User:ArtGuy21

ArtGuy21 is a crafted assessor with an unlimited knowledge of Valuable Fine Art spiraling down to your common Local Artist of today, yesterday, and tomorrow. I am keen with world and United States Note and Coin numismatics, as well as Comics Ranging From Modern to Golden Age and Action Figures alike. Antiques of all sorts can be weighed and valued by ArtGuy21 and questions of Appraisal or Not? Can be answered. Is it worth your time and money to find out fair market or insurance value on a work of art or antique? That in itself is a great question, so for the small fee of Nothing! I can be shown and asked my opinion about a certain piece simply because I enjoy doing it and have the long ranging knowledge to do so.

Qualifications: I can say this with ease as most cannot, even those with all the credentials of a Christies or Sothebys assessors or appraiser and diplomas in art history and art buisness, I have actually worked the field and know trends and patterns others may not see coming. "They know the market, but I know it better."

I worked in coins and notes from an extremely young age, moved on through collectibles onto antiques and one day found myself in a museum starring at a Corot oil painting. I wanted to know what type of canvas it was painted on, who made the frame, what kind of nails were used to assemble it? Did the artist make or buy the paint and if so how did he make it or from what company sold him the paint? Who was Corot's teacher and how did he learn to paint with such detail as if I was starring through the lens of a camera? Who sold this painting originally and how did it end up here in front of me and thousands of others who had walked by it? Could I possibly own a painting like this one day? I wanted not just the paintings provenance but the story of the artists life. I became obsessed. Working with coins and antiques for so long grew tiring and so I almost completely shifted my business to Art! Strictly Art. Buying up and selling everything I loved so much. Statues, paintings, bases and frames. That was me. But as my art history lesson from old masters to modern came to an end and I had bought and sold thousands of pieces of art, I came to a realization, This market is really hard if you're trying to get into it. Most art sales are based on eye appeal and auction sale. And prices change like the stock market because that is exactly what it is. Billionaires working together buying up certain artists, making their own prices up, competing with each other on what name holds its weight in gold, buying low and selling high. It's the last legal form of insider trading alive. But besides all that their are a couple truths to be known for a small time art dealer trying to make it big.
 * 1) There is a Difference between Antique art and Famous Art.
 * 2) Don't be afraid to be let down. If your trying to succeed "you're gonna get burned" a few times maybe even for a big sum of cash. Just learn from what you did wrong and move on. I have personally bought amazing forgeries with an amazing provenance. Insure before you buy something huge.
 * 3) Know who you're buying from if it's expensive, most big name auction houses sell "as is" unless you got the cash to lose try and stray from "as is"
 * 4) Provenance. Wow, it's worth more than the piece of art you're buying. Remember that.
 * 5) And, you guessed it... If it's too good to be true... It's Probably not true. Probably. But you never know, you're worthless painting today could be worth something tomorrow. Unless its a forgery that was forged by and UNFAMOUS Forger. Yes, It's complicated, I know.
 * 6) What artist am I looking for? Now this is from personal experience so please don't be offended by my answer but besides the artists natural ability to create, most, artists who sell for the big bucks are either tragic characters, gay, Jewish, fighting addiction in their personal lives, or all of the above. Sorry but it seems to be a trend.
 * 7) There is a difference between a well known artist and a Famous artist.
 * 8) There is a difference between RARE and TOO RARE. Rare is Not always going to work out in your favor.
 * 9) If you have already bought a work of art with a "seedy past" or provenance, DO NOT ship it overseas to that artists foundation to be recognized. You'll Never get it back. Only send pictures, tons of pictures, and an extremely well documented description of the piece in question. Even if they personally tell you they believe it is real and would love to examine it. DO NOT. Especially Russia (aka) Chagall or  Swiss (aka) Giacometti or Picasso or Caravaggio, like come on if you found a questionable Caravaggio painting at an Estate Sale in South Carolina. It's NOT Caravaggio nor is it an apprentice of Caravaggio's apprentice's apprentice. Its just too much of a long shot. 99% of these extremely famous artist works are documented and are NOT lost, they're in museums or owned by rich private collectors. And just for the sake of entertainment lets say you actually found a REAL... Van Gogh painting, at a yard sale in England. Try to Prove it! Proving it's real cost 10's of thousands of dollars and up and up. It's harder proving it than finding it honestly.
 * 10) Fast Cash in Art comes from Unsigned Antique Art, Antique Art, Good Art, and Well-Known Artist with a good provenance. That's how you stay above water in this game.
 * 11) Any other questions about ART or antiques or coins, comics, action figures, and rarities, just ask. I enjoy it.