Art and Antiques

Van Onschatbare Waarde

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:06:06 GMT

Van onschatbare waarde seizoen 9 van start

Op 20 Augustus begint het televisie programma van Onschatbare waarde om 20.30 Npo 1 bij Omroep Max.

TEKST: RICHARD ROOSENBOOM BEELD: SANDER MULKENS.

Ook in het nieuwe seizoen bieden de experts in Van onschatbare

waarde op meegebrachte kunstvoorwerpen. Het onderhandelings-

spel is daarbij belangrijker dan de daadwerkelijke winstmarge.

Expert Arnold Wegh: ‘Als ik misgrijp, baal ik daarvan.’

Al sinds ze een klein meisje was, handelt Bianca

Frölich in kunst en antiek. Maar een Egyptisch

dodenmasker, zoals te zien in Van onschatbare waarde,

kreeg ze niet vaak onder ogen. “Het zijn objecten waar

we relatief weinig van weten, er hangt veel mystiek

eromheen. Toch zijn ze relatief betaalbaar.” Het

enthousiasme klinkt zelfs maanden na de opnames

nog door in haar stem. Maar of ze het ook weet te

bemachtigen, hangt af van twee factoren. Natuurlijk

de onderhandelingen met de verkoper, maar ook de

volgorde waarin die de experts bezoekt.

Dat is het spannende aan het programma: Frölich en

haar collega’s hebben allemaal hun eigen kamer, die

de verkoper in een door hem of haar gekozen volgorde

bezoekt. Het is dus zaak dat ze er bij de uitleg van het

meegebrachte voorwerp voor zorgen dat deelnemers

hun kamer bezoeken voordat ze bij de concurrentie

langsgaan. Anders lopen ze het risico dat een van de

andere handelaren dat object voor hun neus wegkapen.

Daarvan zijn alle experts zich bewust. “De strijd begint

daarom al echt in die objectzaal. Daar moet je je

interesse meteen kenbaar maken en de verkopende

partij op het hart drukken dat die jouw kamer niet

moet overslaan.” Een lastige keuze? “Als een verkoper

goed kijkt, ziet die wiens ogen het meest schitteren.”

Glimmen

De ogen van collega-expert Arnold Wegh begonnen

te glimmen toen hij een achttiende-eeuwse klok zag.

“Klokken moeten de tijd aangeven, maar in die periode

konden ze ook allerlei extra dingen. Ze speelden

melodieën, er bewogen mechaniekjes voor de

wijzerplaat – zo’n klok was gewoon een attractie

in een interieur”, vertelt hij enthousiast. Wegh heeft

dan ook wat met klokken. “We hebben er een paar

duizend in ons bedrijf staan, en dan overdrijf ik niet.”

Daar kon er best nog eentje bij vond hij, en dat liet hij

de verkoper weten in de objectzaal.

Maar zulke duidelijke belangstelling is geen garantie

voor succes. “Soms zeg ik heel nadrukkelijk dat ze

mij niet moeten vergeten. Het risico is dan wel dat

ze weten dat ze hun object toch wel aan mij kunnen

verkopen en mijn kamer daarom pas als laatste

bezoeken.” De kans is dan toch groot dat een van

zijn collega’s die eerder aan de beurt is, ermee

vandoor gaat. “Daarom is het soms juist beter om

niets te zeggen. Welke strategie het best werkt, hangt

af van wie er tegenover je staat. Je moet als handelaar

goed kijken met wat voor persoon je te maken hebt.”

Na de gezamenlijke uitleg van het meegebrachte

object gaan de experts allemaal naar hun eigen

kamer, hopend op een bezoek van de verkoper.

Wegh: “Soms blijft het even stil en krijg ik het idee:

verdorie, volgens mij gaat het stuk naar een ander.”

Na een tijdje komt er dan duidelijkheid: het voorwerp

is inderdaad verkocht. “Dan zit ik te balen. Ik wil in

principe dat elke verkoper bij mij in de kamer komt.

Ik ben nu eenmaal fanatiek, zo zit ik in elkaar.” Het

competitie-element is voor hem de reden dat hij

meedoet aan Van onschatbare waarde. “Kijk, ik koop

zo’n twintigduizend objecten per jaar, in het program-

ma zitten er dertig. Voor de handel hoef ik ze niet per

se te hebben. Het gaat om het spel, en dat spel wil ik

winnen.”

Dat geldt ook voor Frölich. “Als een voorwerp dat ik

wilde hebben aan een ander is verkocht, sta ik na

afloop toch wat teleurgesteld in de objectzaal. Aan

de andere kant ben ik ook best collegiaal: als de

verkoper een mooie prijs voor een object heeft

gekregen, ben ik heel blij dat het zo is afgelopen.”

‘Soms blijft het stil en denk ik:

 verdorie, het stuk gaat naar een ander’

Liefde voor het vak

Behalve de liefde voor het onderhandelingsspel is

er nog een reden dat ze voor het vijfde seizoen op rij

meedoet aan Van onschatbare waarde. “We maken

gewoon een mooi programma, met fijne mensen. Of

het nu een expert is of een crewlid, iedereen heeft veel

passie en liefde voor het vak. En we hebben ook echt

veel lol met elkaar. Na de opnames zitten we elkaar

soms een beetje te plagen. Het komt wel eens voor dat

blijkt dat iemand veel te veel heeft betaald voor een

voorwerp. Dat krijgt die persoon dan het hele seizoen

lang te horen.”

Wegh is het roerend met zijn collega eens: “Kijk, dit is

voor mij een zijstraat, ik doe het erbij. Het is gewoon

een leuk team en ik ga ieder jaar weer met plezier naar

de opnames, anders zou ik het niet meer doen.”

Van onschatbare waarde | woensdag 20 augustus |

20.35 | MAX | NPO 1

NRC artikel

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:25:16 GMT

NRC Artikel : ‘Ik kijk graag naar de schoonheid van een ander’

Kunstkenner Bianca Frölich

‘Ik kijk graag naar de schoonheid van een ander’

Vakmanschap vraagt om passie, toewijding én het optimaal gebruiken van zintuigen. Bianca Frölich ziet zich als een schoonheidszoeker voor haar klanten. Want eigenlijk opereert ze niet in de kunst- en antiekhandel, ze handelt in geluk.

Soms lijkt het alsof Bianca Frölich (38) de tijd heeft gekraakt. Ze leeft van het verleden, denkt met veel zorg na over de toekomst en probeert tegelijkertijd zoveel mogelijk van het hier en nu te genieten. „Ik ervaar schoonheid in het verleden”, begint Bianca, „maar je moet het leven ondervinden.”

Vakmanschap

Ze legt de nadruk op het laatste woord. „Door ervaring worden we rijker. Dat is iets wat ik soms mis in onze huidige tijd. We doen constant aannames, over werkelijk alles, maar we missen de tijd om de diepte in te gaan en te zoeken naar de kern.” Daarom prijst ze vakmanschap. Ergens écht goed in worden, met liefde voor ambacht. „Kijk naar een stuk antiek. Daar zijn de allerbeste materialen voor gebruikt, door verschillende geoefende vakmensen die samenwerken. Elk object is het beste van het beste uit die tijd, anders zou het nu niet meer bestaan. Ik geloof dat dit ware schoonheid is. Dat zie je, en dat voel je.”

Kijken, kijken, kijken

Als kind mocht Bianca op sommige maandagen spijbelen om met haar vader Ed Frölich op schatten te jagen voor zijn antiekzaak in Enschede. Ze reden langs exposities, galerieën en markten. „Ik leerde verder kijken; begrijpen wat je ziet. Waarom is een object bijzonder? ‘Kijken, kijken, kijken’, zei mijn vader altijd. Dat kun je ook op het leven toepassen. Een briljant telt 57 facetten; als je slechts door één de wereld bekijkt, mis je een groot deel van de werkelijkheid.”

