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 an authentic Picasso etching from the Vollard Suite that is hand signed by
Picasso. This etching was produced in1933. The name of the etching is Sculptor
at Rest Reclining Model, and Sculpture. The question I have is what do you think
it is worth? I would love to sell it.
Answer Wow! That is one nice print. I know it well. I have seen most of the Vollard Suite, and each print is a prize.
Okay, you want to sell the work. Here is how you can determine its value and, at the same time, place the work in the right place in order to get the most money.
There are several really reputable auction houses. The staff can tell you what you can expect from the print. And, you will want to know what their commission will be. If it is, indeed, authentic, they will be happy to put the work on the auction block. I will name two auction houses that have top-rate reputations, and you can trust them. In addition, the sophisticated and moneyed buyers do look to these auction houses to find works for their collections. This is because they are very reliable and unflinchingly honest.
You will find, on this page, a link entitled, "How to sell." That will be very helpful to you. In the U.S. they have shops in New York and Los Angeles. You can contact the New York office at this address:
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10020
Tel: +1 212 636 2000
The next one is Sotheby's. This is another old-line, squeaky-clean auction house. Here is the link to their page that tells you how to sell.
Sotheby's has a presence in only New York City...but that is all one needs in this art world. Here is the address and phone number of their NY office:
1334 York Avenue at 72nd St
New York 10021
Tel: (212) 606-7000
I don't think that there would be a charge for an appraisal from either one of these places, if you place the work in their hands for auction. In my opinion, you will do better in these places than anywhere else I can think of.
Of course, if you live in or near NYC of Los Angeles, you can take the work to a major gallery. But make sure it is a substantial place. By this I mean it has been in existence for more than five years, and that is belongs to the city's gallery dealers association.
Of course, the gallery will take a commission. The last time I sold a work through a gallery, their commission was 20%. But that was a few years back. I can add that when a gallery sells a work by an artist that they represent, the commission they retain is 50%.
I don't know what Christie's or Sotheby's commission would be, but I am sure they would be happy to tell you.
Now, there is a service that allows you to examine past auction prices for similar works. But there is a fee. I think it is under $15 for 24 hours, but that would be all the time you would need. Here is the link to their Picasso site:
There are 1246 auction records for Picasso. You can, in fact, look at the list of Picasso's that have been auctioned, but you would have to subscribe to see the prices.
So, I hope that I have been of some help to you in this matter, and I wish you good luck.
