Improving your Connoisseurship of Prints: Knowledge will make you a better collector

One of the more exciting and varied types of pieces that I am called on to appraise, buy and sell for clients is prints.  This is a broad category.  So that we are on the same page, let’s start with some definitions.

Print Defined

A print is a piece of paper on which an image is imprinted from a matrix.  With the exception of monoprints, print matrixes are created to produce several copies of the same image.  The matrix is a piece of wood, stone or metal on which the original image is created. This image can be created by an individual artist, a craftsmen working under the direction of the artist / studio director or, by photographic transfer.   Generally, those prints which are produced by photomechanical means are considered reproduction prints and are not collectible.

Prints fall into three general categories, defined by the type of matrix from which they are pulled.  The categories are relief, intaglio and planographic.  

Relief: Woodcut, Linocut, Wood Engraving

In a relief print, the image is transferred from the raised surface of the matrix.  The artist cuts away what he or she doesn’t want printed.  If you think about the potato prints you may have done in art classes or the rubber stamps you have played with, you will get the picture.  Within this category are woodcuts, linocuts and wood engravings.  (See Fig. 1 above)

Intaglio: Engraving, Etching, Drypoint, Mezzotint, Aquatint

In an intaglio (pronounced ‘in-tall-e-o’) print, the lower surfaces, the recessed areas, are what transfer the image.  In this type of printmaking, the ink is applied across the plate, and the top surfaces are wiped clean. Damp paper is pulled through a high-impact press that forces the paper down into the recesses where the ink sits.  One easy way to spot an intaglio print is to look for the platemark, an indented outer edge left when the size of the plate is smaller than the size of the paper.  Within this category are engravings, etchings, drypoints, mezzotints and aquatints. (See Fig. 2 below)

Planographic Lithograph, Serigraph: Reproduction print methods (halftone, xerography, collotype, photo-offset lithography, giclee)

As the name implies, planographic prints are created “at the plane” or surface of the paper.   The matrix for a lithograph is a thick Bavarian limestone.  The image is drawn onto the stone with a waxy substance and is chemically set into the stone.  The stone is inked and paper laid on it and pressed.  A stone will be used for hundreds of different prints.  After an edition is pulled, the image is ground off and the stone is ready to be used again. (See Fig. 3)

A serigraph (also called silk screen) is created with a screen or series of screens that sit just above the paper.  Each screen has the shape the artist wants printed in one color open and the rest of the screen blocked.  The artist puts the ink on the screen and pushes it through with a squeegee. Serigraphy is additive.  Each new screen adds another color, until the artist’s concept is complete. (See Fig. 4)

Most reproduction prints are photomechanical and are technically planographic since the plates are flat.  Most are not collectible. These are photomechanical reproductions of an artist’s work done in another medium. They are printed in very high quantities and are sold cheaply.   There is, however, a small group of prints in this category that have become collectible because of the popularity of the artist.  Even though the editions are high, a secondary (resale) market does exist for a few artist’s prints.  Some of the names that spring to mind are G. Harvey, Bev Doolittle, Robert Bateman and Paul Calle. When you run across an offset print and wonder whether the artist is collectible, it is easy to check the name and see if he/she falls into this category.

Spotting Reproductions

You will take a huge step forward in your connoisseurship of prints by learning to spot reproduction prints.   There are basically two types, photomechanical offset lithographs and a printing method developed in the 1990’s commonly called gicleé.   The first is easy to spot, and the second is a lot trickier.   Offset printing was developed in the early part of the 20^th century.  This is the method of printing most high-volume, color printing that is done today.  The paper is usually flat, not much tooth, and somewhat glossy.   The image could be anything that can be photographed.   If the image looks like an oil but is on paper and is flat, you are looking at an offset print.   A simple tool, a jewelers’ loupe, will nail your identification.  Under magnification, you can see that these images are made up of a mechanical dot pattern of red, yellow, blue and black dots.   See Fig 5.

Gicleé is the latest addition to the printmaking methods.  It was developed as capacity for modern color ink-jet printers to print on larger, more varied surfaces combined with the increased memory capacity of computers. The added memory translates into the ability to transfer more pixels per square inch.  A pixel is basically a digital ‘image packet.’  When the pixel count per square inch is raised, the resolution of the image is raised.   In giclee printing, a digital image can be transferred directly from the computer’s memory onto whatever surface the inkjet printer can handle.  As the name inkjet implies, the color inks are blown directly onto the printing surface, producing a continuous tone similar to a photographic image.   In the mid-1990’s, these printers had developed the ability to print onto virtually any surface, metal, watercolor paper, canvas, etc.  Since the resolution is quite high on these prints, it can make them difficult for a novice to spot.   If you suspect from other clues that the piece might have been produced in the late 20^th century, you must consider the possibility of gicleé.  Currently, gicleé printing is being used by most publishers of art for office environments.  It is also being used by some photographers and by computer graphics artists to print their work.  These prints can be printed on demand, meaning they do not have to be released in editions.  They can be printed at many different sizes and on quite varied surfaces.