Een scherper oog voor detail

Natuurlijk hielp ze haar vader in zijn zaak; sterker nog, als tiener draaide ze zelfs een tweede vestiging in Ootmarsum. Maar dat was niet Bianca’s plek. Ze wilde haar kennis vergroten en de wereld zien. De werkelijkheid ondergaan. Ze verliet Enschede voor Sydney, Londen, Jakarta en Boston en streek uiteindelijk neer in Amsterdam waar ze in opdracht van klanten kunst koopt. „Door mijn reizen en studies in het buitenland kreeg ik een scherper oog voor detail.”

Niet zien

„Je moet een contextueel begrip hebben van tijd en plaats als je een object bekijkt”, vervolgt ze. „Daarna kijk je naar licht, schaduw, vorm. Maar wij zijn mensen. Wat zien we echt? We zijn beperkt door een neurologisch systeem dat alleen lichtfrequenties in golflengtes tussen vierhonderd en zevenhonderd nanometer waarneemt. Die daarbuiten zien we niet… maar dat betekent niet dat die er niet zijn.” Juist wat we niet zien, is voor haar belangrijk: „Bij een mooi object gaat het nog veel meer om het stukje dat je niet ziet. Het verhaal. De niet-zintuigelijke waarneming die het hart raakt.”

Kunst en cultuur beschermen

Sinds het vijfde seizoen is Bianca een van de experts van het televisieprogramma Van onschatbare waarde, waarin deelnemers bijzondere objecten proberen te verkopen aan de handelaren. Met meer dan een miljoen kijkers per aflevering wordt Bianca zelf ook veel bekeken. „Dat heeft me heel veel gebracht. Het is echt een feest om te mogen maken.” De populariteit van het programma verrast haar enigszins. Het gaat namelijk niet goed met de antiquairs in Nederland. „De lol is er een beetje af door de regelzucht van boven. Het is eeuwig zonde dat zoveel antiquairs de handdoek in de ring gooien. We moeten kunst en cultuur beschermen; we onderschatten hoe belangrijk het is. Het vertelt onze geschiedenis. Natuurlijk kijken we nu anders naar gebruiken van toen. Maar we kunnen altijd veel van kunst leren – soms ook hoe het niet moet.”

Iets terugdoen

Bianca probeert de kunstwereld vooruit te helpen en werkt aan een app om kunstportfolio’s digitaal vast te leggen; in september gaat deze live. Ze liep er elke keer tegenaan dat ze krantenknipsels en informatie moest verzamelen voor veilingen. „Digitaal kunnen we het netjes bundelen en aan de nieuwe koper overdragen.” Ze vernoemt de app naar Aton, de Egyptische zonnegod. „Het nieuwe licht, gelieerd aan vernieuwing. Ik wil iets terugdoen voor de kunstenaars. Zo kunnen ze hun kunst overdragen zonder alle gedoe eromheen. Daar moeten ze zich geen zorgen om maken. Het zijn mensen die vanuit hun ziel leven. Ik heb daar een zwak voor.”

Rariteitenkabinet

Dat kunst en antiek haar toekomst was, las ze in het kunst- en rariteitenkabinet in de antiekzaak. Dat was bij uitstek de verzamelplaats voor schatten voor welgestelde families. „Er werd van alles neergelegd, van schelpen tot waardepapieren”, legt Bianca uit. „Vroeger liet je daarmee zien wat je in huis had, letterlijk en figuurlijk. Dat rariteitenkabinet uit mijn jeugd staat er nog. Ik loodste iedereen die binnenkwam erheen en vertelde er álles over. Dat is nog altijd mijn favoriete object.” En ze heeft al veel gezien, heel veel. Toch verveelt ze zich geen moment. „Alle objecten hebben bijgedragen aan hoe ik nu ben, en werk, en hoe ik naar de wereld kijk.”

Kijken naar schoonheid

Mensen lezen is minstens zo belangrijk als het spotten van bijzondere objecten, benadrukt ze. „Bij verzamelaars gaat het niet eens om de waarde van een object, maar dat het object zelf wordt gewaardeerd. Dat vind ik zo mooi. Met iemand tegenover mij de diepte ingaan over iets wat we delen.” Eigenlijk zoekt én vindt ze overal schoonheid. En als ze het ziet, dan fonkelen haar helblauwe ogen. Je ziet het als zij het ziet. Schoonheid is niet duur: „Een boom kan me heel lang raken. Of als ik langs de gracht loop en een gelukkig stel in een bootje zie. Daar haal ik kracht uit. Ik vind het heel fijn om naar de schoonheid van een ander te kijken.”

Mooi vinden

Ook nu kijkt ze uit over de Amsterdamse grachten. Ze glundert. „Dat is ook een plaatje. Ik zie verbonden mensen. Dit is haast een schilderij.” De grachten brengen haar terug naar de bloei van de Hollandse economie. „Als je kijkt naar economische bloeiperiodes zoals de zogeheten Gouden Eeuw, maar ook de Renaissance in Florence en de Tangdynastie in China, zie je dat er dan mooie kunst ontstaat. Creatie krijgt de ruimte. Nu gaat het ook goed, maar ergens zijn we het gevoel voor kwaliteit kwijtgeraakt. Het moet vooral snel: we willen het nu. We kunnen niet meer wachten op een kundig portret. Gaat het er niet om dat we iets mooi moeten vinden?”

De kracht van creatie

Ze moet, naar eigen zeggen, oppassen dat ze niet te pessimistisch wordt. In wezen is Bianca namelijk bijzonder optimistisch. „De nieuwe generatie lijkt meer verbonden. Ze zijn bezig met iets moreel bijdragen aan de samenleving. Het enige probleem is dat ze niet te veel willen doen, haha. Ik geloof in de kracht van creatie. Wat ben jij aan het maken? Dat is een belangrijkere vraag dan: wat ben jij aan het doen? De vakman leidt altijd en volgt niet zozeer. Die visie zou ik meer willen omarmen. Zoek de vakman in jezelf.”

Tekst: Stefan Popa

https://www.nrc.nl/brandedcontent/hertogjan/ik-kijk-graag-naar-de-schoonheid-van-een-ander

Interview Max Magazine

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 12:03:30 GMT

Met dank aan Eric van Onna , het was een bijzonder gesprek met een bijzonder resultaat.

Bianca Frölich

Van onschatbare waarde terug

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 11:54:32 GMT

Van onschatbare waarde terug met bijzondere objecten

Hilversum, 6 februari - Van onschatbare waarde is terug! Dionne Stax presenteert vanaf maandag 13 februari om 20.30 uur op NPO 1 het nieuwe seizoen van het populaire pro gramma. In Van onschatbare waarde krijgen verkopers van bijzondere en waardevolle spullen de kans om hun object te verkopen aan Arnold, Bert, Bianca of Bas; de vier experts.

Mensen uit heel Nederland krijgen de unieke kans om hun waardevolle pronkstuk te verkopen aan Arnold Wegh, Bert Degenaar, Bianca Frölich of Bas Jonker. De experts ontvangen verkopers in hun eigen kamer, de verkoper accepteert het bod óf kiest ervoor om door te gaan naar de volgende kamer. Slim onderhandelen is een vereiste; eenmaal een bod geaccepteerd of geweigerd, is er geen weg meer terug. De verkopers worden bijgestaan door presentatrice Dionne Stax.

Aflevering 1 - maandag 13 februari om 20.30 uur bij MAX op NPO 1
In het nieuwe seizoen van Van onschatbare waarde zijn we op Paleis Soestdijk. Hier verheugen de experts zich op de komst van verkopers met bijzondere objecten. De eerste verkoper is Jan. De zoon van een Haagse antiquair brengt een klein smeedijzeren geldkistje mee. Het beschilderde kistje is in de jaren 50 in de collectie van zijn vader beland. Jan zet in op 5500 euro, maar is dat realistisch?

