The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-16
PRICES OF PAINTINGS
FADs. ART COLLECTORS AND DEATH
ALL INFLUENCE THEM.
Connofssenrs I'm New York Who Can
Make an Artist Famous mt n stroke
by Buying One of His Pictures.

| New York Press.
You will be we'll entertained If you
can get Fifth-avenue art dealer to
| talk about something besides his paint
| ings. But such task is fraught with
| difficulties as great as those which con-
| front a prosecuting lawyer in an in
vestigation before committee of the
| New York State Senate. 1t is all mat
| ter of slipping in question between a
| landscape he has just finished telling
| you about and marine he is going to
| tell you about, in such a manner that
he will think he is talking about the
marine when he really is not. After this
sort Of thing had lasted nearly all of the
afternoon the dealer threw up his hands
in surprise at how much he really knew
self-and the cranks, which include
some of his customers, some of the
artists and himself sometimes.
Art has its fads. like everything else.
No. 1 won't exactly say 'fads.' 'Tisn't a
nice word, you know. Too shallow.
And there isn't anything shallow about
art. even if there is about artists. Ger
popular at one time than another-thats
better isn't it?
THE old English school reigns SUI
preme just now. Moreland, Joshua Rey-
nolds, Turner. Gainsborough, Wilson and
the rest of the old English masters are
in great demand. The collectors started
it. 1t is easy for them to put up the
price of the productions Of any school.
Some big collector needs an old English
picture to fill out his collection. He
searches for fine sample. The dealers
get on to him. He has to pay "A big
price for it when he finds what he wants.
Other collectors follow suit. and SO the
boom is started. Suppose that two very
wealthy collectors should fall very much
in love with a painting by compare
lively obscure artist and the successful
one paid $4,000 for it. 1t would land
that artist a pinnacle at a jump.
The other collectors would say that
here is an artist whose pictures will in
crease in value-a coming man, and
they must have something by him.. The
artist would think that it is all due to
his merit. But tusch. Artists are given
to thinking such things.
There are probably 1000 artists in
New York. Only a hundred of them do
things that are Of much value.
GREATEST OF COLLECTORS.
1.-The greatest connoisseurs, the most
influential collectors in New York are
Havemeyer and Marquand. They could
put their heads together and make an
artists reputation at any time-an OBJ
scure artist, mean. They could help a
man like Chase along a great deal, too.
Yes, this craze for the old English ought
to please John Ruskin. Turner's pic
lures are Ruskins Bible. The old gen.
tleman has three deities. you know
Turner Thomas Carlyle and himself.
People who think they are connois-
seurs outnumber the real connoisseur
five thousand to one. If you want to
get a collection of paintings which viii
double in value in twenty years let: the
art dealer or real connoisseur do your
purchasing. He will get bargains Eer
you. What is an art bargain It's
painting that is bought for $500 and is
worth 81 900 ten years later.
What is the most valuable painting
in New York? Probably Rembrandts
Cleaner owned by Marquand. 1 should
say it was worth $4,000. But you can't
set pecuniary value on such paint
ing. It's beyond price. It's a matter of
possession. Sheer pecuniary necessity
alone will lead such a connoisseur to sell
such a masterpiece.
THE art dealer isn't the enemy of the
artist. That old myth was exploded
| long ago. The art dealer often makes
the artist. Suppose that young man
should bring me painting which gave
great promise. 1 would buy that paint
| ing and boom his work. 1 might keep
| it four or five years. Then, If / got
| twice as much as / paid for it he would
| say that L had robbed him-unless he
was wise. Suppose / put a price of
| 81 900 on it and stuck to that price. My
no ink y1,IIS he
thing in him. and when some rich man
| paid the price it would win attention
| for his work. On the other hand, he
| might fizzle out, and 1 would lose all
| that / paid for it.
PEDIGREES COUNT.
can artists pedigree is OF great aid to
him. A buyer will rarely consider any,
thing by artist who hasn't pedi-
| gree. If painting has been exhibited
| in the salon it means a great deal. In
| less an American artist is a member of
the academy or the Society Of American
| Artists it isn't much use to try to sell
| one of his pictures. Besides, his former
pictures and what they sold for play a
| very conspicuous part. In other words
| without a pedigree the artist can't get
| into the show.
1.-The death of q great artist always
means rise in the price of his pictures.
| Suppose had a number of Geromes
| and the death Of Gerome was cabled to-
night, / should be worth several thou
sand dollars more in the morning. The
death of Shreyer was recently an
| nounced. and just as the art dealers
were congratulating themselves the
news that he was alive and we'll came
and Shreyer prices dropped as quickly
as they had risen.
yves there are tricks in the trade
| suppose. Every art dealer has Euro
| pean buyer who knows the history of all
| schools, all prominent paintings and
| their values by heart. Consequently, he
| knows a bargain. Again, we sometimes
| anticipate a fad or a coming demand
| for certain school and lay in a stock
| as it were.
Sometimes we keep painting five or
| six years before we can get our price
| for il. Our price is what we believe it
| is worth and what we believe ii will
| bring some day. For instance, L have
| one piece that i want $4,000 for. L have
| had it for three years. What l paid for
| it would be telling. l got it in Paris. and
| / compliment myself upon my Judgment.
| The first year certain rich man offered
| me 81 900 for it, / refused. Last year
| he offered me $4,000 for it. This year
| he went up to 5000. He comes in about
| once a month to look at 1t. The pictui e
| is growing on him. / shall get my price
| for it yet-maybe next year. IL is hard
that is worth less than $500; in fact