ON THE CULTURE OF FAKES, READ THIS

I just finished reading this wonderful book: VAN GOGH ON DEMAND, CHINA AND THE READYMADE by Winnie Won Yin Wong (University of Chicago Press, 2013). It is all about an entire city in China whose residents make copies of famous Western paintings. Insightful commentary on art and consumerism, art and creativity, art and craft....

NEW YORK TIMES Article About the Market for Pre-modern Japanese Art

The New York Times today published an interesting article about the current state of the Japanese art market. While making some good points, it was nevertheless very over simplified and somewhat erroneous in its to description of the art of the Edo period (1615-1868) as classical Japanese art (way too late in date!) and of course the comments on the Japanese print market are misleading because that is not the pre-modern Japanese art market's only sector that should not be judged by auction prices, since higher prices are realized through sales by private dealers.

THE PERILS OF SHIPPING ART

ARTNET NEWS had an interesting and informative primer about pitfalls to watch for when shipping art today. ART SHIPPING NIGHTMARES AND HOW BEST TO AVOID THEM

1. Don't pack the art yourself
2. Get advice on a shipper - ask the registrar department at a local museum, gallery, or collectors
3. Get a professional to write a condition report (and include photos) before the object ships and after it arrives
4. Clarify if the shipper you choose will subcontract in transit and vet the trans-shipper too
5. Make sure loans get returned in the same crates in which you shipped them to the borrower
6. Shipping ephemeral materials have special challenges
7. Check shipping details like making sure the crate fits in the receiving location's elevator

8. (not included in the article, but always a good idea) - prior to shipping art you own, make sure your insurance coverage is up-to-date. Insuring for purchase price when the sale took place several years ago is not a good idea, because insurers may only pay damages on stated amounts and prices may have risen since then. In addition, purchase prices are not the same as insurance value, which includes additional fees such as potential taxes, commission fees, shipping, and insurance for the purchase of a replacement object if yours gets lost or damaged in transit.

Classical Chinese Furniture Prices Skyrocketing

All 26 lots in Sotheby's London sale of Classical Chinese Furniture on November 12, 2015 sold, for a total of US$16,780,515, which was over 10 times above the pre-sale low estimate. This success followed the successful sale of Chinese furniture Sotheby's held in Hong Kong in October, which realized US$33.5 million, which was more than double the pre-sale estimate. 

Another Great Sale for Shibata Zeshin at Bonham's

Another great sale at Bonhams London for the art of Japanese artist Shibata Zeshin, November 10, 2015, as reported in the Art Daily Newspaper. 

New Auction Record for Japanese Lacquer Artist Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891)

Although some sectors of the Japanese art market are in the doldrums, that is not the case across the board for all types of Japanese art. Bonham's sale of lacquer arts and paintings by Shibata Zeshin on November 5, 2015 in London demonstrates that fine quality works, by important artists, in fine condition, and with impeccable provenance can command record-setting prices. The start of this auction was LOT 14 a panel with a design of a farmhouse in snow at Sano, dated 1883.
It sold for USD $1,275,401.

Faking of Vietnamese Antiquities

I am providing links to two interesting blog posts on faking of Vietnamese antiquities
Part 1 -tricks-to-sell-fake-objects
Part 2 -how-to-cheat-buyers