So, why no Fig. 6? When viewed under magnification, there is no dot pattern to spot on a Gicleé print.  The pattern is a granular, all-over tone that is very close to the look of a photograph and some other printmaking forms.  These will be difficult for a novice to spot.  If you suspect gicleé printmaking, have a good print appraiser take a look.

Prejudice against prints?

So, there are the basics.  Now, I would like to discuss an odd phenomenon that I have noticed in the market —a real prejudice against prints among some dealers and collectors.  Since I am a print enthusiast, I have always found this attitude puzzling.  However, I understand some of the reasons that people shy away from prints.

Here’s the short list of objections and my responses to them:

• An original painting is easy to spot and identify. Whether the painting turns out to be oil or acrylic, the value is not affected much by mis-identification of the medium.  But the term print is a broad category that covers everything from the collectible pieces on down to very inexpensive reproductions.  To say that an item is a print is only the beginning of categorizing the piece by its medium.   So, it takes more study time to properly identify prints.  Without some hands-on experience and a guide, many people are intimidated by prints.  It is true that becoming familiar with prints takes more time and study than other areas.  There are more mediums to become familiar with and be able to spot.  But, that’s also what makes the field intriguing.
• Prints have been produced for many purposes and many different price ranges over the years.  One of the market niches that has been filled by prints is that of the inexpensive decorative item for the home.  With the advent of photomechanical printmaking in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, vast quantities of the same image can be easily and inexpensively reproduced.  The number of these cheap prints available far exceeds the number of collectible prints on the market and leaves a potential serious collector with the seemingly daunting task of separating the good from the bad.    Yes, there are lots of cheap prints out on the market.   But, there are also some incredible, collectible prints being offered at all levels of the market.    Armed with knowledge, a savvy collector can pick up great prints in resale markets like estate sales, auctions and the like for a fraction of their retail value.
• Prints just aren’t worth enough money to bother with.  Paintings are where the money is.  This is a fallacy.   While it is true that when an artist works in more than one medium, the one-of-a-kind pieces will generally be priced higher than prints, the overall price range of prints is quite broad.   A good print from a young, local artist might start as low as a few hundred dollars.  On the other hand, a great print by a well-known master or contemporary artist might easily sell for $ 30,000-60,000, or more.

  

• Condition is a major factor in the value of a given print.  Paper-born artwork is generally more fragile than paintings on canvas or panel.   And, collectors of prints can be very particular about condition.  So, it is just easier to look elsewhere.  Condition is important.  Print collectors like pieces as close to original condition as possible.  But, some damage can be corrected or minimized by a good paper conservationist. 

So, should you start or continue to build your print collection?  Are these pieces going to appreciate or languish in the market?  The answer is that well-chosen prints that are taken care of can be wonderful pieces of art that give you pleasure for years and can also be great investments.  How can we overcome the reticence to collect prints?  The short answer is knowledge.  The more you know about a given art medium the more fascinating you will find it and the better a collector you will become.

 By Brenda Simonson-Mohle, ISA CAPP

What’s In A Name?

Although Juliet may have opined when speaking of her lover Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” For serious collectors and art lovers; name association is an important consideration.

• What you don’t know, can cost you.

When a new client calls to schedule an appraisal appointment, we ask them to tell us what they know about their collection and why an appraisal is being sought.  Of course, we want to know approximately how many pieces we will be examining so that we can schedule the right amount of time to do the inspections.  The other purpose of these questions is to get an initial idea about the style and quality of the art, at least from the owner’s perspective.  Many times our clients are savvy collectors who have developed their connoisseurship over years of buying and have lots of knowledge about the pieces they own.  Other times though, the calls come from new collectors or from those who have inherited items about which they have very little information.  In either case, the first step to valuation is proper identification.  We look at many factors—medium, size, condition, and date.  But among all the qualities that contribute to the value of a piece, attribution to a well known artist is the most important factor.  A beautiful unsigned still life painting might be valued at a few hundred dollars, but if it bears the name ‘Renoir’ or ‘Cezanne’ and can be legitimately attributed to one of those artists, the value might be over a million.

• Why is attribution such an important factor in value determination?

It was not always the case.  Prior to the Age of Enlightenment and the Renaissance, most artwork was produced by unknown craftsmen.  Signatures were rare.  When we encounter pieces from these early ages today, we judge them based on their own intrinsic qualities of beauty.  But the Renaissance brought with it an interest in the individual and the “cult of personality” that grew up around certain heroic artists who seemed much more talented than others of their generation. Rather than attempt to copy a prototype as closely as possible, artists began to develop their own recognizable styles.  And as the Renaissance brought higher education and more wealth to a wider group of people, the sources for patronage of the arts spread beyond the church and into the secular world.  When there was a growing and ever more diverse base of patrons, it was important for the artist to build his reputation in order to catch the attention of potential new clients.  One way of “advertising” the quality of one’s works was to sign completed pieces.  From the 18th C. forward, it became more and more commonplace for an artist to sign his pieces.

