Art appraisal and marketplace
January 25, 2024 1:56 PM Subscribe
I recently discovered that a lovely wall hanging I found is an Evelyn Ackerman
I am wondering if the smart folks here can recommend online sources for an appraisal, and then for putting the piece up for sale (its not exactly my style) as I consider firstdibs and/or artsy? other suggestions for appraisers and online marketplaces?
I am wondering if the smart folks here can recommend online sources for an appraisal, and then for putting the piece up for sale (its not exactly my style) as I consider firstdibs and/or artsy? other suggestions for appraisers and online marketplaces?
Damn, no picture?! I love Ackerman's work.
Anyway, you should contact an expert on California design.
Two dealers come to mind:
Steve of Esoteric Survey
Jason at Den Los Angeles
And this auction house:
Los Angeles Modern Auction (LAMA)
posted by mullacc at 3:04 PM on January 25 [4 favorites]
Anyway, you should contact an expert on California design.
Two dealers come to mind:
Steve of Esoteric Survey
Jason at Den Los Angeles
And this auction house:
Los Angeles Modern Auction (LAMA)
posted by mullacc at 3:04 PM on January 25 [4 favorites]
If you feel like doing it yourself, you can pony up for a one-time membership to artnet, they have auction records for many artists across many houses. I think it's $30 for three days. Or, as mentioned, any dealer will give you a moderately accurate estimate for free. You will probably get a better (in the sense of more accurate and also higher) estimate from someone who works regularly with work by that artist. Sometimes that means going to one of the Amalgamated Art, Inc. dealers, across the country from where the artist lived or worked. Luckily for you, post pandemic it is considered normal to make these appraisals from photos, though obviously that comes with caveats.
posted by wnissen at 3:08 PM on January 25
posted by wnissen at 3:08 PM on January 25
Some of the major auctioneers run periodic furniture and design oriented sales.
Phillips, for example, has a design department and you can get a contact email for a design specialist. Same at the other ones. Bonhams and Clars also do this, although they may yield lesser prices as they have a less rarefied market than the "big" ones (Christies, Phillips and Sothebys).
I don't know the Ackermans well, but if they have a track record at all, the major art and auction databases will have price info. If you don't want to subscribe, you can get a basic idea by seeing if any comparable works are currently for sale on Artnet, Artsy, and Liveart.io. There are also design and furniture specialists like 1stdibs.com, who are listing ackerman works (past sales or available). I just saw several Ackermans listed on 1stdibs.com....
Of course, you'll have to have a sense how special and valuable your piece is. If you don't know, one of their specialists can help you. Maybe if you look up mid-century dealers/galleries near you? I know there will be some in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, LA. There's even a couple in Vancouver.
As a last resort, and a small joke, is Antiques Roadshow coming to a neighbourhood near you?
posted by Bigbootay. Tay! Tay! Blam! Aargh... at 7:07 PM on January 25
Phillips, for example, has a design department and you can get a contact email for a design specialist. Same at the other ones. Bonhams and Clars also do this, although they may yield lesser prices as they have a less rarefied market than the "big" ones (Christies, Phillips and Sothebys).
I don't know the Ackermans well, but if they have a track record at all, the major art and auction databases will have price info. If you don't want to subscribe, you can get a basic idea by seeing if any comparable works are currently for sale on Artnet, Artsy, and Liveart.io. There are also design and furniture specialists like 1stdibs.com, who are listing ackerman works (past sales or available). I just saw several Ackermans listed on 1stdibs.com....
Of course, you'll have to have a sense how special and valuable your piece is. If you don't know, one of their specialists can help you. Maybe if you look up mid-century dealers/galleries near you? I know there will be some in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, LA. There's even a couple in Vancouver.
