1950 Auguste Herbin Abstract Gouache
Watch
GUEST:
This piece I actually picked up at an estate sale in Phoenix. I just loved the geometric pattern it had. I loved the midcentury modern kind of feel it has, and so I bought it.
APPRAISER:
So how long ago did you purchase the work?
GUEST:
I actually bought it about three years ago.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, the artist's name is Auguste Herbin. He's French. It's also dated 1950. He was born near the Belgian border in 1882. He studied art, and then he moved to Paris, as most artists seemed to do. And his studio was right next to that of Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris. So by 1913, he was so influenced by them that he was painting cubist works. Then he got drafted for World War I, and he was actually too short to serve in the military, so they utilized his talents in other ways. He was asked to decorate a military chapel and also to design camouflage for the Air Force.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
So after the war, he continued to experiment with different styles of painting, including abstract and representational styles. And around 1938, he became very interested in the Italian Trecento, and his forms became geometric and very simplified. And then around 1942, he designed something called a plastic alphabet. And he used different geometric symbols to stand for letters of the alphabet, and sometimes it would be the same shape but in different colors that would have different meanings. So some of his works of art, you can actually decode them, and it will spell out a word or it will have something that you can sing.
(chuckling)
APPRAISER:
So I made a slight attempt but I didn't come up with much. So I don't know if that is what's going on here.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The medium here is gouache, which is a water-based paint. Unlike watercolor, it's opaque. And you said you paid how much for this?
GUEST:
$200.
APPRAISER:
$200. So I think if this were to be sold in a retail gallery, it might sell for something like $30,000 or $35,000.
GUEST:
Oh, that's wonderful. Wow! That's so cool.
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.