• The weight of a good signature.

Is there an actual boost to value for a signed painting over an unsigned one by the same artist?  All other elements being equal, a signed piece of art will usually be valued higher than a comparable unsigned piece by the same artist.  Collectors value signatures because the author is readily identifiable.  If there are many known pieces by a given artist that are signed, the assumption will be that he or she normally did sign finished work.  An unsigned piece, would therefore, be somewhat suspect.  However, not all signatures add value to a piece of art.  Some signatures are so illegible as to defy identification even after great amounts of research.  Some are quite legible but do not trace back to a known artist.  Almost every family can point to a grandmother, aunt or uncle who took some art classes and produced dozens of pieces, each lovingly and prominently signed.  In addition, almost every 20th C. painting imported from a Chinese reproduction sweatshop bears a prominent signature.  These apocryphal signatures are ‘westernized’ names that never trace to a known artist.  To a trained appraiser these have strong identifying features and are easy to spot. However, the collecting public might more easily be taken in by a “signed original,” and be very disappointed to learn that the signature does not automatically mean that one has a valuable piece of art.

• Is the signature authentic?

If a signature is to add value to a piece, it must first be judged legitimate itself.  One must be wary of a fake or facsimile signature that has been added at some time after production of the piece. Because of the questions of authenticity that a fake signature calls into question, once discovered, a fake signature will usually lower the value of an art piece.  Part of an appraiser’s job is to examine and assess the signature.  Does it appear to be the handwriting of a known artist?  Does the artwork style match the signature that is on it?  Has it been applied by hand or been added photo-mechanically?  In the case of an older canvas, does the signature appear to be integral with the painting or was it applied at some later date?  In the case of a bronze or other cast sculpture, was the signature cast into the piece?  Has the copyright run out on the sculpture making it legal for it to be re-cast with the signature intact?  All of these questions must be answered before the appraiser decides whether or not a signature is reliable.

• Trust but verify.

When one is considering a purchase of any piece of art, the level of attribution and the attendant guarantees, implied or written, should be taken into account.  Does the gallery or auction house stand behind the level of attribution?  What are the collector’s rights with regard to the authenticity of the piece?  One must first understand some fairly subtle wording that has specific meaning among art professionals but can sometimes be overlooked by collectors.  Good galleries should fully explain to a potential buyer what the terms “by,” “attributed to,” “after,” etc., mean. The invoice provided at the point of sale should specifically use terminology that defines the level of attribution. However, oftentimes it doesn’t.  As appraisers, we have seen many purchase invoices of unsigned paintings and drawings that are listed as follows: A Lovely Meadow (title) / 24 x 30” / Oil on canvas / John Smith (Artist’s name) / $10,000   Many times the frames of the painting or drawing have been fitted with a prominent brass nameplate boldly stating the artist’s name; other times the name is hand-painted onto the liner of the frame.  Now the piece might indeed be by the claimed artist or it may have no association with the artist at all.  Perhaps it is a legitimate but unsigned example.  Does the gallery guarantee the authenticity or is the nameplate there to lull an unsuspecting buyer into complacency about the authenticity of the piece?  How has this unsigned painting been traced back to the named artist? Who stands behind its authenticity?  These are legitimate questions that good dealers are happy to address with potential collectors.  If a collector feels that the dealer is not being forthright about answering some of his or her concerns in this area, it is time to work with a different dealer.

• Mind the details of description.

Auction houses have very specific rules about attribution.  Gratefully, these are all clearly laid out in the terms of sale that are printed in each catalog.  They vary somewhat from one auctioneer to another, but there is a good bit of overlap in the terminology.  A collector should read all terms of sale carefully before making a purchase at auction.  She/He should pay careful attention to the glossary of terms that sets out how the painting is being offered. (See inset glossary above). Auction houses can and do offer items for sale that range in association with a given artist from “by” the artist on down to a very loose association with the artist, like “style of.”  The way a piece is listed in the catalog is very specific and the buyer’s rights are limited when qualifying terms are listed beside the artist’s name.  Make sure you understand the terminology before bidding.  Look closely at the signature on the next work of art you are contemplating for purchase.  “Montague vs. Capulet” may not have held much importance for Juliet, but name attribution is a large consideration in the valuation of art.

By Brenda Simonson-Mohle Signet Art

2012: Looking Backward, Looking Forward

Auction Review- New Records Set in 2012

•Edvard Munch's pastel on board version of "The Scream" created in 1895 sold for $119.9 million at Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art Sale in May, making it the most expensive piece of art ever sold at auction. • Mark Rothko's 1961 "Orange, Red, Yellow" multi-form oil painting sold for $87 million at Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Art Sale in May.  Rothko's 1954 "No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue) sold at Sotheby's Contemporary Art Sale in November for $75.1 million. • "Sleeping Girl" by Roy Lichtenstein, part of a comic-inspired series done in 1964, sold at Sotheby's for $44.9 million.

