Looking For Info On This Painter/Painting

[alsatmem]

I have scoured Google, Wikipedia and Duck DuckGo to no avail. Posted on Reddit and Twitter. Sent some emails to art departments at some local colleges. Gotten no responses.

The lot here seems to be a lot more diverse in knowledge and exposure. Most of it good…

My impetuous is to find out if there is any $$ value. It has great sentimental value to me, however I am looking at a 3rd round of kidney cancer surgery first of the year. With sizable expenses, at least 15k.
This may be, hopefully, my only valuable item.

My 401k got destroyed ($650k gone, getting letters that there’s not enough left to cover their servicing fee, I told them to F off) by the market So can’t pull from that. Did a refi on the house last year to replace A/C, roof and flooring.

So if anyone can tell me anything about or would be fabulous! Even if it’s bad news! Just got to know!

Thank you in advance for any responses!
Al
p.s.don’t mind the fan blade and lights reflecting in the photo!

 

[mawnansmiff]

Original or print? Looks to be a generic Oriental river scene but I'm no art expert.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[alsatmem]

As far as I can tell, original.
Appears to have brush strokes, but I’m no expert either.
It is in the frame as was given to me, roughly 40 years ago.

 

[anotherbob]

As far as I can tell, original.
Appears to have brush strokes, but I’m no expert either.
It is in the frame as was given to me, roughly 40 years ago.

doesn't mean much. You might get about what it cost you. even if it's worth a lot that still doesn't help much. Art's not a quick turnover emergency investment type of thing. Art investment is a mugs game anyways. You have to find someone with the money that wants that particular piece, and that's not helpful when you need cash quickly.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

doesn't mean much. You might get about what it cost you. even if it's worth a lot that still doesn't help much. Art's not a quick turnover emergency investment type of thing. Art investment is a mugs game anyways. You have to find someone with the money that wants that particular piece, and that's not helpful when you need cash quickly.

Sadly, I agree. Art is not a great investment, even if the artist has passed.

The best way to get bang for your buck with art is with a known auction house. Even then, art is typically a slow seller and brings less than anticipated since most in the game know the value and have particular interests. Not to mention the auction house gets a decent percentage.

I do wish the OP luck and good health.

 

[warren]

What's the artist's name below the "Tai Wan." C S Kao? Is there a date under the mat? Appears on the monitor to be a water color, lot of wash work. Unless he/she has a following I'd doubt the work has any particular value as I can find no references regarding the artist.

You haven''t shown where you live so I'm hesitant to suggest a university resource or any particular dealer.

 

[mso489]

One of the best collections of Asian art in the U.S., and therefore some of the best expertise on the subject, is at the Art Institute of Chicago. Whether they would offer any opinions without charging for an appraisal I do not know.

The bold artist signature and the high contrast between light and dark in the painting suggest to me more of a commercial approach rather than fine art. However, I'm a museum rat but not a professional, so don't be discouraged by me.

Best wishes for healing. If the painting has sentimental value to you, that might be its best purpose.

 

[cshubhra]

My 401k got destroyed ($650k gone, getting letters that there’s not enough left to cover their servicing fee

While I cannot comment on your painting, I am shocked that after losing 650K, your portfolio does not have enough money to pay fees.

I looked into one of my portfolios to see the kind of losses someone would have seen in the bear market. It was 14.4% loss. It is 100% invested in stock market.

From this, I would deduce that an actively managed portfolio should not lose more than 20% in the same time period. In fact it should lose less, because unlike mine most actively managed portfolios are not 100% equity.

This tells me that your portfolio management company is managing your 401K poorly, has extremely high management fees or both.

As per law your portfolio manager has fiduciary responsibility and must work on your best interest (And not his best interest)

Go to FINRA. You might have a case against your portfolio manager for mismanagement of your money.

Note : Since I manage my own my own money I am not super familiar with all the laws, but you should look at some FINRA resources first and may also consider an attorney if you think you have a case.

 

[cshubhra]

Financial Advisor Complaints (Filing Your First FINRA Complaint)

When you hire a financial advisor, you expect them to act in your best interest. Unfortunately, however, this isn't always the case. Learn about your rights!

www.secatty.com

 

[alsatmem]

doesn't mean much. You might get about what it cost you. even if it's worth a lot that still doesn't help much. Art's not a quick turnover emergency investment type of thing. Art investment is a mugs game anyways. You have to find someone with the money that wants that particular piece, and that's not helpful when you need cash quickly.

