Art auction...why??

[Liat]

Most serious auctions have "reserve" prices or minimum bids, and this does not meant they are not "true auctions". After 16 cruises we think we could conduct the auctions ourselves! Just kidding. We have not gone to them recently because the pieces are very familiar. The problem is that Park West, which does them all except for Princess, has a finite number of artists forming their "stock", and we have seen most of them several times.

But there is a certain entertainment value, especially if you have a good auctioneer, and it a way to pass time on sea days. Remember Adam Smith. If they didn't sell enough to make a profit; they would not be there.

[phtktz3]

I stand corrected:) Princess does do their own and in my opinion does the best job with the art auctions. There have been free art give aways on all the cruises I have been on only this last one aboard the Summit had the "sweepstakes" going on with the scratch off tickets for "free" vacations. I did win a piece of art as well as purchasing a couple.

[smdubowsky]

We purchased several items on our Alaskan cruise in Infinity this summer and were very pleased. Although it took some time to get the art (The last piece arrived last week.), everything was as advertised. In fact, there was one piece that we bought for $260.00 ($160.00 plus $100.00 for frame) which we saw in a local art store for $600.00.

[Ships R Great]

We have enjoyed the art auctions since our first cruise. We are partial to certain artists and have made some low and high price purchases. But we only buy what we like and we don't buy for resale, though on every cruise there is someone buying for a gallery on land. We have seen some of our purchases increase dramatically in price, though. Our daughter will sell them someday. We each collect different artists. DH likes Dali. (Some of them I make him hang in his bathroom---they are too grotesque.) I favor Fanch and Bellett.

 

Park West does have what they call "VIP" cruises. We were invited on one last February. At first I thought it was a scam but after checking with the land auction people I accepted. We had a great time. They paid all of our expenses, including cruise fare, gratuities, airfare, excursions, etc. They brought the owners and top notch people on for the cruise. Also brought over a $1,000,000 worth of original works, as well as rare etchings, and lithographs, apart from the regular ship inventory. (I bought a Whistler. Love it, love it, love it!) They sold about $1.3 million worth of art on that cruise.

 

Our auctioneer on the Galaxy last week told us that they had sold $3.4 million on the last VIP cruise on RCCL. So it does happen.

 

If someone enjoys the auction they can go and have fun. If not interested there are many other things to do on board. To each his own.

[SA Traveler]

We have friends who are serious collectors. They do most of their buying on Princess and they have been given free cruises because of the amount of art they have purchased. We also enjoy the auctions. We've bought a couple of pieces on Princess but more from Park West on various cruise lines. We're not serious collectors though - just buy what we like. My favorite artist is Tarkay.

[RichardK]

I love the fact that ships have art auctions....... It is because they do, along with such other "cash cows" (e.g., casino, photos, etc.) that the price of my cruises remain so low!!

[seagulls]

I think that most people who attend the art auctions do so because they have nothing planned for that time. I am just back from a Transatlantic crossing on the Century and sat in (for a very short time) on a wine auction. Now here were these people bidding on bottles of rather expensive wine without the benefit of tasting it. At least you can see what you are buying at the art auction and whether it would look good in your living room. But to each his own!

[leighuf]

I attended an art auction on my recent Splendour of the Seas Med. cruise. Yes, the auction boasted free champagne, raffles, and a piece of art valued at $95 handed out at the conclusion of the auction. It was held on the 4th deck on the grand staircase. It was a packed house and many had to sit on the 5th deck and look down at the auction.

 

The pieces auctioned off on a cruise are VERY DIFFERENT from those you buy at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Art.com. They are seriolithographs or labeled as "CP" (Collector Pieces that are hand signed by the artist). The CPs have a higher reserve price, but the price INCLUDES shipping and framing. The regular serial lithographs come unframed and shipping ($35) is extra.

 

Could you buy a hand signed Dali or Tarkay piece at your local Michaels? I think not, but you could have on my cruise. :D

[tuggers]

Ships,

 

Did you know we passed each other in Rome? I did the TA coming back! And only bought one piece!

 

Rumor has it Princess will be converting to Park West in '07.

[JLC@SD]

Everytime I stumble across the "art" auction I wonder how these people make enough money to keep this "event" alive...unless I'm not looking close enough, anything that is available can be bought as a print in any of the thousands of "art" and framing stores. I've never seen more that a half dozen people at one of these things...part of the X experience I'm not able to grasp I guess.

 

Is there really anything special at these sales??

 

Every wonder what they do with art that doesn't sell at the gallerys. It goes to large warehouses which sell it at cruise ship auctions.

 

If you buy it, you pay less for it, than what it once sold at the gallerys that couldn't sell it (most are numbered series reproductions).

[Ships R Great]

JLC---Nope. Not true. Park West deals directly with the artists they sell. If you buy a work in a gallery that they have exclusives right with you pay much more because there was a middle man. (As I said before, there are often people buying for galleries back home.) There are many numbered series. The freebies are signed in the plate. We give those away, mostly to our framer. But the hand signed ones are as represented. The bottom line with the auctions is this: if you enjoy them go, if not, don't.