• Francis Bacon's "Figure Reflected in a Mirror" and "Untitled (Pope)" both sold in 2012 for $44.9 million and $29.8 million respectively at Sotheby's. • A 1905 "Water Lilies" work by Claude Monet sold in Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Sale for $43.8 million.

• Franz Kline joined the ranks of other Abstract Expressionist big hitters when his "Untitled" work sold at Christie's for $40.4 million. • A 6-foot long bronze sculpture created in 1951 by the late British sculptor, Henry Moore, "Reclining Figure: Festival" went for $30.1 million at Christie's in London this past February.

• Wassily Kandinsky's 1909 oil painting "Study for Improvisation 8" was purchased at Christie's Impressionist and Modern Art Sale in November for $23 million. • Jean-Michel Basquiat's acrylic and oil stick on canvas, "Untitled" sold for $26.4 at Christie's. • The huge mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture by Jeff Koons titled "Tulips" sold for $33.7 million at Christie's.

• "Abstraktes Bild," a 1994 squeegee painting by Gerhard Richter and once owned by musician Eric Clapton, sold for $34.2 million at Sotheby's in October. • The late king of Pop-art, Andy Warhol, had two big sales in 2012.  His 1963 silver screen print "Double Elvis" sold for $37 million at Sotheby's and his 1962 screen print "Statue of Liberty" fetched $43.7 million at Christies. • A 1927 oil on canvas by Spanish artist Joan Miro, entitled "Peinture (Etolie Bleue)," brought $36.9 million at the Impressionist and Modern Art Sale at Sotheby's in June.

• A mixed media piece by French artist Yves Klein, made from natural sponges and rocks soaked in pink pigment and placed on board titled "The Pink of Blue," sold for $36.8 million at Christie's. • A rare 1951 drip painting on canvas by the well-known abstract expressionist, Jackson Pollock sold at Sotheby's this past November, bringing $40.4 million. • "The Lock" by John Constable, one in a series of six large-scale paintings of the Stour Valley in Suffolk, went for $35.2 million at Christie's Old Master and British Paintings Sale in London. • And the last notable sale of 2012 goes to Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, more notably known as Raphael.  The renaissance artist's drawing titled "Head of a Young Apostle," depicting one of the primary figures from his important work "Transfigurations," sold at Sotheby's for $47.8 million in December.

Damien Hirst- Peak then fall 2012 was supposed to be a great year for Damien Hirst, and it started out that way for the mega-artist.  He had a retrospective at the Tate Modern that coincided with the Olympics, and held a worldwide exhibition at all eleven Gogosian gallery locations to display all the spot paintings done over his entire career.  Things were going well.

Then Hirst opened a show of his newest creations at the White Cube Gallery in London.  And it was a bad idea.  The artist, who embraced the theories of conceptual art from the 1960s and the readymade concepts of Duchamp in his works with animal vitrines, colorful spot paintings, pharmaceuticals and diamond encrusted skulls, decided to become a still-life painter.  Hirst has admitted that he admires the masterful works of the past and wants to paint like those great painters before him.  But there is a small problem, Damien Hirst cannot paint; at least not as a realist.  His works are amateur at best.

Then in October, Hirst presented Ilfracombe, Devon in the UK with a monumental sculpture that has divided the community.  Though Hirst is no stranger to the shock factor and is used to getting gasps and causing waves with his works, the 65 foot tall "Verity" has largely been seen as a bad move; both for the artist and for the struggling harbor town.

Hirst announced in December that he would be leaving Gagosian after being with the gallery for 17 years, and, even for all his celebrity, his stock in the art market has experienced a dramatic down-turn.  Business week reports that, "according to data compiled by the firm Artnet, Hirst works acquired during his commercial peak, between 2005 and 2008, have since resold at an average loss of 30 percent. And that probably understates the decline—judging from the dropoff in sales volume, collectors aren’t bringing their big-ticket Hirsts to market. A third of the more than 1,700 Hirst pieces offered at auctions since 2009 have failed to sell at all—they’ve been “burned,” in the terminology of the art world."

For those who don't know the term "burned" in an auction setting, lets break it down.  In the art trade, it is often claimed when an advertised item goes unsold at an auction.  This means the work's future price and subsequent hopes for resale will be negatively affected.  With the auction records for the past ten years easily accessible by the public through online databases, works that do not sell or do not bring what they are estimated are considered "burned."

So, 2012 wasn't a good year for the well known British bad-boy.  But, he does have loyal fans and patrons, and he plays a huge role in the art world; he could certainly bounce back in 2013, especially if he stops with the still-life attempts.

Dallas Art Fair The fourth annual Dallas Art Fair came to the Fashion Industry Gallery this year and held over 75 prominent national galleries, international galleries and art dealers that displayed the best contemporary works from their collection.  Surface play was a constant trend throughout the galleries as artist's carefully considered the use of surface and how their pieces were experienced.  It was a great show and it really does better every year.  This year, along with the huge two-story gallery space, viewers were able to choose from ongoing demonstrations, panels and discussions, tours, a film festival and receptions.  To see our full review of the fair, see our blog post!

