About Ben Mahmoud Expertise Questions regarding "the business of the arts (ie.artist/dealer relations).
Questions regarding the collecting of contemporary art.
Please keep in mind that I am not a professional appraiser, however, I can direct interested parties to sources of information.
Experience 40 years as professor of art, Northern Illinois University
Curator of University Art Collection (responsible for purchase and care).
Member of the board of directors, Illinois Arts Council.
Juror of many competitions.
See vitae: http://benmahmoud.com/resume.html
Publications Many conference proceedings.
"Advice to Young Artists in a Postmodern Era" with William Dunning, Syracuse University Press, 2000.
Education/Credentials MFA, Ohio University, 1960
Awards and Honors See vitae: http://http://benmahmoud.com/resume.html
Question I have 242/250 of the William R. Addison seriagraph "Hideaway," purchased by me from Merril Chase about 1968. Can you tell me what the current value should be for insurance purposes.
Answer I have made an exhaustive search of the internet for Willian R. Anderson. I have found nothing. This simply means that no gallery or museum has his name on their web page.
However, I must tell you that I know the Merril Chase Galleries in Chicago very well. I can tell you that the are not a member of the Art Dealers Association, and there is a reason for that. It is not because they did not wish to be a member. The feeling among Chicago artists is that the M/C Galleries dealt in very unsophisticated work. So much for the gallery, now the work.
An edition of 250 is a fairly large edition. This reduces its value. It does not matter what the number of the print is in the edition. You did not give the size of the work, and this is important in determining the value. There are no auction statistic on Addison, so there is no telling what the market price would be. In fact, the value is what the highest bid for the work would be. But the work has to be on the market in order to gain that information.
To answer your question directly, I would take the price you paid for the work, and maybe add a 30% increase in value. That would be a fair assessment. However, this is not a replacement cost. Should you wish to replace in case of loss or damage, you would have to pay the current prices. So, maybe you can figure what you paid for it, and then factor in the inflation since 1968. That would also be an acceptable price, I think.
I hope that I have been of some help in this matter.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
