Journal
Notes on looking, buying and selling
Short pieces on the parts of the art market that decide what a work is worth and whether you can sell it later. Written for owners and buyers, not for the trade.
The back of a painting is the honest side
Labels, stamps, stretcher marks and old exhibition numbers carry more verifiable history than anything on the front. What to photograph, and what each kind of mark actually proves.
A signature is the weakest evidence there is
It is the easiest thing on a painting to add, and the first thing a buyer looks for. How attribution is actually established, and what the catalogue language — circle of, studio of, after — is really telling you.
Auction, dealer or private sale: what each one costs you
The headline price is not the number you receive. A plain account of commissions, fees, timing and risk in the three routes, and which kind of work belongs in which.
New pieces appear here every few weeks. To be told when one does, write to info@katrenko.art.