Ook Caroline komt langs. Zij verkoopt een uniek bronzen beeld van een paard. Het beeld is in 1978 gemaakt door de Utrechtse kunstenaar Theo Mackaay en werd gebaseerd op een familiepaard. Het is uniek, aangezien de stijl van het beeld atypisch is voor Mackaay. Kubisme en impressionisme zijn kunststromingen die normaal gesproken op hem van toepassing zijn. In welke stal komt het paard van Caroline terecht?

De afleveringsinformatie over de overige afleveringen van Van onschatbare waarde is te raadplegen op onze perssite .

Van onschatbare waarde (zeven afleveringen)
Vanaf maandag 13 februari om 20.30 uur bij MAX op NPO 1
Presentatie: Dionne Stax
MAXVandaag.nl

Media

duda-wsm@mijndomein.nl — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:42:28 GMT

Han Lips kijkt tv

Zelfs Dionne Stax wekt met een scherpe opmerking de indruk helemaal zichzelf te zijn

Han Lips schrijft elke dag over wat hij ziet op tv. Vandaag: Van onschatbare waarde.

Han Lips2 september 2021, 08:42

Urgentie wordt nogal eens overgewaardeerd. En Lips snapt het ook wel: over Van onschatbare waarde wordt de dag erna zelden meer een woord vuilgemaakt door de mensen die te vroeg hebben ingeschakeld voor hun Zoomvergadering. Het programma waarbij kunsthandelaren tegen elkaar opbieden om voor een zo laag mogelijk bedrag een kunstwerk te verwerven, gaat niet over het gesprek van de dag en wórdt het daarna al helemaal niet.

Maar toch zijn er maar weinig programma’s waarbij je aan het gezicht van Lips, die doorgaans als een sfinx op de bank zit, kan aflezen wat hij ervan vindt. Gespannen, licht naar voren leunend om maar niets te hoeven missen. Het pure genieten van het kunstige onderhandelen tussen professionele kopers en amateuristische verkopers. En uiteindelijk de opluchting als de deal wordt gesloten.

De eerste aflevering van het vijfde seizoen van Van onschatbare waarde knetterde het weer van de spanning tussen de handelaren en de bijna allemaal opvallend gewiekste deelnemers. De lindehouten buste van Ajax die werd ingebracht door de Tilburgse Maarten, een ‘enorme Ajaxfan’, vormde daar, dacht Lips te kunnen constateren, een uitzondering op: hij liet zich nogal inpakken door de nieuwe antiekkenner Bianca Frölich. Maarten had gezegd ten minste 10.000 euro te willen beuren, maar Bianca keek haar slachtoffer zo indringend in de ogen dat alles aan hem week werd en hij akkoord ging met een verkoopbedrag van 8500.

Van onschatbare waarde heeft de totale gunfactor. Het is heerlijke televisie, goed gemaakt en met leuke, mediagenieke handelaren en verkopers. Zelfs presentatrice Dionne Stax, die de neiging kan hebben om voor ‘gewone mensen’ door de knieën te gaan en dan alles afwerkt in het standje begripvol/poeslief, wekt met her en der een scherpe opmerking eindelijk eens de indruk helemaal zichzelf te zijn.

2 september NPO1 Omroep Max

Bron; het Parool :

https://www.parool.nl/kunst-media/zelfs-dionne-stax-wekt-met-een-scherpe-opmerking-de-indruk-helemaal-zichzelf-te-zijn~b60591f00/

Van Onschatbare waarde

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:45:57 GMT

Art expert in "Van Onschatbare Waarde" season 5

Bianca Frölich made her TV debut in the Art show of Van Onschatbare Waarde (Invaluable Value ) better known as Four Rooms in the UK.

Sellers of special and valuable objects get the chance to sell their object to one of the four experts. Once a bid is accepted or refused, there is no way back.

Bianca Frölich (35) grew up surrounded by art and antiques. As a child, she regularly went on 'treasure hunts' with her father Ed, an art dealer in Enschede, scouring Europe for special art objects. From him, she learned to look carefully, to distinguish fake from real, to appraise and to know people. "That is something I will never forget. Real father-daughter days. That is very dear to me".

As a teenager she was allowed to run one of her father's antique shops in Ootmarsum. But after a while the world beckoned and Bianca exchanged Overijssel for Boston, Sydney, London and Jakarta where she gained knowledge in real estate, western and eastern art, but also in sustainable development aid and climate change.

Art always remained Bianca's greatest passion and in all the parts of the world where she lived, she learned something about the history and culture. "What I love most about my profession is that every object has its own unique story. The history of the artwork, but also of its owners."

Bianca now buys art on commission for individuals and companies. "The encounters with very unique people, the engagements with them and the objects I find for them is the most special aspect for me. That's what makes it the most beautiful profession for me".

Season 5 starts from the 1st of September 2021 bij Omroep Max , iedere woensdag Npo1 20:35

Press the link so see the series

https://www.npostart.nl/van-onschatbare-waarde/POW_03470976/episode

On the road with Bianca Frölich

duda-wsm@mijndomein.nl — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 07:12:35 GMT

On the Road with Art expert Bianca Frölich

Bianca Frölich grew up within the world of Art & antiques.

In this Video you will get an impression how Bianca Grew up and what her days look like.

Media De Tubantia/ AD/ De Gelderlander

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 20:52:39 GMT

Media De Tubantia/ Algemeen Dagblad & De Gelderlander

Enschedese Bianca is de nieuwe deskundige in kijkcijferhit Van Onschatbare Waarde: ‘Ik moet zelf de knip trekken’

ENSCHEDE - Ieder bod in Van Onschatbare Waarde is echt, bezweert Bianca Frölich (35). De Enschedese is de nieuwe kunst- en antiekexpert in de kijkcijferhit. „Als ik tien mille zeg, moet ik de portemonnee trekken.”

Ze staat naast een Amsterdams horloge uit de 17de eeuw, een staande klok van zeker twee meter. Bianca wijst op engeltjes, blazend op bazuinen. Atlas torst, gebukt, de wereld. Dit kunststuk verkocht ze aan een klant en prijkt nu weer in een grachtenpand. ,,Hoe mooi dat je een stukje geschiedenis kunt terugbrengen.” Trots showt ze een filmpje op haar smartphone.

Haar ogen glanzen, ze vertelt met passie. Bianca zit in een klassieke kuipstoel in de antiekwinkel van vader Ed (62). Achter de bescheiden gevel aan de Kuipersdijk in Enschede gaat een wereld verscholen. Die van pendules, vazen, serviezen, meubilair.

‘Strooptochten’

Ze groeide op tussen kunst en antiek. Senior opende de shop dik 25 jaar geleden. Zij vergezelde hem geregeld op ‘strooptochten’, speurend naar lucratieve handelswaar. Op die vader-dochterdagen nam ze zijn devies over: ‘kijken, kijken, kijken’.

Vader struinde liefst langs ’s heerenwegen. Ed: „Bianca ging met me mee. Ze heeft veel geleerd.” Nep van echt scheiden, dateren, mensenkennis opdoen. Ging zij weleens ‘nat’? „Een uurwerk binnenin kan vervangen zijn, daar heb je technisch inzicht voor nodig. Ik zie eerder dat de buitenkant van een klok niet klopt.”

Kunsthandel

Als zij 15 is, opent senior ook een kunsthandel in Ootmarsum. Die runt zij, maar na verloop van tijd komen de muren op haar af. Bianca: „Deze jonge meid wilde wat van de wereld zien.”

De boel ging dicht, als moderne ‘ontdekkingsreiziger’ verkende ze de halve wereld vanuit haar nieuwe woonplaats Amsterdam. In haar paspoort kwamen stempels van Boston, Sydney en Londen, waar ze Engels en vastgoed studeerde, Dubai en Jakarta.

