This can also double as a brag posts towards the uncultured amongst us (...burps...)

Art history was actually my original major in college- I was certain working in the art markets was going to be my lifes work. I put it on the back burner, but sometime next year, I think I want to go to the Art Institute of Chicago and see if I can't take a few classes and get back into it.

Latest score- important African artist (I won't name), originally came from the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) National Museum, sent to London for exhibition in 1956. Ridiculously reasonably priced. Under $1000- IMO there is enormous value in this particular segment of the art world and the best part is, there's still exceptionally good stuff out there that anyone can afford.





My tastes definitely trend towards primitive and abstract. Have a nice original Norman Carton (contemporary of Pollock) and some cool Pre Columbian South American stuff.

One of my faves that came from the same dealer (illustration art is probably my second fave, which is why I think I liked that African painting so much)

An original gouache watercolor that was the basis for a WWII propaganda poster.



The womans favorite: a pastel sketch by Alexander Dobkin, who was pretty well known for his sketches of children.



Picked this up from a German dealer for the kids nursery. It's an 18c sketch signed "Koch". We're still trying to pin down who it is, but it's definitely from one of three exceptionally talented German sketch artists from this period named "Koch".



Easily the weirdest one of the bunch...
An original watercolor by a famous Mexican muralist. It came from an estate in Indiana and I paid a "junk shop" type price for it.



The weird part is, this exact painting- signature and all- is actually referenced in an auction catalog, but nothing else and it's chain of ownership history is lost (and yes, it is the original- not a print, litho or anything else and it is 100% the exact same painting in the catalogs.)

I dont own any originals, only prints of these masterpieces.

Klarman Would not approve of this crass speculation.

$5 bucks says that anyone who posts a valuable painting that they own, it gets stolen in the 30 days following that post.

Why'd you take a picture of that first one outside? Is your "dealer" really a homeless black guy that sells his stuff on the sidewalk? I don't think that counts as African art.

http://www.andrewdevries.com/

this guy got his start sketching in my grandma's ballet studio. he also made a few sculptures for her. when I had my 8th birthday he made me a couple pastels which my mom threw away a couple years later.

still kinda pissed about that.

a degas charcoal sketch on paper. honestly, i think this is probably just a good copy from the time degas was alive. i don't care to have it authenticated since i wouldn't sell it for 50K.



a david pelbam oil on canvas. i really love a lot of this guys stuff and will probably get another one (all his are the same self portraits) of a fisherman.



btw, i LOVE LOVE LOVE the dobkin sketch.

LOL. He's actually a NY Jew.

Uh, yeah. Might not hurt to have that one looked at.
The odds are definitely against you- he's been faked big time for the past century, but if it hits, it's going to hit big.

Edit- Oh and the Dobkin sketch. The only reason I bought that ****ing thing was because it needs conservation (as you can see) and was priced too low given what it would sell for once properly conserved and restored. So I had 100% intended to flip it, but the woman about the house likes it and won't let me sell it. (But I've some to like it too, so I guess I can book it as a win)

i made this myself...















i'm quite proud of it


















you gotta love snot balls

You have completely different taste in art to me. Particularly that deformed baby sketch, I find it rather hideous.

A year ago I considered buying some art because a local gallery had an exhibition by one of my favourite artists, Peter Blake. The pieces I liked had already sold though, and it's probably for the best because I am a poor student and can't afford to buy a $2000 even if it is an investment. If my favourite painting by him came up for sale I would consider it though, it's very small and not a famous work so it would be more affordable.

I seem to remember seeing something by him at the Tate. I'm kind of shocked that a pop artist of that stature has student affordable work. Browsing online, looking at his stuff, it seemed rather run of the mill pop art stuff... I did like this one..






Hard to judge art online and not in person, particularly modern, abstract and pop art. I thought guys like Rothko and Pollock were wankers till I saw their work live. I'm still not sure they weren't wankers, but I enjoyed color fields alot more when they were 12 feet by 20 feet.

I enjoy art, but am by no means a scholar. Occasionally I pick something up at a local show or in the case of the one below, a Con. I have a signed and numbered print of this. I just liked it.

It's called Make Me Pretty:






I have a cheap print of this. It's my favorite Dali. I really enjoy Dali.

Charles Vickery, Down by the Old Mill Stream:

Yeah, because if there's one people who really hold heights in art appreciation, it's the British. Take the artistic sensibilities of a Chinaman and cross it with that 'penchant for the garish' held by the Germans and behold, you have the British mentality on fire art.

(I have to cop on the baby sketch. The guy had two from the same artist but with different composition- I really, really wanted one but he had already sold it, so I wound up getting that one as a consolation prize. It was a mistake, NOT because it's a bad sketch- really, it's world class, but because whenever I look at it, all I can do is think about the one I really wanted and as such, I will never really appreciate this one for what it is)

I love art. Have never taken it seriously, but love it. Teachers always wanted to push me to go to art school. Never went and regret that.


I drew this on a piece of cardboard in back in my high school days, one long boring winter weekend. Took a few hours. Meh...

Did your friends think it was gay that you spent hours drawing Tom Selleck?

