Valuing  stolen  artwork    Dec  15,  2014  |  By  Erin  Hollenbank  

 Enservio  Select  was  recently  asked  to  appraise  an  original  oil  painting  by  Ettore  “Ted”  DeGrazia  (American,  1909-­‐1982).  Born  in  the  mining  town  of  Morenci,  Ariz.,  Ted  DeGrazia  became  one  of  Arizona's  most  prominent  painters,  illustrators  and  graphic  artists,  resulting  in  his  studio  gallery  being  listed  on  the  National  Register  of  Historic  Places.    He  lived  most  of  his  life  near  Tucson,  and  worked  in  his  studio,  which  he  called  "The  Gallery  of  the  Sun."  His  signature  work  includes  paintings  and  illustrations  of  

'angel-­‐like'  Southwestern  children,  many  of  Indian  and  Hispanic  descent.  His  original  paintings  are  iconic  and  sought  after  worldwide,  ranging  in  price  from  $10,000-­‐$20,000,  depending  on  the  size.  

The  painting  by  DeGrazia  we  were  asked  to  value  had  been  stolen  from  the  premises  and  was  not  available  to  examine.  However,  a  photograph  was  provided  showing  the  canvas.  It  was  titled  Superstition  Mountain  and  was  said  to  have  been  inherited  from  family.  The  claimed  value  of  the  painting  was  $16,000.    

When  our  specialists  began  researching  the  provenance  for  this  painting  as  well  as  other  paintings  by  DeGrazia  depicting  the  Superstition  Mountains,  this  exact  painting  was  found  on  many  websites  celebrating  the  artist’s  work.  Perhaps  whomever  the  insured  inherited  it  from  was  a  buyer  or  collector  of  DeGrazia’s  work  and  the  insured  owned  an  important  piece.  Upon  further  research  it  was  discovered  that  DeGrazia  created  only  one  rendition  of  the  Superstition  Mountain  and  the  piece  was  part  of  the  deceased  artist’s  personal  collection.  

Enservio  specialists  contacted  Ted  DeGrazia’s  signature  gallery  and  the  only  gallery  that  represents  the  artist’s  estate,  DeGrazia  Gallery  in  the  Sun  in  Tucson,  Ariz.,  and  learned  it  was  part  of  the  gallery’s  personal  collection  and  was  not  available  for  sale.  A  photograph  of  this  painting  was  held  in  their  collection,  one  identical  to  the  insured’s  painting.  This  meant  that  the  insured’s  painting  was  a  canvas  transfer  copy  and  not  an  original  painting.  The  value  of  the  canvas  transfer  reproduction  was  $250  compared  to  the  claimed  value  of  $16,000.  

The  $16,000  could  have  been  an  accurate  price  if  the  painting  had  been  original.  The  provided  photograph  did  not  show  close-­‐up  details  of  brush  strokes  to  determine  authenticity,  and  because  the  piece  was  stolen  it  was  not  available  to  examine  first-­‐hand.  In  this  instance,  it  would  have  been  easy  to  agree  with  the  claimed  value  based  on  the  information  submitted  at  claim  intake.  However,  the  additional  research  and  due  diligence  in  the  appraisal  work  led  to  a  $15,750  savings  for  the  insurance  carrier.    

 

Photograph  provided  by  Insured    

Photograph of original Superstition Mountain painting owned by the Ted DeGrazia Gallery.