Great Museum shows We do our best to try and review all the exhibitions that come through the metroplex, but we can't hit them all; so many shows, so little time.  But there were some fantastic shows that came to our local museums in 2012.

The current show at the Amon Carter, "To See As Artists See: American Art from the Phillips Collection" definitely ranks as one of the top three of the year.  The show has over 100 works of American art that trace the history and evolution of modern art from 1850 into the 1960s.  The exhibition ends January 6th, so there is still time if you haven't seen it yet!

The Dallas Museum of Art's exhibition, "Youth & Beauty: Art of the American Twenties" was given a great review by the New York Times as over 130 works of art from 77 artists encapsulate the era following World War I; the Roaring Twenties. It was a great exhibition that showcased a dynamic time in our history.  The DMA also exhibited "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" for the first couple months of 2012.  The show was very unique, Gaultier said he doesn’t considered his designs to be art, that clothes were meant to be worn, but his global exhibition made waves as museums blurred the lines between fashion and art.

"Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series" just barely squeezed into 2012.  The exhibition at The Fort Worth Modern Museum ran from September 2011 through January 2012, and was the largest museum exhibition ever devoted to Richard Diebenkorn’s most celebrated works.  The wide assortment of works from The Ocean Park era are extraordinary examples of Diebenkorn’s ability to utilize line and color to get ‘it right’- as the artist himself said, “The idea is to get everything right- it’s not about color or form or space or line – it’s everything all at once.”

Perot Opening The Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened at the end of 2012.  It is already commanding a place among the other museums in the Dallas community as it inspires curiosity in all ages throughout its eleven permanent exhibition halls within its 180,000 square-foot 170 feet tall building.  This museum brings some amazing and unique family attractions to Dallas, so be sure to set time aside, if not an entire day, to visit the museum in 2013.

DMA will be a free museum 2013 Beginning January 21, 2013, the Dallas Museum of Art will offer free general admission to the museum.  The museum had been admission free until 2001, but in an effort to provide a more predictable revenue stream and reduce reliance on special exhibits, the museum began charging for tickets; about $10 per adult, no admission for kids under 11.  Although general admission will be open, you'll still have to pay for certain special exhibitions and events. There are other additional changes within the museum; the membership program is changing, a new website just launched (www.dma.org) and members will be issued a card which will be compatible with the museum's new software system in an effort to increase interaction with the museum and its visitors.

Things to look for in 2013 The Kimbell Art Museum's Expansion- The world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, who is behind the current project and worked for the building's original architect, Louis Kahn, was chosen to spearhead the expansion due to his celebrated skill and for his intimate knowledge and connection with Kahn's work.  The Kimbell is a notorious piece of architecture, and some were worried and concerned the expansion would damage Kahn's work.  But fear not art enthusiasts, Piano is said to be taking the project very seriously and is putting an enormous amount of attention into the expansion.  Can't wait to see it upon completion, which is scheduled for the end of 2013.

The Age of Picasso and Matisse: Modern Masters from the Art Institute of Chicago- With the Kimbell in mind, be sure to keep an eye out for the Picasso and Matisse show that will run from October 6, 2013, through February 16, 2014.  The Art Institute of Chicago holds one of the greatest collections of modern European art in the world.  Nearly 100 works from this collection will be traveling to the Kimbell.

Tenth Anniversary Acquisitions- The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a series of new acquisitions that are currently on view.   There is a rare, early wall drawing by Sol LeWitt, a Dan Flavin light sculpture recently purchased by the museum at auction from the late collector Max Palevsky, a monumental painting by Mark Bradford . . . lots of great stuff to see.

Ed Ruscha- Known for his Pop-word modeling illusions and satirical phrases, the works of Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha will be coming to the Amon Carter in 2013.  Ed Ruscha: Made In California will showcase the career-long interest Ruscha has had with printmaking, including several works from his popular Hollywood Sign series.

2013 Predictions We try not to forecast predictions into the next year, but we are very confident you will need our professional assistance for all you art needs in 2013.

Happy New Years!

-M. P. Callender Signet Art

Growth of the Dallas Arts District

The Dallas Arts District was created in early 2009 with a clear vision to stimulate cultural life and a three-point mission statement to serve the community as a private nonprofit organization.  The district itself spans over 68 acres and covers 19 blocks.  It is the largest arts district in the nation and Dallas is lucky to have a region with such creative vitality, luckier still as the region continues to grow.

The most recent additions to the district are Klyde Warren Park and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.  The district is like a big neighborhood.  The Klyde Warren Park is the new finely manicured front lawn and the Perot Museum is the new neighbor who just moved in down the street.  These two additions to the district will stand next to the well-established and well-known surrounding organizations, including the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Dallas Opera at the Margot & Bill Winspear Opera House, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Dallas Symphony at the Morton H. Myerson Symphony Center and many more . . . 68 acres and 19 contiguous blocks more.

