Author: Donna Smith

  • O’Keeffe’s Paintings Command Top Dollars In Recent Auctions

    O’Keeffe’s Paintings Command Top Dollars In Recent Auctions

    Among the top 5 sellers at Sotheby’s New York Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale on May 14, 2018 was a painting by American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986). Lake George with White Birch reached $11.29 million dollars, performing over nearly twice its high estimate. This is O’Keeffe’s third-highest price after Lake George Reflection (1921-1922) reaching $13M……

  • Alexander Calder’s Mobile Mania

    Alexander Calder’s Mobile Mania

    ‘Big Red,’ Alexander Calder, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York A key performer in quantifying the sky-high contemporary market Alexander Calder invented the mobile. They’re primarily wire, sheet metal and paint. They’re incredibly simple to the naked eye and can be difficult to place in private settings to maximize the view the artist intended….…

  • So, you MIGHT have a Picasso?

    So, you MIGHT have a Picasso?

    Veritas has worked with many clients who either own or are considering purchasing a work of art that might have significant monetary or historical value. In this scenario, the client is often faced with the challenge of properly identifying the work in question and often realizes the path to authentication can be a maze to……

  • Why Must Art Be Static?

    Why Must Art Be Static?

    Alexander Calder’s famed mobiles are made primarily of sheet metal, wire and paint. They’re incredibly simple to the naked eye and can be difficult to place in private settings to maximize the view the artist intended. Yet Calder’s magical mobiles have consistently commanded top dollar in private and public markets for 10 plus years. As……

  • Four Pandemic Recovery Opportunities for Art Collectors

    Four Pandemic Recovery Opportunities for Art Collectors

    I think we can all agree we are moving through 2021 this with mixed emotions. While we are optimistic about a recovery, we are also skeptical asking ourselves “is this really happening?” We could liken it to hermit crabs coming out of our shells! As the art world “re-opens,” we all are looking for a……

  • Is a Free Appraisal Really Free?

    Is a Free Appraisal Really Free?

    Buyer beware – why free appraisals are not really free and why consumers should choose an unbiased source like Veritas Fine Art Appraisals when valuing their art, antiques and collectibles.

  • Finding Phyfe: America’s Elusive Furniture-Maker

    Finding Phyfe: America’s Elusive Furniture-Maker

    Although having an acclaimed name within American decorative arts history, Duncan Phyfe furniture is extremely rare to behold. So, for an antique furniture appraisal, setting eyes upon a piece of Phyfe furniture would be like discovering the holy grail of American antique furniture! Scottish-born Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854) was the most sought-after furniture maker in the……

  • Rookwood Pottery: An American Heritage

    Rookwood Pottery: An American Heritage

    Rookwood pottery was one of the most illustrious American pottery manufacturers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Winning awards at several international exhibitions and world’s fairs, such as the 1893 Columbian Exposition of Chicago and the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Rookwood pottery also garnered international acclaim.  Pottery as an art form blossomed……

  • How to ensure a porcelain piece is a true Limoges

    How to ensure a porcelain piece is a true Limoges

    Limoges…what is it? Those porcelain dinnerware sets, trinkets boxes, and tea sets adorned with fluffy, pink, cabbage-style roses, tend to be categorized as examples of the “Limoges” porcelain. Limoges, however, is not a company, but rather a term which has come to encompass a variety of porcelain pieces produced in a specific area.  Limoges refers……