Art Show?

[Travelgrrl]

LonW,

Actually, Kathy's point was that the signatures are all EXACTLY the same, and do not differ at all (a sign they've been duplicated), you seem to be making the opposite point.

 

All I know is, in 15 cruises on 3 lines, all of which use Park West, I have seen the same prints over and over and over and over..., well, you get the idea. I doubt there is much value in endlessley reproduced prints.

 

For the same price (or, I suspect a lot less) you could support a local artist in your community (or in a community you visit on your cruise) and have a one of a kind original.

Travelgrrl

[intentionaltourist]

CP

Please note that Park West Galleries are the formost gallery that does not only these at sea auctions but an enormous amount of fund raisers for all sorts of organizations.

My many personal experiences with PW is not just good, but very good.

They are honest, and reputable. They are always professional and in spite of what some of these responses say, they give good value.

Do not buy any art thinking you are making an investment, most people don't know enough to make that work. Insured value is very different the actual selling prices, usually.

We only buy what we like, and we have bought from them the last 35 years with confidence, and feel comfortable with what we paid, and that is not alot.

This is not any different than going to the casino, or bingo, except it may be entertaining once, and you may end up with a nice item. Do not bid higher than you are comfortable.

Our favorite souveniers are local artists work in the ports of call, we've always come home with the most memorable pieces this way.

By the way, we hate Champagne!

Intentionaltourist

[36kruzes]

I must agree with your post -- especially about the champagne not being great. I happen to enjoy the auctions, however, finding them relaxing and colorful and informative. On many of my cruises that featured auctions, gallery owners were sailing just for the purpose of purchasing large numbers of pieces for their galleries. Were they going to sell them for more at home? You bet!

 

Your comments on your Picot hit home with me. I, too, have a Picot and love it -- I have seen his original works here in Los Angeles and they cost quite a bit. Anything by Francois (Fanch) Ledan is worth quite a lot as well, especially if you get an original. I MET Mr. Ledan at a gallery here in L.A. where his works were being featured, and this is all on the up and up. The artists are real, many are very famous and their works very collectible. Just because they are for the most part serigraphs and lithographs, they are far from worthless. These are not "posters."

 

It's true that not everyone will like what is offered, but there is wide variety. Park West holds auctions in large hotels in big cities, like Los Angeles. Believe me, the people attending here in the city are a lot more sophisticated than many of the cruise ship naysayers on this board.

 

That said, you have to LIKE what you buy, and not be thinking about what you could get for it at re-sale. Art IS subjective, but all of my friends greatly admire the lithographs and serigraphs I've purchased over the years by such artists as Fanch Ledan, Shari Hatchett and Cathi Whiting.

 

You can snivel all you like about the art and the companies selling it aboard ships, but it is not what you will find at your local Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond, that I can tell you for certain.

 

I find that Park West, in particular, is extremely upfront about its pricing and add-ons and so forth. I have never felt ripped off by them in any way.

 

If you don't like the art auctions, don't attend. On every cruise I've taken where they were offered, the rooms were filled to capacity with onlookers and bidders. It's been rare to see anyone leave in disgust. I guess the critical ones are all here on this board.

 

 

 

 

=Trevoli]The free champagne isn't all that great, so if that's your sole reason for attending, then I wouldn't bother.

 

If you've never attended an art auction before and have nothing else to do (these were the circumstances under which I went to my first auction: it was a sea day, it was raining, I was bored), then by all means go. If you don't like it, you can leave and you never have to attend another auction for the rest of your life.

 

Nobody will hold a gun to your head demanding that you buy something. Register to get a bid card and raffle tickets (it's free), and then if you see a graphic you like, you'll be ready to buy.

 

I learned a great deal about art and artists at my first auction, and I ended up buying a seriolithograph by Jean-Claude Picot. I still love it, and have bought several more pieces at Park West Auctions and a couple on Princess (they run their own auctions).

 

Are they worth what I paid? I don't know, especially when you take matting and framing into account. Do I have any buyer's remorse? No, because I still love my pieces and have fond memories surrounding the purchases. Did I have 'investing' in mind? Absolutely not.

 

As for the auctions encroaching into public places, I've never experienced that but it doesn't sound like a good idea to me. The auctions I've attended were in lounge areas, not in an atrium.

 

Are the 'free' pieces worth it? Depends on whether you like them or not. I won a 'free' print by Linda LeKniff recently. I knew there was going to be a shipping charge to get it to me and I was OK with that. If I'd seen the 'free' print and didn't like it, then I wouldn't have agreed to the shipping charge.