Klyde Warren Park opened on October 29th of this year and it, along with all the activities held there, is free.  You can bring your dogs and let them off the leash in the 'My Best Friend's Park' area.  While the dogs play, you can use the free WiFi as you walk under the shaded walkways to one of the many food trucks to grab a bite to eat.  The park has plans for a full Thomas Phifer-designed restaurant to open in the summer of 2013, but until then the food trucks will be at the park from 11 a.m. - 4 p. m.  Sit down at a table atop the huge lawn and send the kiddos off to the children's park while you eat and look at the park's many water features and let the Dallas traffic flow beneath you.  After eating, there is the 'Recreation and Games Courtyard' if you wanted a quiet spot to read.  Or you could sit at one of the tables set up with boards for checkers, backgammon and chess.  You can practice your putting at the green on the East Lawn or go over to The Commons for a game of foosball or ping pong.

The 5.2 acre deck park was constructed over Woodall Rodgers Freeway between Pearl and St. Paul streets in downtown Dallas.  The park, built over the recessed eight-lane freeway, was designed by award-winning architect Jim Burnett.  All the landscaping, including 322 trees and 37 different species of native Texas plants, is an oasis of stillness surrounded by the bustle of downtown.  Though it is surrounded by tall glass buildings and steel-framed skyscrapers, the park is open to the Texas sky and full of vegetation.  It is a unique space in the heart of a special city.  Check the park's calendar to make sure you don't miss any of the daily events free to the public, ranging from concerts, films and lectures to boot camp, yoga and croquet.

Visible from the park, on the corner of  Woodall Rodgers and N. Field Street, is the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.  You can't miss it.  Really, it's the huge gray building with a 150 foot long glass rectangular prism running diagonally down its side.  This bold piece of modern architecture is 170 feet tall, which would usually lend room for a building with 14 floors- but the Perot has five, and is 180,000-square-feet total.  The walls are composed of over 650 textured concrete panels and the massive structure sits on a 4.7 acre site filled with indigenous Texas plants.  A full acre of the building's roof is covered in drought-resistant grasses and rocks that celebrate the museum's spot in the Lone Star State.

The near-cube shaped building is more energy efficient than rectangular buildings and all its water demands are met by recapturing condensation from the air conditioner.   Solar-powered water heating and a rainwater collection system are just a couple of the museum's Green features.

The building itself, designed by Thom Mayne and his firm Morphosis Architects, is a stand-out even among the other fabulous facilities in the Arts District.  It is monumental and iconic, commanding a place among the other museums in the Dallas community.

The architecture on the exterior is just a glimpse of what is to come inside.  There are eleven permanent exhibition halls spread out over the five floors.  The main lobby, museum shop and cafe are admission-free, and there you can see the Malawisaurus dinosaur, use free public WiFi and see some "dancing" water molecules.  Admission is charged for the main exhibition spaces and for special exhibits.

The encouraged, and best, route through the museum starts with three escalator rides up to the top floor, the final of these being within the glass-enclosed structure that gives the audience a great view of downtown.  Once at the top, you can then trickle down through the museum and catch each exhibition hall along the way.

As a Museum of Nature and Science, one can safely assume the normal museum protocol of 'hands behind your back - touch with your eyes only' can be left in the car to be utilized another time.  The Perot is extremely hands on.  In every one of the exhibition halls visitors are able and encouraged to engage with the exhibit.

In the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall, where fossils and dinosaur skeletons fill the 11,000-square-foot space (most of which were unearthed in Texas and Alaska), you can handle fossil replicas in a fossil lab and solve ancient mysteries.  You can build your own virtual animal to fight in a videogame or watch video interviews with the scientists who discovered the fossils within the space at the push of a button.  Walk up a short flight of stairs and you will find the Rose Hall of Birds where you can put on a pair of 3-D glasses and stand in front of a flight simulator that lets you fly through the mountains as a bird just by tilting your arms, or hear a bird's call by pushing the button beneath each bird, even create your own virtual species of bird which you are able to name and then release into the wild.

In each of the halls there is more than enough to do, you could happily spend the whole day there.  In the 2,200 square-foot Expanding Universe Hall you can take an animated 3-D tour of our solar system and use mirrors to bounce lasers at a target in the laser obstacle course.  In the Rees-Jones Foundation Dynamic Earth Hall you can make your own weather predictions and feel earthquake magnitudes in the Earthquake Shake.  In the Tom Hunt Energy Hall you can learn how a drilling rig works, see how scientists find energy reservoirs beneath the earth's crust and learn how science plays a crucial roll in every source of energy.  The Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall was one of the highlights for me.  There is a five-foot tall rock that can be opened with a wheel to display the sparkling purple crystals of the gigantic geode.  In the low-lit gallery, all types and kinds of gems stand in cases.

In the Discovering Life Hall and the Being Human Hall you can crawl into an underground root system and explore the animals living under the Piney Woodlands or stand in front of a thermal camera to see the cold and warm spots of your body.

There is a great piece by artist Daniel Rozin titled "Wooden Mirror" in which wooden tiles controlled by a motor and activated by a tiny camera interpret your image.