As a last resort, and a small joke, is Antiques Roadshow coming to a neighbourhood near you?
posted by Bigbootay. Tay! Tay! Blam! Aargh... at 7:07 PM on January 25
Best answer: I have had great experiences having items and appraised and then auctioned by Clars, on in the bay area. I've gone to the Oakland location, but I think they might also have a spot in SF. They will recommend a specialist if needed, but I overall found that they're a great resource.
posted by Molasses808 at 7:47 PM on January 25
posted by Molasses808 at 7:47 PM on January 25
Response by poster: oh wow - so many good responses. thank you!
I found this magnificent piece at an estate sale in Minneapolis 10 years ago... an oddly beautiful Arbole: https://www.dropbox.com/t/MITP4unNjohGql90
posted by specialk420 at 9:10 PM on January 25 [3 favorites]
I found this magnificent piece at an estate sale in Minneapolis 10 years ago... an oddly beautiful Arbole: https://www.dropbox.com/t/MITP4unNjohGql90
posted by specialk420 at 9:10 PM on January 25 [3 favorites]
I help people with this kind of thing for work :) A few thoughts:
- If your main goal is to sell the piece, I agree with the posters above that your best bet would be to approach an auction house design department rather than a third party appraiser. An appraisal will cost money, and at most will really just provide you with peace of mind that the auction estimates are reasonable. Auction houses know their markets and will price the piece to sell most advantageously. If you get competing opinions from 2-3, you will be able to verify if they're in line with each other.
- I do have access to artnet and see that recent sales of Ackerman's tapestries have generally sold in the range of $1,000-$3,000 in the past year. These are mostly through secondary auction houses - e.g. not Sotheby's and Christies etc. For example, here's an Ackerman from a sale just yesterday, estimated between $1,500-$2,500 at Wright Auctions. Wright has had multiple successful sales of Ackerman's pieces in the past couple of years and offers free evaluations as many auction houses do.
- Other auction houses that have sold these tapestries recently: Abell, Hindman, LAMA, Billings, and Clars as Molasses808 mentioned above.
- You might find potential dealers to work through for private sale through 1stdibs or Artsy, just be aware that it's difficult and uncommon for an individual selling just one piece to have success with those platforms. They are typically used by dealers/retailers with established markets, and the price you see on line does not guarantee that the work will actually sell for that amount. If you want to sell it yourself, I'd probably recommend somewhere like Etsy, Ebay, or Chairish!
Feel free to send me a memail if you have any questions.
posted by rabbitbookworm at 6:56 AM on January 26 [1 favorite]
- If your main goal is to sell the piece, I agree with the posters above that your best bet would be to approach an auction house design department rather than a third party appraiser. An appraisal will cost money, and at most will really just provide you with peace of mind that the auction estimates are reasonable. Auction houses know their markets and will price the piece to sell most advantageously. If you get competing opinions from 2-3, you will be able to verify if they're in line with each other.
- I do have access to artnet and see that recent sales of Ackerman's tapestries have generally sold in the range of $1,000-$3,000 in the past year. These are mostly through secondary auction houses - e.g. not Sotheby's and Christies etc. For example, here's an Ackerman from a sale just yesterday, estimated between $1,500-$2,500 at Wright Auctions. Wright has had multiple successful sales of Ackerman's pieces in the past couple of years and offers free evaluations as many auction houses do.
- Other auction houses that have sold these tapestries recently: Abell, Hindman, LAMA, Billings, and Clars as Molasses808 mentioned above.
- You might find potential dealers to work through for private sale through 1stdibs or Artsy, just be aware that it's difficult and uncommon for an individual selling just one piece to have success with those platforms. They are typically used by dealers/retailers with established markets, and the price you see on line does not guarantee that the work will actually sell for that amount. If you want to sell it yourself, I'd probably recommend somewhere like Etsy, Ebay, or Chairish!
Feel free to send me a memail if you have any questions.
posted by rabbitbookworm at 6:56 AM on January 26 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks @rabbitbookworm - Ill be in touch.
posted by specialk420 at 11:23 AM on January 26
posted by specialk420 at 11:23 AM on January 26
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I'm not sure if it's in person or online, but since you're in SF I'm pretty sure they have local offices. Try Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonham's, etc.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:39 PM on January 25 [1 favorite]