Who Would Frame This?

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Shayla

Shayla

WOW Framer
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Had a phone call from a guy who inherited a 'real Jackson Pollack', which he thinks is worth a kajillion dollars. And who knows? On one hand, likely not. But on the other, it could happen. I told him that our per-item insurance coverage is $60,000.00, and framing something worth more would require an extra insurance rider. But that, even then, most framers wouldn't touch it. Because, if it's worth a boatload of money and they ruin it, they'll lose their business. He said, that's the trouble he's having. It's a canvas, rolled in a tube, and he doesn't want to sell it. Just wants to frame and hang it. I asked if he's ever removed it and unrolled it, and he said, no. But, he once saw his father do it. I said that it should only be unrolled by an art conservator, as depending on the condition of the paint, it could potentially crack. I also said that anyone trying to frame it would also run the risk of popping paint off the canvas when they stretched it. I told him that if he wanted to sell it, he shouldn't do anything. Just have a conservator lay it flat, have it verified by appraisers, and sell it as is. But, he wants to keep it.

I know that this likely isn't what he thinks it is. (Especially, since he thinks it's worth $250,000,000., and the most a Pollack has ever sold for is $61,200,000.) He's either sitting on a gold mine (that for some reason, he doesn't want to sell), or he's mistaken. Who knows. But, it got me to thinking. Where would someone take a super expensive painting to frame?
 
He would have to have proof of coverage for whatever he thinks it is worth that travels with the art, and sign a waiver in that regard.

My thinking is that the owner of this gold mine doesn't have the wherewithal to pursue this independently. This will take a lot of cash to fix and to authenticate.
If he does have spotless provenance, he will still need to find someone to authenticate (not easy at all, as everyone is guarding their ass-etts, and wanting a piece of the action), and someone to spring for whatever conservation/preservation the piece needs. He also has to negotiate the art market, which is rife with pitfalls and ne'er-do-wells that are adept at living off of nothing.

I had a man bring in a rolled up a Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painting that was supposedly smuggled out of Cuba before Castro took power. I suggested taking to the local Museum. That wasn't an option the wanted to use.
 
wpfay said:
He would have to have proof of coverage for whatever he thinks it is worth that travels with the art, and sign a waiver in that regard.

My thinking is that the owner of this gold mine doesn't have the wherewithal to pursue this independently. This will take a lot of cash to fix and to authenticate.
If he does have spotless provenance, he will still need to find someone to authenticate (not easy at all, as everyone is guarding their ass-etts, and wanting a piece of the action), and someone to spring for whatever conservation/preservation the piece needs. He also has to negotiate the art market, which is rife with pitfalls and ne'er-do-wells that are adept at living off of nothing.

I had a man bring in a rolled up a Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painting that was supposedly smuggled out of Cuba before Castro took power. I suggested taking to the local Museum. That wasn't an option the wanted to use.
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Yeah, it's kind of a weird situation. One on hand, it's a one in a zillion chance. But, on the other, it does happen. I e-mailed him contacts for art conservators and appraisers, but it's likely they wouldn't even touch it. It takes people who regularly work with such valuable art. And agreed, about whether he'd have the $ to do what he needs. I told him, 'If you really do have one, it would help if you're super rich. If you're just a regular person, like me, it would be harder to do.'
 
I once had an original Archibald Thorburn (Famous Scottish wildlife painter) to reframe. It was a watercolor and
it was also a big one (47x32"). It was one of his 'Lost Stag' paintings and one had sold recently for north of £50K.

I was very pleased to have it to work with, but not sorry when it left my care.

**As a matter of interest, it was mounted on canvas and put on wooden bars. It also had the compulsory Victorian
gold mat of it that had gone very brown on the bevel. Despite this, the actual painting was perfect and looked as if
it had been painted the day before. 😁
 
First he would have to authenticate it and have it appraised.
Next would be to bring it to a conservator, to look at the overall condition of the painting.
If after that, he still wants to frame it, then the framer comes in.
I would charge the extra insurance I would have to take out on that. I would prefer not to have it in my shop at all, until the frame is ready and I would ask this customer to wait while I fit it.
I would not do the stretching of the canvas, that should be done by a conservator.
 
Two hundred and fifty million bucks - the third equal most expensive painting in the world, rolled in a tube? Yeah, right. In fact even if it was just a pitiful 60 million, still, yeah, right.
 
RoboFramer said:
Two hundred and fifty million bucks - the third equal most expensive painting in the world, rolled in a tube? Yeah, right. In fact even if it was just a pitiful 60 million, still, yeah, right.
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I know! lol.... :p

But, even though he has the potential value totally wrong, there's always the infinitesimally small likelihood that he does have a real one. In which case, I would want to give correct advice.
 
A conservator would frame that no problem. It's a normal project for a conservator. Any issues inherent to it (unstable paint layer, etc.) would be addressed before they stretched it.
 
David Waldmann said:
Unless you are starved for work I would be inclined to say "I'm sorry, but we are just not well suited for this type of work. I would suggest contacting https://barkframeworks.com/ Bark Frameworks - Bark Frameworks - they are not afraid to charge what it will cost."
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I thought of Bark right away too. They would certainly be qualified and equipped to do it, but you can be sure they would want the owner to have their own insurance, as well as a substantiation of the claimed value.
:CRAZED: Rick
 
I need an update Shayla. Did the guy ever show up with the painting?

The last case we had with something like this was a man was sure he had found a Monet in his mother's attic. It was a Monet alright- just one printed on textured chipboard.
 
Bruce Papier said:
I need an update Shayla. Did the guy ever show up with the painting?

The last case we had with something like this was a man was sure he had found a Monet in his mother's attic. It was a Monet alright- just one printed on textured chipboard.
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He never showed. Although he was likely delusional, I'm still glad I gave a good answer. And your note brings to mind one of our framing customers. He's ten thousand percent convinced that his collection of beginner-level copies on canvas board are originals worth a zillion dollars. He thinks they're Van Gogh's, etc...., and sees things in them that aren't there. He's just this side of completely irrational, and is very different to deal with. Thankfully, he hasn't come by in a few years.
 
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