Expert: J Heuman - 10/28/2004

Question
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Followup To
Question - My wife and I live in the Adirondacks in New York State.  We will be going to New York City in two weeks.  Can you suggust a reliable appraisor?
I know I have an original Utrillo painting.  My father two years ago, now deceased told me that it is an original oil/canvas.

Problem/  it is signed Massa    not Utrillo.  Dad said that Utrilo often signed his paintings using a different name!.

Please advise.

Thank You

Art Gottlieb
Answer -
Greetings Art:

All images of paintnigs by Utrillo I have seen show an inscription in the lower right corner (usually) that reads "Maurice Utrillo V."  The V. is short for "Valadon," last name of his mother, Suzanne, also a painter (and, BTW, model for Manet's Olympia).

[For a large selection of paintings by Utrillo - most with signatures - see:
www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/utrillo_maurice.html.  However, in addition to this online access, I have a few books with detailed reproductions of paintings by Utrillo.]

It appears there was a painter named "F. Massa" and a few others.  And Massa is a city in Tuscany, just 4 kilometers south of Carrara, in Italy . . .

So a question to ponder:
Does the subject of the painting in your possession match the typical subject matter of Utrillo?

[A reliable appraiser can authenticate the painting, whether it's by Utrillo, Massa, or someone else.]

Best wishes, sincerely,
J Heuman

Answer
Greetings Art:

I am sure it is an original oil on canvas.  That it is by Utrillo seems doubtful without his standard signature: "Maurice Utrillo V."

For a reliable appraiser, I suggest visiting:

American Society of Appraisers
http://www.appraisers.org/

OR

Appraisers Association of America
http://www.appraisersassoc.org/

OR

American Association of Independent Appraisers
http://www.aaia.com/

[I would never recommend a specific individual without knowing them and their abilities first-hand, for fear of breech of ethics and liability.]

Best wishes, sincerely,
J Heuman