In de Indonesische hoofdstad zag ze een sterk vervuilde rivier. „Tranen sprongen in mijn ogen.” Ze raakte betrokken bij een organisatie die afval in dorpen inzamelt. „Daar ben ik nog ambassadeur van.” Ze kwam vier jaar geleden terug en pendelt tussen Amsterdam en Enschede. „Ik heb een brede klantenkring. De Kuipersdijk is mijn uitvalsbasis.”

Deal met glas whisky

Haar tv-debuut dankt ze mede aan Arnold Wegh. De expert, die gesloten deals beklinkt met een glas whisky, was ervan overtuigd dat ze met haar achtergrond en expertise op haar plaats was. Noem het een kruiwagen. „Ik ken hem al als klein meisje, uit de handel. Het is een beetje ‘ons kent ons’, een kleine wereld.”

Ze noemt Van Onschatbare Waarde echt, zonder script. „De onderhandelingen over een object die een particulier inbrengt, mogen maar één keer. Als ik tien mille bied, staat het. Ik mag het niet overdoen. Alles is echt, je werkt met je eigen geld.”

De kenners (zij, Arnold, Bert Degenaar en Bas Jonker), die in aparte kamers zetelen, moeten breed geïnteresseerd zijn. „Het is niet alleen een Chinese vaas of een antieke klok. Zo komt een beeld van Hildo Krop en een buste van Ajax uit de 17de eeuw voorbij. Je moet breed durven kopen, het moet wel spannend zijn.”

Koude kermis

Een groot verschil met Tussen Kunst en Kitsch, meent ze. „De prijzen zijn daar niet realistisch. Niemand biedt iets, het is een soort utopische waarde. Aanbieders kunnen van een koude kermis thuiskomen.”

Tijdens de opnamen van de zes afleveringen, gepresenteerd door Dionne Stax, bleek Bianca besmet met corona. Er was er maar één die haar meteen kon vervangen: vader en mentor Ed. De Tukker vervulde de gedwongen invalbeurt met verve.

Corona zorgt voor een andere kunstbeleving, schetst ze. „Mensen komen dichter bij zichzelf. Ze kijken bewuster naar een mooi object en zoeken weer diepgang, ook de jeugd. Jongeren willen onderzoek doen naar herkomst en ouderdom. Dat vind ik gaaf.”

Wat hangt bij haar thuis, in de buurt van Carré? „Antiek én modern. Dat kan elkaar versterken. Ik geloof niet meer in een compleet antieke inrichting, maar in objecten.”

Zes jaar single

Haar optreden smaakt naar meer. „Tv kan een andere passie worden, een manier om je verhaal te vertellen.” Van Onschatbare Waarde begint aan het vijfde seizoen, de vorige afleveringen trokken gemiddeld anderhalf miljoen kijkers. Ze is zes jaar single, bewust. „Ik heb vrienden over de hele wereld. Kunst is altijd in mijn leven gebleven. Dat verbindt mensen.”

Van Onschatbare Waarde (Omroep Max) is vanaf woensdag 1 september om 20.40 uur op NPO1 te zien.

Bij mij thuis hangt antiek én modern. Dat kan elkaar versterken

Het hele artikel is te vinden op

https://www.tubantia.nl/enschede/enschedese-bianca-is-de-nieuwe-deskundige-in-kijkcijferhit-van-onschatbare-waarde-ik-moet-zelf-de-knip-trekken~ab2eb0e46/

Bianca Frölich

Japanese Art

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 07:11:47 GMT

Japanese Ceramics

Japanese Ceramics are incredibly undervalued compared to Chinese Ceramics. In the western world most people wouldn't see the difference.

What's the reason for this huge Market gap? Even Antiques is a market of supply and demand. There are certain exceptions.

The demand for Chinese Porcelain is immense. Especially authentic , ancient, rare and valuable pieces. The demand for Japanese ,

is less, so prices are extremely lower compared to similar quality pieces from its counterpart China.

I would like to gives you a small insight into the timeframe of different Japanese styles and time-frames.

PRESTIGIOUS AND MONUMENTAL From the middle of the 17th century, prestigious Japanese pieces were designed in Arita for western tastes and intended for export. The richness and opulence of their decoration, the use of gilding and their increasingly impressive dimensions, were perfectly suited to porcelain cabinets and splendid Baroque interiors of European courts and palaces. It was not uncommon for these ceramics to be topped with metal mounts La made by the finest European goldsmiths and silversmiths These exotic luxury items continued to fascinate until the 19th century. The Japanese pavilions at the World Fairs showed off the country's savoir- faire and inventiveness. Companies such as Koransha Fukagawa and Hichozan Shinpo presented their products at the London, Paris and Vienna Universal Exhibitions. Vases, lidded jars, incense-burners and monumental lanterns were hugely successful and some even won the prix d'honneur. These works, notable for their size and ornamentation, are endlessly enchanting.

ARITA Porcelain has been produced in Japan since the early 17th century. The technique was developed in the Arita region, on the island of Kyūshū, where it had been introduced by Korean potters. In the middle of the 17th century, when East India Companies' traders were no longer able to buy porcelain from Jingdezhen because of civil war in China, they turned to Japan. Specific forms and decoration were commissioned for the Western market. Arita potters sometimes copied them from Chinese or European models. The painted designs are extremely varied: as well as the blue and white of the kraak or Transition style, the shimmering polychrome motifs of Imari, Kakiemon and Nabeshima wares appeared. Production methods of the latter were a closely guarded secret. In turn, Japanese style influenced Chinese and European ceramics.

FIGURINES In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Arita workshops were already producing porcelain figurines partly for export to the West and European palaces. These exceptional pieces were joined in the 19th century by smaller objects often designed as souvenirs for the first tourists of the Meiji period (1868-1912). Several groups from the period illustrate the daily life of contemporary Japan, comparable to a photographic instant. These fragile and popular objects have become, at the beginning of the 21th century, extremely rare curiosities.

SATSUMA From the 17th to the beginning of the 19th « E century, 'Satsuma' was used as a rather ué imprecise term to designate all the ceramic sa production of the ancient estate of the same se name, located on the island of Kyūshū. Initially reserved for feudal aristocracy and upper la ac echelons of samurai, the white ceramic clay of Satsuma was decorated with polychrome designs from the 18th century. The style, ivory in colour with rich designs emphasised in gold, soared in popularity the following century thanks to its large-scale commercialisation. From the 1860s, the mysteries of this aesthetic S- style, showcased in particular through the World Fairs, aroused the interest of Western markets. The arrival of the Meiji period (1868) and its opening to the outside world relations, led to an increase in the number of sites producing in the Satsuma style (Kyōto, Ösaka, Yokohama, Tōkyō, S etc.) and favoured the development of pieces principally for export.

THE MEIJI PERIOD The fall of the shogunate and its feudal system in the mid-19th century led to the birth of modern Japan and radical changes. With the advent of the Meiji period (1868-1912), the country expanded its international trade which had become a major priority of the government. Artisans and craftsmen, deprived of the support of the great houses, were enthusiastic participants. Ceramic production in the Meiji period was extensive and extremely diverse. Exceptional pieces joined more modest mass-produced objects often in the same factory. Kutani, Seto, Yokohama, Banko, Yokkaichi or Nagoya were centres of particular styles and techniques. There are still wide gaps in knowledge about the history of many of the workshops – actors in this creative exuberance – which remains to be written ....

SETO/YOKOHAMA Production in the town of Seto was on an industrial scale mainly in order to supply the growing numbers of painting workshops - etsuke – in Tōkyō, Kõbe, Nagoya and Yokohama. Services were decorated with floral themes, lively landscapes, human figures, legends and other Japanese subjects. At the start of the Meiji era, when Japan reopened to the outside world, the port city of Yokohama became a nerve centre for export activities to Europe and the United States. Potters began to adopt a formal vocabulary in accordance with Western tastes and so created tea and coffee services combining modernity and tradition. Certain objects were not customary in Japan : indeed, cups with handles, milk jugs and sugar bowls were neither used for everyday consumption of drinks nor for tea ceremony or chanoyu.

