The thrill of the find
Good art found in surprising places
It’s one of my dreams to find priceless (very expensive) artwork at a thrift store. I have the eye for it, but the opportunity has not presented itself. There are a few things at play here: the thrill of the find, the financial payout, but also the certainty of trusting your taste.
Daisy Alioto, a friend and founder of the media company Dirt, articulated the latter nicely in a tweet a couple of weeks ago. “Here is a little story about trusting your own taste. Six years ago I saw this painting hanging in the back hallway of a local coffee shop and fell in love with it,” the thread begins. Daisy convinced the owner to sell it to her for $700 without knowing anything about the artist or the piece.
The painting was done by Martin Schreiber in 1981. After getting it appraised, Daisy learned it was worth 5K-7K. The moral of the story: trust your taste (also, we all should trust Daisy’s taste; she has a real knack for calling and making trends).
I emailed Daisy to ask her a couple of questions.
What stood out to you about the painting?
The level of detail is just astonishing. The brush work is so technical but there is still something very mystical about the overall effect. It reminded me of artists I already loved like Hilma af Klint and Frank Stella and at the same time looked like nothing I had ever seen before.
Did you feel like there was any risk involved? If it had been unsigned, would your relationship with the painting be different?
No not at all, I thought it was a fair price for the size and skill. I fully expected to never know who the artist was.
What was the process of appraising it like? Why was it important for you to appraise it?
I had it appraised through Mutual Art so I could add it to my insurance but my insurer ended up not accepting the appraisal which was annoying.
I asked on Twitter and the Substack chat if anyone had a story about art they found in unusual places. The answers are charming! Please chime in if you have your own story about a found painting.
NEWS THIS WEEK
The portrait of Charles III by Jonathan Yeo is controversial. And I’m going on the record to say I like it.
Christie’s was hacked. Art Forecast speculated about why the website was down within hours (way before outlets picked it up).
AMA with Marion Maneker of Wall Power at Puck News. I learned a lot including why art is a terrible way to launder money, how bidders’ identities are masked via phone bidding, and what snacks the auction houses are serving.
A free studio inventory tool has just launched. Sign up to beta-test Valise. I interviewed Brian Sholis, co-founder, about the program in a past newsletter. You can read more about the ethos behind it here. They’re helping new users get set up as a concierge service.
Art Forecast Picks 🧡
I love Santiago Licata's work. An exhibition just opened at the Deli Gallery. It’s technically intriguing and ghostly.
Intel on the ground says Shakira was very into these ceramics by Jennifer Rochlin at the Hauser & Wirth opening.
Nik Gelormino’s ‘Sun Path’ is open at House of Seiko in San Fransisco until June 9. The wooden box carvings are buttery and feel distinctly from another time. I want one of his stools.