The motors tilt each tile so they catch the right amount of light to make a wooden reflection of what the camera sees; it makes a wooden mirror.  Rozin says the piece, "...explores the line between the digital and physical world using a warm and natural material- wood- to portray the abstract notion of digital pixels."

In the Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall you can play with chain reactions and use electronics to make music and create your own sound effects.  You can design your own robot or construct a building and test its strength against a simulated earthquake.

In the Sports Hall you can race a T-Rex or a cheetah and test your reaction speed by trying to catch a rod as it's dropped.  You can film yourself throwing a ball and watch the replay in slow-motion or learn how food choices balanced with physical activity benefits the human body.

The Moody Family Children's Museum was created for kiddos five and under.  This space lets toddlers and younger children explore just like the big kids.  They can use binoculars or put on a costume to become their favorite animal.  This Children's Museum has lots of other hands-on activities available: there is Digging For Dinos, an Art Lab and a Baby and Toddler Park where children can crawl in and around a huge nest, go down into a mole hole or just sit at one of the benches and have a P.B. & J for lunch.

The museum inspires curiosity in all ages.  As I made my way down from the top floor and observed every exhibition hall, adults were just as engaged as the kids.  They were taking their time to climb the musical stairs, sitting at computers and taking part in the experiments and interactive tools the museum has to offer.  This museum brings some amazing and unique family attractions to Dallas.

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is open year round Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

In addition to these two newest members of the Arts District, several of the other institutions have fresh offerings.  "Rediscoveries: Modes of Making in Modern Sculpture" is up and showing the masterworks from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection; the DMA's show "Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries" which examines the complex French artist poster, is up and will be at the museum until January 20th; and at the AT&T Performing Arts Center the musical Jekyll and Hyde, starring Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox, is running from December 4th - 16th.

There is always something going on in the Dallas Arts District and the metroplex is fortunate to have men and women intently focused on the culture that, over the years, has created a hub with a dynamic and thriving community invested in the arts; privileged still as the region continues to grow.

-M.P. Callender Signet Art

Searching the web for truth: Can art expertise be gleaned online?

Well, it happened again today... A family brought in a load of artwork they had been holding onto and storing for years, confident the pieces were worth keeping because they "just had" to be of some value.  After hours at the computer and a multitude of fruitless searches online, the family called us and made a verbal consultation appointment with our certified appraiser.  They had several pieces collected over the years from estate sales, garage sales and antique stores for our appraiser to inspect.

There were a few original paintings from the 1950's and the rest were offset lithographs.  The long and short of the consult- on a good day...if they could resell them for $40 apiece they should take it and run.  Several of the pieces had more value in the frame than the work itself. Ultimately these are what we put into the 'Decorative Only' category.  They are made in mass quantities to hang on the wall and look nice over the couch, maybe match the rug.

One piece in particular had pushed the couple to seek the professional insight of our appraiser.  "We found this exact one on the internet going for $13,000-$14,000.  It has the same markings and everything." The piece was an offset lithograph, a photomechanical reproduction of an original print. "But it has the same wording on the bottom, same exact title."  As with all good reproductions they are made to duplicate the original in every detail, which includes every mark on the piece; even the exact title.

Several months ago we had a client call and ask if our appraiser was qualified to handle French 18th century drawings.  I told him she was an expert in European and American art and would be capable of appraising his piece.  He then asked to speak to the appraiser himself, not convinced by her accreditations, résumé or 26 years as an appraiser.  For fifteen minutes he grilled the appraiser, shooting question after question to ensure his work would be in good and competent hands.  Turns out the client had done extensive research on his own...go figure.  He had done six weeks of research, the vast majority of it online, literally - he spent over a month and a half browsing the internet to find answers on what he had.  After all that time, after looking at images in books, and photocopies of the images in the books and photographs of the photocopies of the images in the books, he had convinced himself beyond any reasonable doubt that he had an original French 18th century drawing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard.  So, after interrogating our appraiser, he finally decided to make a verbal consultation appointment so a professional could confirm the truth of his "discovery."

It took our appraiser less than ten seconds to tell him he had a lithograph.

How he convinced himself of what a drawing versus a lithograph looked liked from a series of reproduced images was the "mystery" he never grasped.  He had wasted a tremendous amount of time and energy doing research, and in the process had built up an excitement that was dashed by the truth of what he actually had; a print.

The moral of these two stories, you must know the medium.  The medium.  The medium.  It starts with the medium.

Commonplace phrases we hear from clients go like this:

"I know it's old, it's been hanging in my Grandma's house for years" "Its got to be expensive, it's sooo old." "Must be valuable, it is an original." "But it's signed..." "Do you guys know who Insert random artist is?" "It has a beautiful gold frame, I just know its worth something."

The breakdown of these is: age ≠ value, a signature ≠ value, originality ≠ value and something being on canvas ≠ a painting, a piece on paper ≠ a print, and a gold frame does not mean its from a castle in the 17th century; seriously, if one more person tells me their piece has a gold frame...