Best Wishes,

Bianca Frölich

Pictures are taken at the Ariane Ceramic museum in Genève Swiss.

1. The value of art "authenticity"

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 18:52:38 GMT

1. The value of Art " Authenticity"

“Authenticity is the soul of the object,” says Chinese works of art expert Nicolas Chow, adding “Anything that is worth something is worth being faked.” In Episode 1, see how Chow and other Sotheby’s specialists identify the true originals. Sometimes consulting an artist’s catalogue raisonné is enough to affirm authenticity, but other pieces require sleuthing for clues that only a seasoned expert would think to sniff out.

2. The value of art "Condition"

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 18:51:53 GMT

2. The value of Art "Condition"

Yes, the paint might be cracking on the surface of a canvas, but is that a signature feature of the artist’s work, or a sign of damage? Only experts can correctly assess a work’s physical state and understand how condition impacts value. “Some people might want their Dutch landscape to look like it’s been sitting over a smoky wood fire for the last century,” says Old Masters Paintings specialist Jonquil O’Reilly. But as Episode 2 reveals, “perfection” is a nuanced matter.

3. The value of art "Rarity"

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 18:45:28 GMT

4. The value of Art "PROVENANCE"

“Good things are so scarce nowadays,” says Mee-Seen Loong. Which is why nothing generates auction-room fireworks quite like when a once-in-a-lifetime work hits the block. “You cannot really place that value on the estimate, but you know that excitement is inherent in the piece,” adds Loong, a specialist in Chinese art. Rarity can feed the mythology of an object, but factoring scarcity into value is a sophisticated equation. In Episode 3, Sotheby's experts calculate the Rare Factor.

4.. The value of art "PROVENANCE"

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 18:39:07 GMT

4. The value of Art "Provenance"

If a rare porcelain vessel belonged to the Qianlong emperor or a flawless diamond was worn around the neck of a duchess or a Rothko was beloved by a Rockefeller – those objects and others with fascinating histories of ownership are imbued with an incalculable allure beyond their intrinsic value. Provenance “is my favourite part,” says Frank Everett of Sotheby’s jewellery. “Who wore it, when did she wear it, how did she wear it, how often did she wear it. This is what we live for, to get the great stories.” Listen to our experts reflect on the interplay between a work’s provenance and the marketplace. Episode 4 ponders ineffable magic of a storied provenance.

5. The value of art "HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE"

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 18:34:58 GMT

5. The value of Art "Historical Importance "

This collection brings tears to an art lovers eyes.

duda-wsm@mijndomein.nl — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 10:30:34 GMT

Extraordinary documentary of worlds most wonderful art collector

In the first of six episodes, art dealer Gordon Watson meets Lord Rothschild from the famous banking dynasty. Lord Rothschild has been collecting art since he was ten and has added to a remarkable family collection of traditional and contemporary art, furniture and design, spread between Waddesdon Manor and the Flint House on his estate in Buckinghamshire. Gordon and Lord Rothschild have known one another for some years but it has been a while since Gordon has visited Waddesdon.

Let's just appreciate this wonderful collection of an extraordinary family.

I am so tired of all the conspiracy theories of small minded people.

Lets learn to see through a lens of non-judgemental appreciation of this wonderful collection.

Everything we possess, we possess temporarily, for the time being on planet earth. Change is eminent.

Your opinion doesn't matter, your actions do.

How do you want to perceive your world?

Mine is colourful with flakes of Gold, filled with art, love, light, happiness and most of all, a big fat passion for life itself.

Now watch this documentary with appreciation that the world has brought forth so many extraordinary objects made by human hands.

It's great to watch Gordon Watson.

The black box of the Art World

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 09:46:30 GMT

The black box of the Art world

In Switzerland, covering an area of 120,000 square meters, Geneva freeport shelters tens of billions of Euros of merchandise. A tax free area where the world’s wealthiest, speculators, collectors and art dealers store exceptional wines, diamonds, and especially works of art, in the greatest secrecy. A secrecy that can allow questionable financial operations.

At a time when the secrecy of Swiss banking is under international pressure, art is the new shelter of hidden international finance. Geneva freeport is today a place linked to the concealment of stolen art pieces, money laundering, and tax evasion. Under the freeport’s rules, objects could remain in untaxed limbo, in theory, forever. Treasures have come and they have not left. What does Geneva freeport really contain? Let’s investigate the most secret vault in the world. -

Watch this amazing Documentary, enjoy , Bianca

How to buy art tips and tricks

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 19:51:08 GMT

Tips and tricks for Buying art

4 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHEN BUYING ART (AND 1 YOU SHOULD ALWAYS AVOID)

October 14, 2020

Like any important purchase, art buying takes special consideration. You wouldn’t buy a car without a test drive, and you wouldn’t buy a house without taking a tour. Even most ice cream shops expect you to try a sample first!

Below are tips for buying art. These dos and don’ts will help you know how to make the right purchases and avoid common mistakes that art collectors come to regret.

Do #1. Buy What You Love

The golden rule of buying art is this: buy what you love. No matter what you plan on doing with the work — whether you are looking to resell in the future or hand it down to your grandchildren — you should enjoy the art that you buy.

Many people looking for art as an investment try to think like the market, only for the market to change. Others are buying art to impress visitors at their home or office, only for their living room to feel cold and lifeless.

You will likely be spending a lot of time around any piece you purchase, and there is so much great artwork out there in every style and niche. Look for artwork that calls out to you, that demands your attention, that stimulates your mind and heart.

Check out art books and magazines, follow art accounts on social media, attend art auctions and art fairs and go to local museums and galleries. What better way to spend your time?

Do #2. Know What You’re Buying For

You step into a gallery and are struck by the first painting you see. It’s a stormy landscape, rendered in magnificent detail. The sense of light and atmosphere stirs your soul, grips you at your core. As you move through the rest of the gallery, you’re physically shaken, unable to take your mind off of the masterpiece.

Should you buy that painting? Maybe, maybe not. We always want to buy art that we love, but that doesn’t mean we should buy every work of art that we love.

That landscape might be moving, but will it work in the dining room? Is it the right size for the bare wall you’re looking to fill? These are important questions that should narrow down your search. Buy art that fits in with your needs.

Do #3. Know the Artist’s History

This tip is important for those buying art as an investment, but collectors of all stripes benefit from knowing the background of the artist they’re buying from.

For the investor, a work of art by a serious, committed artist with a devotion to their craft is more likely to continue making a bigger name for themselves. This will pay off years later when you are trying to sell their work.

An education from a top art school and solo exhibitions in important markets (like New York or Paris) are often good signs. But there are big exceptions to these rules. Have they developed a style? Have they found their voice? Does their work have an appeal that goes deeper than the latest trend? Will their work resonate with audiences in ten years? Five years? Next week?

For the art lover who is not interested in reselling, this is still good practice. Buying several works from the same artist gives your collection a strong backbone and can make a room really come together. And you never know when you might wish to resell — in which case, wouldn’t you want your artwork to have appreciated in value?

Do #4. Keep Your Receipt

Whenever you buy art, always make sure to save any emails, receipts, or other documents that come along with your purchase.

In the world of selling art, provenance is king. Provenance refers to the documentation that proves a work of art came from a specific artist.

It might not seem like a major issue, most work is signed by the artist after all, but deals have been made and broken over this one detail. Even if you are uninterested in reselling your art, it can help when dealing with insurance and related issues.

Don’t #1. Drag Your Feet

This rule connects to all the others. Researching artists, finding what you love, and knowing what your particular needs are all take time. But once you find a piece that matches your criteria, buy it!

