Art Work

[havaneselover]

We sailed on the Grand Princess in March, 2016. We attended a lot of their art auctions and purchased 4 of their Britto art work. Does anybody know if these pieces of art are actually worth the prices we paid. Is everything legit? Anybody else purchase art on board? Any advise or comments?

I know it's a little late to be asking, but.....

Thanks for your help.

[SadieN]

Think of them as souvenirs, not investments.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[GottaKnowWhen]

You might want to try a Google or Yahoo search on "art fraud" or something ing like that. From what I have read, the thing to watch for are the so-called independent appraisals which are done by a subsidiary of the auction company. So you have no independent external valuation. If you like the paintings, hang them on your wall. Enjoy them. But don't plan on getting rich from your investment.

[moniquet]

The reason why cruises are relatively cheap now is because of all the side kicks. They rely on new cruisers spending on "art", buying from Diamonds International, endless photos, speciality dining and the casino players. As I am not into any of these it keeps my prices down:)

[Keith1010]

If you like what you bought that is what is important.

 

Personally I would not be purchasing these items as long terms investments and often you can do just as well if not better getting them on land.

 

Keith

[GUT2407]

Some that I bought increased nicely.

 

But you should never buy art as a way of making a profi unless you have a LOT of money and time.

 

 

AND really know what you are doing.

[Bookish Angel]

The stuff on display on cruise ships is not rigorously temperature, light or humidity controlled.

I have even seen pricey pieces on unstretched/humidity altered canvas. Certificates of provenance were "not available"? Not a good sign. Would truly valuable art be displayed where anyone could bump it, spill liquid on it, etc.?

 

Also, the talks are heavily weighted to making people believe the pieces they buy will increase in value. That is very unlikely; true art shoppers are shopping at high end galleries and auction houses such as Sotheby's, etc.

 

If you see something you like and can justify the expense, buy it for aesthetics only. It is most certainly not an investment and no one will be fighting to buy it from you.

 

Okay, stepping off of my art historian soapbox now.

[Dunnik]

My father was a serious art collector (Canadian abstract art, Painters Eleven mostly) and on each of the cruises he went on, he'd always attend the art sale/auction event.

 

But he would never buy.

 

I'll add my voice to the consensus above: if you want the pretty picture, as a memory of your trip, and because you like how it looks, then by all means. But if you want a valuable and genuine artwork with an established provenance with the hope that, one day, it may be worth more than you paid for, then you're better off contacting a local art dealer on shore, or logging on to an internet auction organized by a well-known auction house specializing in the kind of art you like.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Dunnik

[Aquahound]

Does anybody know if these pieces of art are actually worth the prices we paid.

 

Most likely, no. On board art auctions prey on people who are on vacation and are in the mindset of spending money. The vast majority of those art pieces are prints that can be found everywhere. I swear, I've been seen the exact same Muhammad Ali, Britto and Disney prints on every single cruise for years now.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Plus 1 on most (if not all) of the above. Don't be gullible and buy the junk and/or overpriced items in shipboard art auctions, jewelry "sales," etc.

A better way to go is to do some significant research and identify non-profit artists' collectives in regions serviced by port stops. Then you can buy unique and decorative mementos that will serve you well for years to come.

[spookwife]

I can guarantee you over paid.

 

We bought a Chuck Jones piece from the Chuck Jones Gallery in SD once( Marvin the Martian, Mr Spook is a huge fan) for just under $400 once. it was a numbered piece of 250 prints/copies.

 

the exact same item was on board had a a minimum $500 bid( it had no bids)

 

as others have said: if you liked it (and obviously were willing to pay the price ) then count it as a good purchase. just not as a way to fund your kid's college education

[cbr663]

Have you compared what you purchased to those available here: http://www.shopbritto.com/collections/prints

[lahlah57]

True.....do not buy thinking it is a good investment. Please not on a cruise ship:rolleyes:

Just cause you like it!

[havaneselover]

Thank you all for your advice and opinions, they were ALL very helpful.

[klfrodo]

I don't buy cruises from art galleries and I don't buy art from cruises

[Nitemare]

The stuff on display on cruise ships is not rigorously temperature, light or humidity controlled.

I have even seen pricey pieces on unstretched/humidity altered canvas. Certificates of provenance were "not available"? Not a good sign. Would truly valuable art be displayed where anyone could bump it, spill liquid on it, etc.?

 

Also, the talks are heavily weighted to making people believe the pieces they buy will increase in value. That is very unlikely; true art shoppers are shopping at high end galleries and auction houses such as Sotheby's, etc.

 

If you see something you like and can justify the expense, buy it for aesthetics only. It is most certainly not an investment and no one will be fighting to buy it from you.

 

Okay, stepping off of my art historian soapbox now.

 

All good points.

 

Most of the art you are buying, however, was not on the ship with you. They have a sample of the lithograph on board that they show to your voyage and the voyage after yours and the next one and so on. If someone buys it on a cruise they ship a different numbered image to the buyer from their warehouse on land.

[NurseDave]

We just got off a NCL cruise and did the art auction thing for the first time. Got sucked into it all and left with 4 pieces on order. After the fog of cruising disappeared, I assumed the same thing, that I bet we got scammed. I looked up the prints or those similar and from what I could find we paid retail or slightly under. But that was after several "discounts" we received for buying two prints in the first action and then having a history of buying after that. So their "retail" prices were pretty far out of line with reality and if we hadn't gotten any discounts we would have paid above land retail for them.

[GUT2407]

My father was a serious art collector (Canadian abstract art, Painters Eleven mostly) and on each of the cruises he went on, he'd always attend the art sale/auction event.

 

But he would never buy.

 

I'll add my voice to the consensus above: if you want the pretty picture, as a memory of your trip, and because you like how it looks, then by all means. But if you want a valuable and genuine artwork with an established provenance with the hope that, one day, it may be worth more than you paid for, then you're better off contacting a local art dealer on shore, or logging on to an internet auction organized by a well-known auction house specializing in the kind of art you like.

 

I can't claim to be a serious collector, I do have a few nice pieces, over th years I have known some serious collectors very well, a cousin was director of the National Gallery, a neighbor has a wonderful collection, worth millions, a childhood friend was conservator of the State Gallery, some of them have bought on cruises, but only because they saw something they liked for a particular wall.

 

I tend to take the view that anything in the ship is a decoration and maybe a souvenir, not a Work of Art. Though everyone and then there is a Gem, just they are rare and I am afraid quality is falling.

[SPacificbound]

You must have liked them, or you wouldn't have bought them. Just find the perfect spots on your walls and enjoy them.