Age ≠ value Just because something is old does not mean it is valuable.  Sure the possibility is there, but age is not a guarantee of value.  A client called last week and explained a painting in extreme detail, over the phone and said, "I bought it in 1985 for $1,500, so what would it be worth now?"  Its worth depends on a multitude of factors; medium, condition, size, subject matter and the ever important artist.  Works of art are not certificates of deposit slowly appreciating over time.  And something isn't necessarily old just because the painting was hanging in Gammie Baba's house for as long as you can remember.  Odds are Gammie Baba was born in the 20th century.

A signature ≠ value The signature is very important.  A beautiful unsigned still life painting might be valued at a few hundred dollars, but if it bears the name Renoir or Cezanne and can be legitimately attributed to one of those artists, the value drastically changes.  When doing an appraisal we look at many factors—medium, size, condition and date.  But among all the qualities which contribute to the value of a piece, attribution to a well-known artist is the most important factor.  However, not all signatures add value to a piece of art.  Some signatures are so illegible as to defy identification even after great amounts of research.  Some, dare I say the majority, are quite legible but do not trace back to a known artist.  Almost every family can point to a grandmother, aunt or uncle who took some art classes and produced dozens of pieces, each lovingly and prominently signed.  Though you love the paintings Gammie Baba painted for you when she took up art class, they fall under the 'Decorative' category; unless, of course, your grandmother was Grandma Moses...but that's another story.

Originality ≠ value Again, thinking back to your Gammie Baba's paintings and other works done by weekend-art-warriors, just because something is an original, the one and only authentic work or an original print, does not necessarily connotate value.  There is a huge market for original works, whether to be sold to tourists as souvenirs or as something nice to hang above the fireplace and bring the room together.  Again, among all the qualities that contribute to the value of a piece, attribution to a well-known artist is the most important factor.

Canvas ≠ painting : Paper ≠ print This is a common issue that fools new collectors or clients who have recently inherited or run into pieces about which they know very little.  They see canvas weave on their artwork and instantly think it is a real painting.  It has to be, right?  It is on canvas after all.  The truth is, canvas does not equal a painting.  It could be a gicleé, a print from a large-format, high-resolution digital image printed directly onto canvas.  The word gicleé actually comes from the French word gicleur which means nozzle.  Since the resolution is quite high on these prints, it can make them difficult for a novice to spot. Currently, gicleé printing is being used by most publishers of decor art for office environments. It is also being used by some photographers and by computer graphics artists to print their work.  A gicleé can be printed onto canvas, all types of papers, woods, metals, glass...whatever the client wants. These prints can be printed on demand, meaning they do not have to be released in editions. If you suspect gicleé printmaking, you need to have a good print appraiser take a look.

It could also be a print-transfer-to-canvas.  Prior to the introduction of gicleé printing in the mid-1990's, manufacturers of decor items might take an offset lithograph and glue it to canvas in order to simulate the look of a painting.  These products were often covered-over with a swirly clear acrylic coating in an attempt to simulate an artist's brushstrokes.  These are just two of the types of items which might at first appear to be original paintings but are in reality mass-produced decor items.

Gold frame ≠ value I PROMISE.

This all boils down to clients and art enthusiasts not knowing the whatof what they have.  The internet is thought to have all the information ready and available; just go to that search bar and you're set.  In ten, maybe twenty minutes, you will be an expert, right?  Right?

Wrong.

Expertise in the art world is built upon years of training and experience.  A good appraiser has many years of book-knowledge about their given field along with many more years of handling and looking at actual artworks and time spent doing research.

The family I mentioned at the beginning of the post asked the appraiser why the two originals they had were not worth more than $40.  Our appraiser, who had not lifted the works up from the examination table, said, "Well they are 1950's oil on silk tourist works from Japan, probably brought back with a soldier from duty after WWII.  They are nice and decorative, they serve their purpose as art, but don't have a secondary market."  The client's eyes widened in surprise, then she asked, "How did you know it was from 1950?" as she picked up the work and showed the hand-written inscription, 'Japan, 1951' on the back.  Our appraiser explained that in the 26 years of professional appraising, she's seen hundreds of similar items.  To a novice, it was a very nice original oil on silk from the 50's. To the eye of our trained and seasoned professional, it was another Japanese tourist painting.

The lessons to be learned here...If you do not know the what of what you have and you turn to the world-wide-web for answers, your online searching will be an effort it futility, a huge waste of time.

So, by all means get out there.  Collect art.  Go to estate sales, garage sales and auctions.  Find what you like and have fun.  Build your connoisseurship as you go.  Look at art.  Ask a professional to teach you what to look for.  Art-world terminology can be confusing.  Sometimes that is just because of the nuances of language, and other times unscrupulous dealers use opaque, misleading and untrue descriptions to defraud the buying public.

When you need the services of a good appraiser, either for a written appraisal or a verbal consultation, remember that the money you pay for an objective well-trained appraiser to tell you the truth about your artworks is money well spent.  Not all knowledge is free or available on the web.

-M.P. Callender

Signet Art