The art world is not filled with mass produced items. When you see a sculpture in a gallery, it’s likely one of a kind. And if it fits your budget, tastes, and needs, then it’s probably a good fit for other collectors.

If you drag your feet and wait to buy, the work could sell — and you’ll almost never get another chance to buy it.

This isn’t a green light to make impulsive purchases. You should never buy before you’re ready. Rather, once you have done your homework and know you want a piece, don’t hesitate.

How to Research an Artist

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 19:24:11 GMT

Research

No matter how, where, or for what reason you buy art, you should research the artist. This single activity sets apart the art collector from the crowd, allowing them to buy confidently, knowing that they are paying fair prices and getting high quality work.

Research also brings new levels of understanding and appreciation to your collection. Knowing the story and context behind your pieces is one of the greatest joys in art collecting, and all it takes is researching before buying.

But “researching artists” is easier said than done. Where do you look? What are you looking for? Whom do you trust? We’ll cover this and more below.

Why You Have to Do Your Research

Knowing why you are researching is the biggest step toward doing good research. And the reason you are doing it is simple: to avoid buying the wrong artwork or paying the wrong price.

Just because an artist has a name and their work has commanded big price tags doesn’t mean all of their art is valuable. And while you might enjoy a piece, that doesn’t mean you should always pay the asking price, even if it is in your budget.

That’s because artists have periods in their career. In virtually every case, different periods in an artist’s career are valued differently. Further, artists that sell well in one medium don’t necessarily sell well in another. A renowned painter might not be able to sell their graphite on paper. In fact, an artist renown for their oil paintings might not be able to sell their watercolors.

Knowing these details can shift your perspective on a price, and it works in both directions. Doing your research is just as much about finding good deals as avoiding bad ones.

What Information You Are Looking For

Information is crucial if you are buying art as an investment. But even if you aren’t looking to resell, someday you might want to, and you won’t want to take a major loss if that day comes.

Your research should focus on several factors to find the market value of a work of art:

Who made it?

At what point in their career did they make it?

What is the value of their work from the same period?

What medium is the work in?

What has the work sold for before?

These questions will all help you know if a work of art is worth the asking price.

Where to Research

To answer the questions outlined above, you will be searching for information regarding:

Artist’s biography

Results of auctions and previous sales

Reviews and media interest in the artist

When possible, see the artist and their works in person in galleries, private collections, artist studios and art fairs but to really dig deep, you’ll probably be relying heavily on internet sources. The website of the gallery that sells the artwork, the artist’s website, the artist’s social media and any other writing on the artist or the work you can find might be helpful.

There are some things you can glean from basic Googling or searching on social media for the artist, but below we’ve listed reliable sources to include when you research an artist.

Catalogues Raisonnés

These are publications that catalogue all the works of an artist. Not every artist has one, but there are many more than you’d imagine. There are large, free databases of these catalogues online, like the International Foundation for Art Research.

Artnet

Artnet has information on a large number of artists, historical and contemporary, and you can use their website for free. They include an artist’s work, auction results, and what work is currently available. Those last three resources will clear up a lot of questions, letting you see where a work lands in the artist’s biography and what that period usually goes for.

Zen and the Art of Artist Research

This might all seem like a lot, but once you get in the groove of things, it is quite manageable. The good news is, it gets easier every time. You’ll get to the point where you know what you need and where to find it by instinct. For now, just take your time and relax.

It is important to note that if an asking price turns out to be too high, you don’t have to give up on the work of art. You can determine what a fair price would be and make an offer. If the dealer or artist accepts, then you’ll know you got an honest deal. If they don’t, at least you know you tried.

Good luck and happy researching!

Top Conservation Tips Every Art Collector Should Know

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 21:09:53 GMT

Protect your investment and the art you love.

It's a matter both of the heart and the wallet.

You’ve gone from gallery to gallery, pored over your research, and scoured the internet for “the next big thing” in the art world. You’ve chosen pieces that have not only spoke to you deeply on a personal level but that added value to your collection.

So, what happens when one of these pieces gets damaged? Are you prepared?

Protecting your collection from the start can save you money, stress and preserve the art you love. Take a look at these expert conservation tips every collector should know.

Displaying art at home? Be conscientious.

There are a few things to be conscious of when displaying your collection at home if you want to avoid damaging your pieces.

First, we don’t want anything to come crashing down (and we’ve heard the horror stories), so make sure the hanging mechanism is suitable for the size and weight of your pieces.

Then, avoid any exposure to the elements by hanging art away from any doors, ventilation, or even fireplaces. In the same vein, you’ll want to place art out of direct sunlight. You can protect your art from these rays with either specialty glass in the frames or by installing a translucent protective film on your windows and skylights that block against UV light and heat.

You can find more tips here, like what temperature to keep your home at and how to rotate your art on display.

Finally, don’t skip out on quality solutions when it comes to art storage.

Did you know that wrapping pieces in plastic wrap can inadvertently trap humidity inside and allow mold to grow? That’s why experts typically do not suggest wrapping art for storage.

What else can I suggest?

Turning a closet or small office into an art storage room is an option, but you need to know what to look for when choosing a room in your house. Avoid attics or basements unless they are finished and have climate control. Hot and dry conditions can also be harmful, causing the paper to contract and tear.

And, no air vents or open windows! If there is a vent in your storage space, you can speak to a specialist about creating a deflective device so the air doesn’t blow directly on the artwork. You also want to be thoughtful about dust, mold, and any musty smells that could indicate a bigger problem.

One final thing to avoid is storing your art in a room that has an exterior wall. Ideally, you want to use a room that is completely inside the house. This eliminates the risk of windows bringing in sunlight and weather which can damage and fade artwork.

Find out more important tips for storing your collection here.

Framing can make all the difference.

“The biggest amount of damage I work on is improper framing,” confesses art conservator Laura Goodman.

Framing your art collection is an investment, and you want to choose the right glass to protect it from the elements. Here are the most common options:

Non-Glare Glass and Regular Glass: These are the materials mainly used on frames you will find at the craft and hardware store. These options provide half to zero protection against UV rays.

Plexiglass: A lighter weight glass, plexiglass protects against about 60% of UV rays.

Museum Glass: This is the most effective and recommended way to protect your art. While also the most expensive, it allows less than 1% light reflection and blocks 99% of damaging UV rays.

Strive for acid-free materials.

It’s not uncommon for art to be framed with incorrect tape and acidic board. Improper tapes can cause tearing and other damage. Acidic board and framing materials will cause the work to yellow and darken with age, which will all affect the value of the piece.

“Any framing you have around the artwork should be archival, meaning acid-free papers, mounts, and glues.” - Derek Smith, President of AXIS Fine Art Installation

Want to learn more about the importance of archival materials? Read our article Collector Chatter: Why You Need to Use Acid-Free Paper.

Always have a record your art inventory.

We can’t say it enough: document, document, document!

If a piece from your collection is damaged in the awful scenario of a flood, fire, or poor framing, for example, the documentation you have stored in your Artwork Archive account is the first step to remedying the situation.

Easy access to this documentation is paramount in filing an insurance claim—and you will want to have everything documented and ready ahead of time so you’re not scrambling when tragedy strikes.

Conservation is an art in and of itself.

Maintaining the quality of your carefully sought-out pieces ensures that their value goes otherwise unharmed. Between displaying and storing your art properly and consulting a qualified conservator, your collection will be something to take pride in for years to come.

Want to know more about conservation and caring for your collection? contact me.

5 Common Conservation Questions Answered: Contemporary and Modern Paintings

Sun, 03 Jan 2021 20:58:25 GMT

5 Common Conservation Questions Answered: Contemporary and Modern Paintings

Learn how to treat, repair, install and ship your artwork safely and effectively.

