by A.R. Cruz

Created on: January 04, 2010

How to sell original paintings

As a seller on Auction sites, I have learned the best way to sell original paintings is to know as much as you can about the particular paintings being sold.  This is true about anything which is being sold; especially if it's a potentially important investment, or if the painting is by a famous well known artist.   

Selling original paintings requires some basic knowledge of art styles,and  basic detective skills because some paintings may have signatures and old dates of famous artists and could instead be a forgery from China.   The seller before selling the painting should validate that it is an original painting whether its a vintage or modern piece. The seller has to study basic research on art styles, if the artist is signed as E. Schiele, find out what subject he painted mainly, if the example of the painting is a landscape, it may be a forgery.  Schiele was known for painting mainly erotic nudes in Austria in the early 1900s.  Another way to determine age is to study the canvas, does it look new on the back of canvas, does it have a brown paper backing on the painting, most paintings did have this backing on them during 1900s -1960s.  Examine the staples or nails on the back of the frame of the painting, older nails are rusted and modern paintings use staples.  These small details can help the seller determine whether it is an original painting. If after the examination, the seller determines the painting is not what it seems, then it mostly likely is not an original painting.

The key to selling original paintings whether old or new is to know what you are selling?  Research artists and their art styles at askart.com or findartinfo.com.   As seller whether you sell paintings which are expensive or inexpensive,online or in a shop.

Some information which should be provided before sale, are the following:

How you acquired the painting? 

What is the provenance on the artwork? (owner ship history of artwork). 

 What style and medium is used on the painting? 

Is there is a signature on the art work? 

Is the painting an original or reproduction?

These questions should be answered and provided to insure the client does not take any legal action against the seller, if the painting is not an original. 

If a seller is a collector of original paintings and has receipts, or auction catalogs these are considered as documentation, it should be placed on the back of the painting.  This information is important when providing the client with essential details of their purchase.

Another option for sellers who are starting out in art sales and want to be sure they are selling original paintings; sellers should consider consigning new artist’s paintings.  This is a great method of learning different art styles in modern art and at the same time are assured of the originality of the paintings.

Finally and most importantly, when selling original paintings of high value and of questionable origin, the seller should always check to make sure art work is not stolen.  There are stolen art databases on the web, these should always be checked, after all, as the seller you don’t want to go to jail for selling a Rufino Tamayo stolen painting which was found in a NYC trash can.  This story is true by the way, instead the lady who found the painting turned it into Sotheby’s and got a 15,000 reward on a 2 million dollar original Tamayo abstract painting. 

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