This painting by Santa Barbara artist Barnaby Conrad (1922-2013)was chosen
this month for its local connection. Our reader bought the piece in May 2009 in Carpinteria, California. With an asking price sticker of $800, our
reader was able to negotiate the price to $450.
Best known as a writer, Conrad lived
an extraordinary life. Born in San Francisco, he studied Yale, University of
North Carolina, and the University of Mexico (where he began bull fighting). He
was a friend of Sinclair Lewis, John Steinbeck, William F. Buckley Jr. and Ray
Bradbury, many of whom he painted. His portraits of Alex Haley and Truman
Capote are in the National Portrait Gallery.
This whimsical painting entitled "Fish
Diary" is watercolor, oil and collage. Conrad has playfully signs his name
in the fishing license section of the painting, giving it a personal touch. This
is an example of a trompe-l’œil painting, meaning “trick of the
eye.” The style is meant to create an optical illusion where the subject
appears in 3-dimensions. A popular style in 19th century Europe, the
style is still used by contemporary artists.
Unfortuntately, Barnaby Conrad has
virtually no auction market. With only two auction records that could be
located, his paintings have sold at auction for $200-$300. An auction
specialist would likely suggest a very low sales estimates of $100-$200 and
hope that interested buyers would bid up the price.
Conrad’s
most common and strongest market appears to be in the regional gallery market
of Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. The Palm Loft Gallery had an exhibition of
his work in 2006. Currently, no galleries are selling his work. In valuing
artworks, appraisers often consider the regional market of a certain artist.
For instance, California impressionist paintings tend to sell for more in
California, as one might expect.
Since many people knew Barnaby
Conrad, his values would be higher in this area than in the general art market.
He recently passed away which also tends to up the values of an artist’s work.
Collectors would pay slightly higher retail prices than the auction records
reflect. If this piece were appraised for Insurance, it would likely have a
Retail Replacement Value of approximately $500-$600, which is close to what the
buyer originally paid.
Retail Replacement Value is defined
as the highest amount in terms of US dollars that would be requireda to replace
a property with another of similar age, quality, origin, appearance,
provenance, and condition with a reasonable length of time in an appropriate
and relevant market. When applicable, sales and/or import tax, commissions
and/or premiums are included in this amount.
*
This is not a formal appraisal. An appraisal is a legal document, generally for
insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert who has examined the artwork
in-person and is paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal involves an extensive amount of research to
establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and
other important attributes of a particular object. This article is
restricted-use and
is intended for educational purposes only.