Conservation is critical to maintaining the lifetime and value of your artworks. But often collectors are left uneducated on how to properly handle and transport objects. This article offers answers to common conseravation questions in regards to contemporary and modern paintings. Read on to start protecting and perserving your art collection with confidence.

Is bubble wrap okay to use for shipping?

Sadly, we see so much damage to the surfaces of paintings come from improper packaging and shipping. Even materials commonly used to pack art can cause problems if they are in poor condition or used inappropriately on a surface. For example, no wet or recently varnished painting (or one that reacts more easily than is typical to changes in climate) should be packaged with any type of material touching the surface, whether that be glassine or bubble wrap.

Furthermore, paintings which easily burnish or imbibe textures, e.g. matte paint layers or acrylics, should not come in contact with any type of packaging material.

Bubble wrap can be particularly terrible because it has so many outward facing bumps that are intended to cushion, but can create an unwanted pattern on the surface of a painting, or can even pull paint or varnish up and off the surface. If this ever happens, either with bubble wrap or another packaging material like glassine, it should be left as is and delivered to a conservator who should be able to detach it. The full extent of damage to the paint or varnish layer, however, might not be understood until the packing material is removed.

Keep shipment notes of proper packaging materials in a safe, secure and accessible place, like an online collection management system. That way you or someone acting on behalf of your art collection can properly ship your artwork, without damage.

Will artists ever work with you on a treatment?

Yes! Conservators frequently work with living artists or the estates of artists who have passed away when developing a treatment. Some artists may provide treatment plans or other helpful documentation for say, replacing broken/lost pieces of an installation. This information is typically saved along with the artwork's condition report, and stored in an online art collection management system so that the information can easily be accessed when treatment is needed.

Conservators also occasionally work in concert with other conservators, especially if the painting is on another substrate like ceramic or paper. This is more common among conservators who work for institutions like museums or other collections.

Conservators will work with artists when a painting has been damaged at a gallery. If the artist lives nearby, they can assist in person.

Artists will sometimes send conservators materials from their studio so that the conservator can add to areas of loss (carefully and under a microscope.) In other cases, artists will send exact formulations for inpainting, e.g. two parts titanium white to one part lamp black for the gray in their piece.

Conservators can also prepare a damaged surface for the artist to paint over post-treatment. This might mean consolidating cracked or friable paint, filling areas of loss or even removing liquified or putty-like paint that might smear in a way that was not the artist’s intention. The artist in these situations will receive the painting after treatment and paint over the stabilized areas of loss.

Other artists, however, do not wish to get involved in the restoration of their piece once it has been sold, and this is understandable.

Is it such a big deal to hang a painting over my fireplace or in my bathroom?

In short, yes. There are some differences in released heat, exhaust and particulate matter when comparing modern electric fireplaces with gas or wood-burning fireplaces, but in general, we recommend against hanging paintings, prints, sculptures, or ceramics above fireplaces. Paintings, especially those with multiple layers of paint and/or priming applied over a primary support which is later stretched over a secondary support, are particularly susceptible to changes in heat and relative humidity. Burning a traditional fire in a fireplace can reduce relative humidity swiftly just as it can cause indoor temperature to climb quickly.

Placing a painting right above the fireplace puts it in the “danger zone” so to speak. There is also always the danger that someone forgets to release the flue and soot, ash, smoke and flames fly up towards the painting.

As for bathrooms, hanging a painting in a half bath or powder room might be fine—even without glass or plexi to encapsulate it—as long as it is far from sinks or toilets. However, a full bathroom (with a shower or bathtub, or both) frequently experiences high humidity and sometimes experiences dew point humidity, meaning moisture becomes condensation and sits on surfaces. You might notice this when moisture drips from the ceiling of your bathroom or forms on the counter surrounding the sink after a particularly steamy shower.

Frequent and wide-ranging fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity are dangerous for paintings, particularly those which are poorly bound to their substrate or which have multiple layers of paint which might each react differently to the fluctuations, causing stress and tension between each other.

Is it always necessary or appropriate to remove the varnish from a painting during treatment?

Removing the varnish from a painting is common in conservation, but is neither always necessary nor always possible. Sometimes, a painting with a discolored varnish will have such friable or otherwise damaged paint that the paint must be consolidated before the varnish can be removed.

Other times, a painting might have been damaged in a limited way that can be treated without removing a perfectly stable and appropriate varnish. This is typicl when a painting was impacted by another object like a purse or umbrella, vandalized or dropped.

In some cases, removing the varnish will affect the paint layer if removed because an inappropriate coating was chosen.

However, some paintings will have been varnished unnecessary by prior owners or gallerists charged with selling the pieces. In the past, some galleries requested all paintings be varnished to “liven them up," even plein air paintings which weren't typically varnished. Buyers and gallerists alike became accustomed at one point to all paintings being shiny and unctuous.

Today, the determination on part of a conservator to remove, keep, adjust or add a varnish will depend on their research into the artist’s technique, the need to address the varnish and the stability and reversibility of doing so.

What happens to paintings damaged beyond repair?

Some paintings damaged beyond repair, particularly those created by contemporary artists, will be destroyed. The conservator may be responsible for documenting and destroying the piece if this is the decided outcome. Such pieces are typically those damaged in a severe disaster like a flood, mudslide or fire.

In what I would consider rare cases, paintings are damaged beyond repair in transit. This is why I always encourage clients, and friends, to ship paintings purchased at auction with an art shipping company or at the very least with excellent insurance coverage by which the shipping company must pay for conservation treatment in the event of injury.

In other cases, the owner will have the piece conserved and keep the painting, but will be asked to remove it from the artist’s oeuvre, which means having the artist’s name untied from the piece. This is more common when a large portion of the paint layer has been damaged beyond recognition or has detached completely without the possibility of consolidation and reattachment or reintegration. If the conservator must recreate large portions of the painting, even with reversible methods like watercolor over water soluble fill material next to oil paint or with original images of the work, the painting has lost a large amount of artist material and technique.

In cases such as these, the artist may ask to have their name disassociated with the piece and the painting will likely never show up—in name or image—in texts or retrospectives. This situation may also occur if a prior conservation treatment was applied improperly and the painting was damaged or changed in a way that no longer matches the artist’s intention.

In some cases, however, damage will be done to a painting that cannot be undone now, but might be undone in the future. For instance, if a prior conservation treatment conducted by an untrained or overambitious “conservator” (often an artist or hobbyist) cannot be reversed due to use of “permanent” materials like oil paint on oil paint or shellac on a very fine surface, we sometimes recommend that the owner hold onto the piece and wait until the technology to address the issue has been developed. For investors hoping for a quick payout or those hoping to close out an insurance claim within a reasonable period of time, this is not a sound recommendation.

What lies beneath

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 20:46:01 GMT

Bulls on Parade: Why Corporate Collections Are Thriving While Museums Starve

WHAT LIES BENEATH

On Thursday, James Tarmy at Bloomberg provided an enlightening capsule history of major banks’ art collections dating back to the 18th century. Although the core message is that these corporate giants are continuing to acquire, exhibit, and lend artwork even as lockdown has forced many of the world’s most prestigious public arts institutions to retreat, the comparison also floats atop a double standard begging to be dredged out of the water—at least, if we want to have an honest discussion about the perceived value of art in 2020.

Central to the analysis are the 56 members of the International Association of Corporate Collections of Contemporary Art (IACCCA), an organization featuring the Collection Société Générale, the European Central Bank Art Collection, and the UBS Art Collection, among others. Tarmy relays that, of this group’s constituents, half have held their budgets steady, 78 percent have kept buying work, and all have “sustained their art programming” during the pandemic.

What does their art programming consist of? Apart from exhibiting some of their holdings in their corporate offices (which Tarmy tells us all banks do), the answer varies from collection to collection. Some operate their own “dedicated exhibition spaces,” and “almost every bank” loans works to nonprofit arts institutions, at times even covering the expenses of packing, shipping, and insurance.

