1939 Gustav Krollmann Country Gentleman Cover Art
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GUEST:
I had purchased a quilt and was doing some research on it, because I didn't know what the pattern was.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And I found out that it was in a 1940s issue of Country Gentleman. So I went on the internet and went to looking for a 1940s issue of Country Gentleman, and this issue came up. And then right below it, the painting came up. And so I was intrigued to think that the original painting for the magazine cover was, was there. I became fascinated with it, and I purchased it. Purchased the painting and the magazine. So that's how I acquired it.
APPRAISER:
The internet got you.
GUEST:
The internet got me.
(both chuckle)
APPRAISER:
So the painting is by Gustav Krollmann.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Signed here, lower right. Gustav Krollmann was a artist who was trained and born in Vienna before he came to the States. And he ended up in Minneapolis, where he taught at the Minneapolis Art Institute, uh, starting in 1931. This painting was done in 1939, and he was still teaching there.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
But he was also doing his illustration work. Krollmann is actually primarily known as a illustrator for the Northern Pacific Railroad. His posters, actually, can sell for quite a bit of money. Do you remember how much you paid for this painting?
GUEST:
Yes, it was in 2020, and I paid $500.
APPRAISER:
What you may not know is, this painting has a sordid past.
GUEST:
Ooh!
(both laugh)
APPRAISER:
In 2007, it was up for auction...
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
...actually, and it sold for $2,000.
GUEST:
Oh, nice!
APPRAISER:
So somehow, between '07...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...and when you bought it in 2020...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...it became $500.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
I have no understanding...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...um, of that. Uh, as I said, the posters themselves can make well over $1,000, sometimes $1,500.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And here we have an original oil painting, but I don't think the market changed. Just happened to be who was bidding that day. This particular painting does have a few booboos. Uh, we have this scrape, uh, and a puncture, and then a few cleaning tests...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...as well. Obviously, those aren't really an issue, but not something we generally recommend to do in the sky.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
'Cause that can sometimes create a problem called moting, where, when you try to clean around the test clean, you end up with, like, a little ring around it.
GUEST:
Oh, I gotcha.
APPRAISER:
You may want to clean it, if for no other reason than to make sure that isn't a problem later.
GUEST:
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And at auction right now, in 2022, uh, we think it's worth on the order of $3,000 to $5,000.
GUEST:
Nice, nice. That's exciting.
APPRAISER:
Pretty good for $500.
GUEST:
Absolutely. Absolutely.
APPRAISER:
(chuckles)
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