Felipe Orlando Abstract Oil Painting, ca. 1980
Watch
GUEST:
A friend told me about an estate sale in Dallas, so my son and I decided to go. We went on the last day of the estate sale. When we entered the house, I saw this leaning against the dining room wall on the floor, and I was just drawn into the red color. I'm not an abstract collector, I don't know anything about abstract. I'm very more traditional. Being that I'm Hispanic, I just saw, like, like, a flamenco dancer sort of like the, with the red hues. It just spoke to me in that manner. When I told my son I wanted to buy the piece of art, he said, "Oh, Mom, don't get it, it's ugly." But I decided to go ahead and, and purchase it and ended up paying six dollars for this piece of art.
APPRAISER:
Six dollars? So how long ago did you purchase it at the estate sale?
GUEST:
About four to five months ago.
APPRAISER:
Your son should always listen to you. Sons should always listen to their mothers. (chuckles)
APPRAISER:
But this is a really interesting example of an abstract painting by the Cuban artist Felipe Orlando. It's oil on canvas. Orlando was born in 1911 in Mexico, but spent the bulk of his career in Cuba, from 1914 until 1946, which is a very vibrant time to be in Cuba. He was influenced by artists like Tamayo, and also European artist Jean Dubuffet. But when we look at paintings like this, his own instincts for the Afro-Cuban style, as well as his interest in pre-Columbian anthropology comes through. It's quite abstract, but there's a lot of figure studies going on. It's really a wonderful example of his work. The piece is signed and measured on the back, and also, the artist has put an arrow to show which way is down-- the typography corresponds with that direction. In the '50s, the artist moved back to Mexico. And this was probably painted in the 1970s or '80s. His work is in the Museum Nacional in Havana, as well as in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and at the Museum of Latin American Art in Washington. So, a very established artist. It's in great condition, and at auction, I would estimate it at $4,000 to $6,000.
GUEST:
Wow. Wow, not a bad investment. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
If it were earlier and painted in Cuba, it would have a different scale of value.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