Appreciate the input and I understand.

 

[alsatmem]

Sadly, I agree. Art is not a great investment, even if the artist has passed.

The best way to get bang for your buck with art is with a known auction house. Even then, art is typically a slow seller and brings less than anticipated since most in the game know the value and have particular interests. Not to mention the auction house gets a decent percentage.

I do wish the OP luck and good health.

The painting was a gift from a dear friend who saved my life, but has since passed on. It’s about the only thing I have and unknown monetary value.
Thanks for the well wishes!

 

[anotherbob]

Appreciate the input and I understand.

that said you still might get lucky. Sometimes artists that aren't famous or whatever have collectors who will pay something decent for a painting. Best bet is to look up the name of the artist and see if you can find any dedicated fans. Though that might lead you to the fun world of authentication. Which is a world where lots of people find a lot of disappointment and the occasional confirmation of a gem (the wow you really do some how have a rare and awesome thing).

 

[alsatmem]

What's the artist's name below the "Tai Wan." C S Kao? Is there a date under the mat? Appears on the monitor to be a water color, lot of wash work. Unless he/she has a following I'd doubt the work has any particular value as I can find no references regarding the artist.

You haven''t shown where you live so I'm hesitant to suggest a university resource or any particular dealer.

I’m in Memphis TN. Did send an email to the University of Memphis art dept but never got a response.

 

[alsatmem]

One of the best collections of Asian art in the U.S., and therefore some of the best expertise on the subject, is at the Art Institute of Chicago. Whether they would offer any opinions without charging for an appraisal I do not know.

The bold artist signature and the high contrast between light and dark in the painting suggest to me more of a commercial approach rather than fine art. However, I'm a museum rat but not a professional, so don't be discouraged by me.

Best wishes for healing. If the painting has sentimental value to you, that might be its best purpose.

Thank you MSO!

 

[anotherbob]

I’m in Memphis TN. Did send an email to the University of Memphis art dept but never got a response.

art history would be the place to look. Also see if they have an Eastern art history department or professor.

 

[alsatmem]

While I cannot comment on your painting, I am shocked that after losing 650K, your portfolio does not have enough money to pay fees.

I looked into one of my portfolios to see the kind of losses someone would have seen in the bear market. It was 14.4% loss. It is 100% invested in stock market.

From this, I would deduce that an actively managed portfolio should not lose more than 20% in the same time period. In fact it should lose less, because unlike mine most actively managed portfolios are not 100% equity.

This tells me that your portfolio management company is managing your 401K poorly, has extremely high management fees or both.

As per law your portfolio manager has fiduciary responsibility and must work on your best interest (And not his best interest)

Go to FINRA. You might have a case against your portfolio manager for mismanagement of your money.

Note : Since I manage my own my own money I am not super familiar with all the laws, but you should look at some FINRA resources first and may also consider an attorney if you think you have a case.

My previous employer of 33 years hired a firm 20ish years ago to manage our 401k’s. Basically choices of low, medium and high risk. I chose medium. I haven’t been monitoring it for some time, the 650k number is from 2018. My current balance is $142.78. USD.
I was told they had invested deep in crypto for medium and high risk accounts and lost all of our asses, so sorry.
Had the gonads to ask for more money from me to try and rebuild. I’m 53, 1 1/2 years into a new job making half what I did back then. Hell, probably less than that with the prices all steadi increasing.
Anyway, top priority right now is get rid of another tumor and recover physically. Then look into lawyers.
Thank you for your well balanced and informative reply!

 

[sablebrush52]

Unfortunately, it's not likely to have much value. It looks a lot like the kind of paintings that were turned out by factories 50, 60 years ago. Were this an artist with a following there would be some mention of him in a Google search.
You might try contacting an auction house, like Butterfield and Butterfield to see if this is by a known artist, but looking at the composition and technique I just see hand painted mass produced picture that was popular, but not something that would have an Art World value. Hopefully I'm completely wrong and full of it.

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation. That's rough. But I believe that things have a way of working out okay.