 

I've read posts from passengers saying that the auctioneer pretends there are bids being made in order to drive up the cost. I've never seen that happen, but that doesn't mean it hasn't occurred.

 

As another poster said, art is SOOO subjective. For instance, I absolutely hate Thomas Kincaid (talk about bringing sand to the beach), but others adore his stuff. There are lots of people out there who would shudder at the stuff that I buy, and I'm OK with that.

 

I have found the Princess and Park West Auctions to be totally upfront with what you're buying and how much you're going to pay for it (the buyer's premium, S&H, matting and framing if you choose).

 

If you think your art collecting $$ are better spent elsewhere, then go for it.

 

T

[OliverTheCat]

We watched the art auction from the staircase in Centrum on our Legend cruise last time. Someone actually bid $10,000 for a painting like it was no big deal. We almost flipped our lids when we saw that. After reading all the posts about the company being a rip off, I really hope that man didnt get a fake!

 

This is an interesting thread!

[cacky]

Here's my two cents:

 

We don't gamble (talk about a waste of money!)

 

We love the art auctions. If you have the money, it's a lot of fun. It's a great way to start an art collection.

 

To each his own.

[ballarinamom]

I agree with LonW. My husband and I knew of Parkwest from the land austions where we have gone for 12 years. We go to them every 3 months here in town and know the auctionier. We began seeing them on cruises over 10 years ago. I just walked through my home and examined paintings that we purchased on land and at sea. The ONLY signature that are SOMEWHAT identical are those of the SAME artists. We actually have sold some of these items for a nice profit. If it is a "ripoff" you are not paying attention to the artist and may not be familiar with their market value. I do agree that they may not be the bargain they once were when you got the art framed with the bid price. Now the price does not include framing and that can get even pricier than the art. You can apply online for a Parkwest credit card which will give the option of no interest for a year or bid credits. You'll also receive newsletters about Parkwest artists and auctions coming to your home town. Good Luck!

[Rabbitlady]

I guess I am one of the few but... my husband and I enjoyed the art auctions and did buy some pieces- bidding carefully. I don't think the pieces we bought were worthless....unless they are fakes which I doubt. I have been pricing them in the galleries.

 

We learned a lot in the art auction about different artists, etc. I found it fun and informative. I have walked by other art auctions on cruise ships and not gone but they definitely didn't look fun. However, I liked the auctioneer on the Mariner and decided to attend and wound up going to all of them. I guess everyone has a different opinion and maybe I will feel differently after going to a few more auctions.

 

Rabbitlady:)

[dappledumpling]

My wife and I attended alot of the auctions before we diced to buy. I find it an enjoyable way to spend a few hours on a sea day. we have purchased various items from the auction and absolutely love what we have bought. It is a great way to remember our cruises.

 

As for the signatures look at what you are buying (or getting free carefully) some will say hand signed in pencil others will say signed in the plate. If it is signed in the plate then realize it is a mass production and a nice poster if you like it than wonderful.

 

Most of what I buy are serio-lithographs signed by the artist and numbered. Are they worth what i paid.. absolutely to me. Is it an investment... NO!

My only remorse from my last auction a month ago was i didn't buy 2 prints that i liked....(still bought 7)

 

as far as the champagne goes.. forget it....

 

bottom line if ya enjoy it go and have fun... if its not your style do something else after all its a big ship..

[chime]

I have attended, enjoyed and purchased at the Park West auctions. Beware of one issue. On our most recent cruise we purchased 6 pieces, Park West later notified us that two of them were unavailable (33%). They had sold too many. I was told that I had only made a bid but I could have sworn the auctioneer said "SOLD". I was offered other pieces by the same artist and them other artists. I checked Park West's website and all offers were for works with appraised value less than what I had purchased. In utter frustration I decided they didn't deserve my business and asked for my money back. Even though we had paid our account they would only provide a charge credit. That was a month ago, it is still in process.

[ballarinamom]

Just got off the Rhapsody. As I said above, DH and I have attended so many Park West auctions both on land and at sea I could never keep count. Just an example, 6 years ago, we purchased a signed (and independantly appraised for all of you persimists) Salvador Dali for $3000.Opening bid for the same piece was $7,900 and they got it. If you know what to look for and if you enjoy your art ( whether you spend $50 or $50,000), these auctions are worth it. Shout out to Gordon and Teo- the best auctioners we've had in a long time. They actually had two separate champagne classes to teach you about art. No selling, just a nice conversation about modern art. If you think these people are scam artists, you have no idea what art is.