Art Buying 101, Tips and Know How

Don't end up with a fake or poor quality.

ACCOLADE ARTS Sells art from the approved publisher of the art. If the item is stated as signed by the author, the a COA (Certificate of authenticity) is provided by the approved estate publisher who has obtained exclusivity.

The 101

Is it real?  Is it approved?  Is it good quality? How Can You Really Tell?

Buying Fine Art on eBay can be tricky when determining whether the seller is really offering Authentic Fine Art.  As the buyer, you have to keep in mind that eBay is not proactive in protecting the buyers against sellers who are misrepresenting the art they are offering.  It is not an easy task, so buyer beware!

Below are some tips in avoiding "Fake Art"

Feedback is usually where buyers determine the sellers reputation and the quality of their products.  Reading the listing thoroughly is just as essential. Why? Some eBay Art Sellers don't provide full disclosure of the respective work being offered, which often times makes the item appear more appealing than it is after you examine it. Examples include Sellers offering hand signed prints, and don't show an image of the actual signature.  Another example are sellers who claim the art is signed, when all they mean is the original was signed, and that signature is copied in the reproduction.  This does not count as a genuinely signed print.  There was an art seller selling A.J. Casson prints a few years ago, that deliberately claimed the prints were signed when it was a copy over.

Publishers will pencil in their name, print title and artists name at the bottom of the print.  However, some art sellers will claim that the neatly penciled in name of the artist is an actual signature.  Measurements are also extremely important and some sellers will deliberately avoid giving measurements.  It is quite obvious why.

Disclosure of Origin.
Does the seller know and disclose the publisher.  Do they provide provenance for signed prints.  Sellers offering Canadian art, yet are located overseas.  Overseas sellers who offer Certificates Of Authenticity know that the COA is not legally binding in Canada or the U.S. making it worthless.  Open and Limited editions do not have to be accompanied with certificates.  Most will have a seal of some sort and/or the publishers name, as well as the print number if it is a limited edition.  Anyone can make a certificate.  Does the seller state that the offering is verifiable, encouraging you to verify with the publisher?

Make it a habit to check what else the seller has to offer.  Does art make up most of there inventory.  Do they reply to questions in a timely manner?  Quality over quantity.  Sellers who have large inventories are not anymore legitimate than those with smaller inventories.  With larger inventories, there is more to go wrong especially in the service department.

It's what's inside that counts.  If you are buying framed art, be sure that your attention is not diverted totally to the frame as this could lead to poor quality art prints due to the buyers neglect.  A print that is worth $2000 in a $400 frame is still worth $2000 to $2400.  Yet a $5 print in a $400 frame is only worth $5.

Finally, help the eBay community filter out sellers offering worthless art buy reporting suspicious activity or patterns.

Limited vs. Open Editions

There is no difference in quality between the 2 types.  Both must be either artist or estate approved to the publisher. A limited edition print is conceived be either the artist or estate to be printed in limited quantity.  A master printer (publisher) will then provide several proofs to the artist or estate for approval and only one emerges as the bon à tire (B.A.T) meaning "right to print".  The proof is then archived.  This does not mean that it will never be printed again.  The artist or estate may decide to print another set with different variables such as size or a Gicleé instead of a Lithograph next time around.

The same amount of quality and work goes into printing an open edition print, however they keep getting reproduced to meet supply and demand.  Open editions are not numbered.

COA’s and Provenance

A COA is not worth the paper it is printed on, unless it comes from a reputable art publisher. And should contain the following information.

• Publisher contact information
• Print Title
• Medium - Type of Print
• Size - Image area
• Edition - Number of prints issued and Number of artists proofs
• Artists Name
• Provenance - Ownership History or Publisher
• Publishing company authorized signature
• Value - Optional

A COA is not necessarily necessary to prove it's authenticity.  This is especially true if the print is not hand signed by the artist.  Any valid receipt, publishers seal on the print, bill of sale, or proof of purchase from either the artist themself or a confirmed and established dealer or agent of the artist will do. An appraisal from a recognized authority on the artist is also acceptable.  Just make sure that any documents disclosed are thos from qualified individuals.  Dealers such as Accolade Arts does not issued certificates unless they are from the publisher.

When in doubt, you should do some investigating.  You should attempt to contact the author of the COA if legitimacy seems questionable.  Do not accept any statement saying the art  is genuine unless it comes from a legitimate authority on the artist.

As mentioned before, Limited Editions do not have to be provided with a COA to prove it's genuine.  Accolade Arts sells many limited editions that are not signed by the artist.  Take Tom Thomson as an example.  He died in 1917 and no reproductions exist with his signature and the fact that the prints have the publishers’ markings is like having a COA.  Some publishers’ seals are embossed on the bottom of the print, which makes them difficult to see in photographs in the item description.  NAC uses several different seals such as NAC embossment.  Talisman & Loates Embossments, NAC gold seal, and last but not least the 1917 red seal of Tom Thomson. The Tom Thomson prints are printed by an estate approved publisher for all Group of Seven member artists.  There is no more living members of the group.

Keep the following information in mind and you will greatly reduced the risk