Even banks’ collecting activity tends to wear a white hat. Tarmy writes that today, “most banks purchase art exclusively on the primary market” rather than resorting to auctions or private resellers. He quotes multiple corporate-collection leaders pledging allegiance to the importance of supporting living artists and/or the gallery system. Their acquisition prices often hover closer to earth than you might expect, too; Mary Rozell, who oversees the UBS collection, calls it “not very common” for the bank to spend more than $250,000 on a single work.

University of Amsterdam professor Arnold Witte argues these various forms of largesse propel banks’ art collections beyond their original intent as marketing tools and into the role of patrons on par with “the new Medici” (referring to the often-name-checked, incredibly powerful Italian merchant family that funded countless cultural endeavors starting in the 15th century). In the same vein, IACCCA chair Loa Haagen Pictet posits that corporate collections’ patronage is even more vital in the current era, when “public collections have very little means to collect and support artists.”

But Pictet’s statement demands that we ask why banks are now in such a vastly superior position to provide cultural sustenance than the museums that exist for that sole purpose. While one part of the answer is obvious and uncontroversial, another is subtler and far more uncomfortable.

DARWINIAN DEVELOPMENTS

On the surface level, major banks’ collections can acquire, exhibit, and lend artworks at game-changing scale because they are merely appendages of hulking multinational corporations rather than independent, self-sustaining cultural organizations. To state the obvious, you wouldn’t have the 30,000-piece UBS Art Collection without UBS, whose arsenal of lucrative financial services equipped it with $972 billion in total assets in 2019, per its latest annual report. It’s not a corporate collection’s responsibility to make money, just to spend it.

If only museums and other art nonprofits could say the same. Despite being conceived as a public good, these institutions have been forced to take more and more responsibility for their own survival in recent decades, particularly in the land of Uncle Sam. A 2012 overview by the US Embassy found that, since 1989, government support went from covering 38 percent of annual revenue at the nation’s museums to barely above 24 percent. The succeeding eight years have ushered in a steady onslaught of tax cuts and demonization of government intervention, making public coffers that much smaller and harder to unlock.

The worsening drought of public funding has forced institutions to lean harder on their three other revenue streams: endowment, fundraising, and earned revenue.

The first of these—interest on the endowment—is basically powerless to plug the yawning gap; the financial markets do what the financial markets do regardless of investors’ needs. And dipping into the principal amount of an endowment remains verboten, even after the Association of Art Museum Directors chilled on some of its usual restrictions to help members soldier through the lockdown this spring.

Increased fundraising from private and corporate patrons holds more promise, but it’s difficult work fraught with caveats. As we’ve seen again and again, donors are far hornier to cut checks for bodacious architectural expansions or starry artwork acquisitions than they are to cover everyday necessities like staff salaries or HVAC bills. Few are eager to ramp up their giving in a rocky economy, either.

The pool of acceptable patrons is also shrinking thanks to increasingly razor-taloned scrutiny of the sources of donors' wealth. Over the past 16 months, we’ve seen this ethical Darwinism at work in the pressure-induced resignations of Whitney Museum trustee Warren Kanders and Los Angeles County Museum of Art trustee Tom Gores. Unlike the Association of Art Museum Directors’ guidelines, these standards show no signs of relaxing due to the pandemic.

This leaves earned income—line items like ticket sales, merch, licensing, and venue rentals—as art institutions’ last hope. The category now “typically” accounts for around 40 percent of a museum’s annual revenue, according to the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. But leaning harder on these options exposed museums to a barrage of criticism for alleged commercialization before the virus hit, and their ability to leverage them afterward has been gutted by subsistence-level capacity limits, outright bans on social gatherings, and reduced consumer spending tied to the recession.

So why are corporate collections advancing while public collections recede? The simple answer is that banks—which were originally designed to make money and have only invented more (and more profitable) ways to do so over the past century—can easily afford to evolve and sustain cultural side projects as a promotional tool and public benefit even during crises. Art institutions—which were originally designed to consume a steady diet of government funding and private philanthropy—have increasingly had to reverse-engineer themselves into profit-generators in a money-losing business that becomes impossible in the COVID era.

Except, that’s not the whole story.

THE CHOSEN ONES

There’s one problem with the “simple answer” I just unfurled above: banks don’t always make money. In fact, they sometimes lose so much cash so quickly via their own bad decisions that they threaten the entire world economy. But in these moments of existential duress, they tend to be treated entirely differently than museums.

There is no better example than the US's role in the Great Recession of 2008. After the largest banks spent decades lobbying to dismantle the financial regulatory system, and then years loading up their balance sheets with increasingly high-risk, high-yield financial instruments (largely derivatives of volatile subprime home mortgages), those radioactive assets finally went Chernobyl. The meltdown radiated far beyond Wall Street, resulting in 8.7 million people losing their jobs and 10 million people losing their homes in the US alone.

Yet Washington swiftly voted to bail out a consortium of major banks, insurers, and corporations to the tune of $700 billion in taxpayer money via the Troubled Asset Relief Program in October 2008. Later repackaged as the Dodd-Frank Act, the final bill actually only (“only”) paid out $475 billion, with $250 billion of the total amount going to “stabilize banking institutions,” according to the US Treasury. (Ironically, it didn't arrive quickly enough to save Lehman Brothers, whose collapse kick-started the recession, and whose corporate collection was later auctioned off to help pay back creditors.)

Despite paying billions in fines—infamously, no notable executives were prosecuted for their roles in the crash—Wall Street’s titans have had it very good ever since. Quartz reported that Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan each netted between $20 billion and $110 billion more in the decade after Dodd-Frank than the decade preceding the crash. That kind of windfall can sustain a pretty durable art program, especially when you didn’t have to pay the true clean-up costs of the mess you made beforehand.

Now let’s compare this to the present cataclysm for public art collections. A new report from the American Alliance of Museums last week found that nearly one-third of 850 surveyed institutions had not reopened after shutting down this spring—and roughly 30 percent were either at risk of dissolving within the next year or unsure of their financial position relative to that question.

When Congress was haggling over the coronavirus rescue package this spring, US cultural organizations lobbied Washington to include $4 billion to help them weather pandemic-induced closures and cutbacks. Lawmakers hacksawed that amount down to a not-so-grand total of $157.5 million: $75 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; $50 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services; $25 million for the Kennedy Center; and $7.5 million for the Smithsonian Institution.

Now, it’s easy for a cold-blooded economist to justify approving the 2008 bank bailouts and denying the 2020 entreaty for cultural aid. US taxpayers ultimately made a profit of about $8 billion from Dodd-Frank after nearly all recipients of the bailout money paid back the loans with interest, according to the US Treasury. Hard to imagine a return on investment coming from the $4 billion requested by arts organizations earlier this year.

Yet this is exactly the point. In the US, most contemporary policymakers view major banks as essential to American life—vital organs worth saving at any cost. Art institutions, on the other hand, are seen as an elitist accessory with no demonstrable benefits to anyone else, as diplomat Nikki Haley communicated loud and clear in her lambasting of the trickle of cultural aid that did make it into the final CARES Act.

Both of these conclusions flow from the mentality of ruthless pragmatism woven into the nation’s DNA since at least the original Gilded Age, then cultivated to a lethal new extreme since the Reagan-era emergence of the prosperity gospel: that an enterprise is not only worthwhile but virtuous in direct proportion to its measurable value, whether that value manifests in the form of personal wealth, job creation, or a meaningful percentage of GDP. The ongoing financialization of the global economy also means this philosophy has been exported far and wide.

So it’s no surprise that we find ourselves in an era when corporate collections from “too big to fail” banks are equipped to step into the cultural vacuum opened by the epochal struggles of nonprofit art institutions. But you’ll have to forgive me if my enthusiasm for their generosity is limited by my knowledge of what’s on the other side of this coin.

[Bloomberg]