Complaint Review: Art Experts

 I requested an appraisal of a piece of artwork by a famous artist in a certain genre because the Art Experts web site states they have experienece with the artists work. I should have determine by the sheer number of artists they say they have expreince with (many hundreds at least), that it is is not really possible to be an expert in all of the art areas they claim without enromus infra-structure and sophisticated labs. 

 Basically Mr. Mark Winter (as far as I can tell, a "one man show") charged me $800 to do a very amtuerish report on my artwork. It was extremely subjective and un-scientific. I was looking for a possible authentication. In fact it occured to me after seeing his report with pictures he downloaded from the internet and other borrowed materials that in fact there is substantial liabilty in his authenticating art work. If for example I sold my artwork with his authentication, he could later be sued by the buyer. Therefore, I think Mr. Winter much prefers to take your $800 and have no liabilty by simply using some flimsy excuses and spurious arguments to say your art is not authentic. If he does this with 1000 people a year, well...that's $800,000. in his pocket and no liabilty. Nice gig if you cn get it!

When I sent him actual facts I had obtained in the provenance search and questioned some of his findings, which I had already found before his report was issued (such as parts of the art work which had already been scientifically proven to be authentic), he did not directly answer my questions, but instead used assumptions and tactics I found desperate and not well founded in any credible or thoughtful process. 

In researching this fellows credentials I have found while he may have done some work with Christies auction house in the 1970's-80's (he did not work for them as an employee), he actaully has no formal education in art history that I could find; a professorship, published papers, books or other real credentials. he may be a self taught appraiser, which is fine. However he should not hold himself and his company out as an authentication service and then provide these extremely low quality and questionable conclusive reports. Your better off to find a real eaxpert and keep your $800.