Buyer Beware! |
| As both a Wallis enthusiast and
full-time art dealer, I am concerned by the number of paintings "in
the style of" Wallis that have surfaced at minor salerooms in
recent months. |
| To a trained eye they are obviously
copies, but many of them have clearly been "distressed"
and presented in old frames in order to make them seem older than
they are. |
| I receive many calls and email
messages from people who have acquired a "Wallis" painting
and, unfortunately, in most cases I have to disappoint the hopeful
owners. |
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| Wallis copies generally fall into
three categories: |
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1. Paintings in his style, using
modern materials, not intended to deceive, simply decorative
pieces.
NO PROBLEM - This category
is easy to deal with as they are extremely easy to spot. |
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2. Paintings produced recently (say
the last 10 years) which are distressed to look old, often
presented in old frames, etc.
This category is more of a problem as many of these are sold
through small salerooms as "style of Wallis" and
subsequently sold on platforms like ebay (often with contrived
provenance).
BEWARE - They can appear
quite convincing at first glance, and I have seen at least 30 of
these (by the same artist) at minor auctions during the last few
months.
I suspect that a large proportion of the recent copies are by
the same hand. I discussed this with the artist, and he insists
that he is not doing anything wrong, he is simply painting in
Wallis's style. |
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| The problem is worsened when they are "distressed"
by other people to look old and then offered for sale at "antique/collectable"
auctions. The auctioneers do generally describe them as "in the
style of, or after Wallis", but an unscrupulous buyer might see
a fast buck... |
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3. Paintings that do have genuine age
(often dating to the 60's or 70's) which show a good knowledge
of Wallis's subject matter and style, but which are clearly not
by Wallis.
This category is the hardest to deal with when it comes to
authentication, as they do appear to have genuine age and the
paint/support often seem very convincing.
BEWARE - If you are
considering buying a Wallis that does appear to have genuine
age, but does not have good provenance you should first consult
a specialist.
This example (left) does have some age, but the composition
is much too neat... |
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| In 1967 Edwin Mullins published his
monograph on Wallis, and at the time he was quite adamant that there
were few (if any) copies of Wallis works in existence. However,
rumours have long circulated that Sven Berlin (Wallis's first
biographer) did produce some works in the style of Wallis, and I
have seen a few paintings that look very much like Berlin's work.
However, on close examination the overall composition, the elements
within the composition, the handling and the palette will generally
betray a copy. |
| The first thing I always look for,
apart from the overall composition, is genuine age, i.e. a surface
texture and patina that is entirely consistent with some 80 years of
age. |
| Today it is very rare to "discover"
a genuine Wallis work, as most would have surfaced by now. |
| I have seen genuine Wallis paintings
with either excellent provenance, vague (often anecdotal) provenance
and sometimes practically no provenance other than recent ownership.
Given the fact that at least half of Wallis's vast output went to
private individuals (as opposed to Ben Nicholson's London circle),
it is no surprise that many genuine paintings have little or no
history, so good provenance is a luxury, and will certainly enhance
the value of a Wallis work. You should expect to pay top prices for
works which have a full, recorded history. |
| I am always pleased to offer my
own opinion - please send info and high resolution images to
info@wallisgallery.co.uk
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