I don't think Blake is run of the mill, and you must keep in mind the context of his art - if it does look generic to you, it's only because so many have copied his style since he produced his work. The pieces that were 'affordable' to me were $2000, I had about $10,000 in savings from working full-time so it would have eaten a big chunk of that. They weren't famous pieces, they were screenprints of cigarette packets and a couple of collages. I wanted a collage, but they were sold already.

The piece I would dream of owning by him is a small painting that is not well known. You can see it here: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ArtGalleryServlet/images/k5054.jpg

I love the way he took the famous Lear verse which is aimed at children, and transformed it into this moody, serious design. Look at the way the owl and cat are sat apart, looking away from each other - not what you'd expect from a happily engaged couple. The owl looks pensive, the cat looks melancholy - again he has extracted the whimsy from the poem and left something mysterious and awkward in it's place. There's no sense of movement in the water as there would be if they were sailing with purpose, it seems as though they are just floating there. A strange ambience is created from recognising the 'owl and the pussycat' from the poem, but portrayed in an unfamiliar style. That's what attracts me to the painting.

By the way, I loathe Rothko, and though I have no ill feelings toward Pollock, I don't care for his work and wouldn't hang it on my wall. I rarely enjoy abstract work. My favourite artists are Klimt, Blake, Dali... they portray recognisable people/objects/landscapes, but in a unique style which allows you to view them with a new perspective and insight.


I don't believe there is any archetypal British taste in art. I've visited many art galleries and museums in the last month - the Prado in Madrid, the Rejksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Belvedere in Vienna, the Uffizi in Florence, and more - and I appreciated everything I saw with an open mind. When it comes to art, Britons are very much European. Throughout history there have been trends in art which spread across the whole of Europe, and Britain was no more or less influenced by this than Italy or France or Germany. In reality, the everyday Briton has a comparable taste in art to their European counterparts: Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, etc.

There is an unfortunate trend here for dire 'modern art' which is 99% concept, 1% skill, but you will find that very few Britons admire this art, it is the media and the art industry which has elevated the likes of Hirst and Emin to prominence.

If you really drew that without any formal training whatsoever than you definitely have talent.
Go find a matchbook and sign up for that school...

Yeah, with Rothko, I had a print of him, which I thought was just hilarious, since it was, you know, just like two boxes of orange.. I thought it was hilarious that this was considered high art..


Then, I actually saw a Giant Rothko, at the tate I believe, and I understood better what he was trying to do, trying to invoke moods, and engage you on a subconscious level. While, I still thought it was absurd that it was considered a "Master" I have to say.. I enjoyed his work in person.. I think there's an absurdity to modern artist, that I just love. Some times it's intentional, but much more often they take their work extremely seriously. Like Mondtrian and De Stijl... I used to enjoy Mondrian's works quite a bit, I thought they were funny, but also vaguely "stylish" However, as I learned about him, I discovered how completely serious and symbolic he took his art, and how one of the members of his movement introduced diagonal lines to his art, how this caused a huge controversy and schism within De Stijjl, and Mondrian like shunned him or something, which I found to be the most hilarious thing i'd ever heard.


Some abstract artists I legitimately find impressive, like Kandinsky, De Kooning and stella. Other's, like Newman and Rothko, I find so absurd that they are taken seriously, that I love them. Pollack falls somewhere in between. In general, I gravitate towards abstraction in art (or post modernism), and find those the most interesting or funny.


I am not surprised to find that your favorite piece of Blake's contained a cat.

or find a picture of beanz and we can play art baltimore style.

This is the best idea you have had in minutes.

lol. It's actually his uncle.



DRAW SPUNKY! (or was it Bambi?) And no, never had any art training...




/thread!

Wow. This one is my fave. just amazing.

The wife and I have been to Paris (Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Picasso) and Florence (da Vinci, Uffizi, etc) and omg...


Put them in the bucket of must do's before dying.

Yeah I was gonna say, even if there's just a small chance it real get that fucker checked out. If something happens to it you will be glad if it is insured for $100k or whatever...

I love Salvador Dali's work. I have these two paintings:

http://startupblog.files.wordpress.com/200...-dali-clock.jpg
Soft Watch at the Moment of First Explosion



http://www.practicalpainting.com/images/Su...Anthony_mid.JPG
The Temptation of St.Anthony 1945

I think what you mean is you have prints of those paintings.

That is what I mean. I don't have the orginals.

Some of my brothers stuff. Not even the ones I like the best, but the ones he put on there....

I don't think his profile is private, so hopefully you can see it.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=2297213

The user you're trying to view has set all their photos to private.

Damn, weak.

I could post a few, but not sure which ones to put. It's definitely not anything you're used to seeing. Mostly stuff that comes out of his head, and semi self portraits. Lemme go look... I wish he had some others on there though.

Ok, here's a few. Thing is, he can do more realistic and traditional type stuff if he wants to, but he just pretty much draws what he feels like. It's part of the reason he got so much shit in HS in his art class. His teacher knew he couldn't fail him, but he gave him a lot of shit because he constantly half assed the dumb projects they wanted him to do so he could draw his own stuff....

I don't have the setup to get a picture of my one and only "real" painting online, but this is by the same artist and pretty close.



No, I didn't buy it for myself. But I do like it and apparently it's worth something...so there's that.

Posters I did for this restaurant in Chicago.
http://www.lalos.com/mgallery/