I don’t know why I get this question, but a few times a year, I get a call from someone with a painting to sell me. The call goes like this: “Hey, my grandmother has an original signed oil painting and it’s really nice. It’s signed ‘Wilson’ and she said she paid a lot for it. What is it worth, do you know? And would you be interested in it if I sold it to you at a discount?”
So then, I explain to them that I’m not an art appraiser and I don’t run an art auction house. I’m just a painter, and although I understand it’s a “signed” painting, that really doesn’t mean anything to me because heck, when I took my first oil painting class at the age of nine, I signed my paintings when I was done, but I assure you, I painted nothing at the age of nine that was worth anything at all except to my parents.
“ If your grandma enjoyed the painting,
it’s fulfilled it’s mission”
Honestly, you are probably okay just selling the piece at a garage sale. If that just makes you cringe, then here are a couple of things you might try first. You might take it into a reputable art gallery (where they sell the work of many artists) and ask the gallery manager for some advice. They may have much better advice than I have, because I’m just an individual artist and not a gallery manager or art auctioneer. You might also google the artists name just in case there’s something written up about them. That might give you a clue. If there is something written up about the artist, you might try to find a gallery that carries their work and approach the gallery manager. They may (??) actually be willing to purchase the piece if it’s worth it to them.
But again, 95% of the time, it’s probably not worth the time involved in trying to sell grandma’s painting if it requires doing more than what I’ve just suggested. The whole reason to purchase artwork is because it’s something you enjoy. If your grandma enjoyed the painting, it’s fulfilled it’s mission in life and the artist should be happy to hear it brought joy to grandma. That’s awesome. That’s really what art is all about.
