Preliminary remark

Gallery prices are often higher than those in an auction room : THIS IS NORMAL !
Art dealers are among the best clients of auction rooms. They are well-informed about the auctions and consult the national and foreign catalogues that they receive. They visit the exhibitions preceding the sales to observe the desired painting at first hand. They check its condition, its beauty and its authenticity. It is only after this, on the day of the sale, that they make their bids to try to obtain it ! If they succeed, they frequently have to have it cleaned or restored. They then choose an appropriate frame for it and can finally hang the work up on their picture rail. In the gallery the art-lover will find a work that is pleasing to him, is certified and is ready to satisfy his taste.
All that has a price and this is normal.

Here is the working method we used to develop this site

By referring to sales catalogues, I record and analyse the auctions for paintings. I rule out sketches and drafts and work exclusively on works which are finished or considered as such. I also discard doubtful paintings, the "schools of", "studios of", "style of", "continuation of" and any name which does not clearly designate the article for sale.
Next I convert every international bid into Euros.
It is only at this moment, to obtain an average valuation, (and this is the original and personal idea), that I transpose each result in relation to a fictitious painting whose chosen reference format is a 15 Landscape 65cmx50cm (26 inches x 20 inches).

This transposition is not simply a rule of three. It is based on market experience of the relationship between price ratios and formats.
Why this particular format ?
Quite simply because it too is the ideal average format, whatever the work, the painter or the century.
It enables us therefore to obtain an average price and this for each painter !
The prices recorded chronologically also display upward movements, downward movements or instability of the values.
When certain painters only use small formats or large formats (e.g.: 13x18cm (5x7inches) or 130x97cm (51x38inches), the prices are preceded by the "format". Only in this case is the average price directly related to the format mentioned. If the format is very small, the term "miniature" appears.
Record bids which are far above the average price have a special mention and details are given. These variations can be due either to a very high quality, or an exceptional subject or origin. At every possible moment, I have indicated the existence and the reference of catalogues raisonnés or recognized experts for the painter in question.
For certain artists there is not an average valuation but rather a presentation of significant bids described from the highest to the lowest.

Thus, if you look for PICASSO Pablo you will find :
his dates of birth and death
1881-1973.
his country of birth
Spain
the author of the catalog raisonné
C.Zervos
The highest bid recorded
165 000 000 € in the US in 2015 « Les femmes d’Alger, version 0 » 114x146 of 1955.
Next will come other works which are judiciously selected according to the periods, the formats and the subjects.
For others, you will just find surnames, first names, biographical dates and average price for a 65x50 cm (26 x 20 inches) format sometimes preceded by one of the following signs :
An Up arrow indicating that the valuation is trend to increase
An Up arrow indicating that the valuation is trend to decrease
~
A tilde sign indicating value is very irregular and that the average was obtained from very wide extremes
Whether you are using your desktop computer, your laptop or your wap…
Whether you are at your home or someone else's, at an art dealer's , at the auction room or hunting for antiques, you will end up having the akoun.com reflex. You will find the information you are looking for at a glance !

Scupture - Conseils preliminary advice

The making of the section concerning the valuation of sculptors is based on the observation of results in auction rooms in international auctions since 1983.

Every sculpture sold during this period has been recorded, then a selective choice is carried out.
In this way, you will find after the name of the artist, his/her date of birth and when appropriate date of death and the description of the works along with the prices they have commanded.

In all cases, you can find the record bid obtained by the artist in this lapse of time !

Bronzes account for 90% of sculptures.
This is a noble material which has shown that it can withstand the elements as well as the passing of centuries…
It was therefore essential to give some advice before buying a bronze…

Quality criteria for a bronze

After the heart, trust your eyes and your hands. Examine the sculpture from every angle by caressing it and "unveiling" it, weighing it up with the eye as well as the hand ! In this way, you will appreciate the essential elements which give a bronze its quality and value :

  • The casting

    Every foundry worker goes to great lengths to give refinement to his work. Therefore look for bronzes which "chink", bronzes which give you the impression of having a low density and thin metal.
    It is your hands which do the work here.
  • The engraving

    It must be supple without being pretty-pretty, vigorous but not abrupt, precise but not lacking in soul.
    For this, trust your eyes and your hands.
  • The patina

    It gives the bronze life. It is like a translucid silk veil dressing the sculpture.
    It enables us to make out the quality of the alloy. Whatever its hue, it takes on marvellous shades.
    It is for the eye to appreciate this.


Thus, if you have fallen for a particular subject, you need to question yourself according to these different quality criteria ; and it is only at this moment that you will try to find out who the author is. This is the way you should proceed every time !

Following these principles, you will most often avoid mediocrity, ugly recastings, overmouldings and everything fake !

And now, good hunting ...

Correlation table

FIGURELANDSCAPESEASCAPE
0 7x5.5 7x4.7 7x4
1 8.7x6.3 8.7x5.5 8.7x4.7
2 9.5x7.5 9.5x6.3 9.5x5.5
3 10.5x8.7 10.5x7.5 10.5x6.3
4 13x9.5 13x8.7 13x7.5
5 14x10.5 14x9.5 14x8.7
6 16x13 16x10.7 16x9.5
8 18x15 18x13 18x10.5
10 21.5x18 21.5x16 21.5x13
12 24x19.5 24x18 24x15
15 25.5x21 25.5x19.5 25.5x18
20 28.7x23.5 28.7x21 28.7x19.5
25 32x25.5 32x23.5 32x21
30 36x28.7 36x25.5 36x23.5
40 39x32 39x38.7 39x25.5
50 45.5x35 45.5x32 45.5x28.7
60 51x38 51x35 51x32
80 57.5x45 57.5x38 57.5x35
100 64x51 64x45 64x38
120 77x51 77x45 77x38

LAW OF 11th MARCH 1957

The Law of 11th March 1957 , articles 40 and 41 ; Penal code article 425 stipulates that no information coming from this book can be reproduced, transcribed or indexed in any analog or digital storage system, nor reproduced or copied in any form or in any way whatsoever, without the previous written agreement of the author holder of the copyright.
This would constitute counterfeiting.

by Le AKOUN, International best-seller of valuation books in the field of art since 1985