While we consider ourselves experts, sometimes we just guess. Sometimes we just gamble. Sometimes the result is extraordinary. Sometimes I have egg on my face and an angry wife.
A few weeks back, we were contacted by heirs of a Los Angeles socialite who was ahead of her time and bought many art objects in the ’70s and ’80s.
The Most Famous Collections Of Picasso
Bronze Sculpture by Pablo Picasso
Made in 1951, the object is composed of bronze; it has a frame of 18-karat gold and silver by David Webb — the hottest jeweler in the 1980s. Furthermore, this exact piece was featured in one of the most famous collections of Picassos — the Wolper Picassos — and was described as Female Figure 1951 with added mounting. Some of the larger pieces in the Wolper Collection sold for millions.
The Wolper Picassos Book
So what’s a dealer/collector/speculator going to offer? We paid under $50,000, and while we have nothing other than speculation to judge the eventual outcome, we hope it will bring at least what we paid — and as is always the case, the fair market value will be determined at public auction.
This is an archival article formerly written and is for informational purposes only. The valuations in this article have likely changed since it was first written.
