1908 Hans Olaf Heyerdahl Painting
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GUEST:
It belonged to my mother, who got it from her sister, and we don't know where her sister got it. I know it's from a Norwegian artist, Heyerdahl. I grew up in Norway, so when I was back visiting once, my mother said I was to have it if I wanted it, so I drug it here and had it reframed because the frame was old and really falling apart.
APPRAISER:
And you brought it here...?
GUEST:
Oh, maybe 15, 20 years ago.
APPRASIER: And have you ever done any research on Heyerdahl?
GUEST:
No, I've neglected that.
APPRAISER:
Well, I can tell you a little bit about Heyerdahl. Actually, it's Hans Olaf Heyerdahl, and he was Swedish, not Norwegian.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
He was born in 1857 in Dalman, Sweden, and he died in 1913. He went to Paris in 1878 to study with Bonnat. At a certain period in his career, he painted landscapes in the French landscape style and certain things that were a little bit more academic. But when he was in Paris, he really did catch on to the French impressionist palette, and French impressionism in the 1870s was already very well-established. If we look here, we see that it is signed "Heyerdahl, 1908," and it is an oil on canvas. That's later in his career. So by this time, he'd sort of moved even further away from impressionism and becomes more involved in a more modern expressionist style. And I really love this painting because of the palette and the beautiful way that he treated the figure of this beautiful girl. It looks to be in incredibly beautiful condition; it doesn't look like it's had any restoration. For a painting that's over 100 years old, to be in such nice condition is lovely. I can tell you that in the auction market, another painting very similar to this, a little bit more academic, but also of a nude in profile, sold in Sweden in 2010 for almost $62,000.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
So based on that, I would suggest an insurance figure of about $75,000.
GUEST:
Oh my goodness!
APPRAISER:
Are you surprised?
GUEST:
Yes! It's hanging in my dining room. It might be time to have it insured.
APRAISER: Yes.
GUEST:
Now we'll just have to decide which of my children wants to inherit this.
APPRAISER:
Well, that's something... I'm not getting involved there. (laughs)
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