale history..."

IMPORTANT!!! "For a new and inexperienced art collector or for somebody who just wants to decorate the interior of his house with paintings it is rather difficult to understand what the concept of the original oil stands for. It has become a wide spread practice to call almost everything, which can be hung on the wall 'original art'. Shops display hundreds of poorly executed mass produced pictures with tags bearing 'original oil painting' on them. Usually what this means is the following - a group of apprentices get together to combine their efforts in reproducing a certain visual image. Their work resembles a conveyer belt, which in fact it is. With the help of a projector the image is transferred to a cheap canvas. Then every participant does their part by adding a few strokes to the picture. The whole process takes a few minutes - and a creation is ready to be dispatched. The technique may vary, but the essence stays - cheap, fast and affordable. Thus thousands of these 'original oils' flood the shops, auctions and even some art galleries..."

"...Another phenomenon, which threatens an art collector, is the invention of sophisticated technology to produce prints. At present it is sometimes not so simple even for a gallery owner to distinguish between a print and an original work of art. Nowadays a print of an oil painting in a nice frame would look exactly like an original, even showing different oil textures as well as bold brush strokes and different layers of paint..."

"...It is an accepted practice in art sales to fix a reserve price 10% of the lowest estimate. If the lot remains unsold you have a further chance of approaching the sales department and asking them to purchase the picture after the sale. Offer them the amount you are willing to pay and they will negotiate with the vendor on your behalf. In most cases this proves very effective and you will become a proud owner of the painting. They will not do it, unless you ask for it..."

"...Bear in mind that your bid does not need to be high. It may be lower than the lowest estimate given by the auctioneer in the catalogue. For example ESTIMATE $200-$300. Your bid $180..."

"...As most of auctioneers subscribe to Artprice.com they check the track record of any artists at least 10 years back. Their estimate of a painting will be based on the previously achieved results..."

"...If you feel uncomfortable bidding live you can always leave a "commission bid" on the telephone. What you have to do then is to work out the amount of money you are prepared to pay. Do not forget the buyer's premium 10%-20% which the auctioneer will add on top of your bid, if you happen to be a successful bidder..."

"...When buying online (as anywhere else) inquire about the provenance of the item. Provenance is very important for establishing the authentic nature of the picture, as well as tracing back its history..."