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Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 11:49 AM

Subject: [ARLIS-L] Art Auction Information

Thanks to all who answered my query--in some cases I still have your name and in others I don't so I'm not attaching names to any of these. Enough people asked for the results that I decided to post it here. Although the student's assignment is over, I'm sure additional candidates will still be of interest to the list.

Original reference question:
I have to answer the following question for my Reference and Information Services class: Which electronic database(s) should I search for a comprehensive collection of the contents of art auction catalogs? (More than one of you mentioned the question was badly worded & ambiguous. The student is of the opinion this was on purpose so it would more closely resemble a real reference question.)

Answer #1
To find out about the *existence* of auction catalogs (i.e. bib level), I recommend students search the online catalog of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Their OPAC has a special limit for auction catalogs in their collection. Another good OPAC is the library of the Cleveland museum, I believe.

Answer #2
Two databases that you could use to find the contents of art auction catalogs - that is, to find what works of art were sold by which auction houses in which sales (which allows you to find the catalogs) - are ArtNet and ArtFact.
 
A database you could use to find out which libraries own copies of specific auction catalogs is Scipio; another is called Lugt Online.

Answer #3
At our public library [Sahara West Library, Las Vegas] we do not have the online equivalents of Gordon's Print Price Annual (the bible when it comes to auction print prices); Davenports (price guide--an immensely useful screening device: if the artist is not listed in it than chances are you are going to have a very difficult time elsewhere); and ADEC (ceased print publication but I recommend the online product for patrons who want to pay--one of the more comprehensive sources in my humble opinion).

We do have one online subscription--p4A.com--that our patrons like because it covers both antiques and collectibles plus selectively fine art.  Here is a synopsis of the product:

§        The www.p4aantiquesreference.com reference database is distinguished by a number of unique characteristics not found at any other place on the world wide web:
§        Every record in the database has at least one picture. You can really tell if this is similar to the item you are researching.
§        Every record in the database is compiled by a human editor, not digitally accumulated en masse.
§        Editors allow us to have a highly personalized and custom approach to record development, including such features as listing repeat sales of a specific item on the same record and expanded literature citations.
§        Each record is presented in a standardized format with description, provenance, condition, dimensions, pre-sale estimates, price realized, date of sale and auction house information as provided in the original sale catalogue.
§        Approximately twenty percent of the records in the database have an individually researched reference note providing further information about the item, information not found in the original catalogue entry. Other records have market notes identifying the auction record price paid for that type of material.
§        About fifty percent of the records in the database have an individually written "auction note" providing specific information about the auction environment in which that particular item was sold.
§        p4A records are routinely annotated with relevant post-sale information appearing in the trade press. No other information source on the web can claim even one of these distinguishing characteristics.

About 87% of all the information in the www.p4aantiquesreference.com reference database is totally unique to this site. A large portion of it has NEVER appeared anywhere else on the web. Much of the remaining information is not web searchable using standard web search engines. p4A is a truly unique, high value, low cost, reference source for antiques, collectibles and fine arts.

Answer #4
I have created an Access database in which I have been indexing all the auction catalogues we receive at Beverly Hills Public Library.  We are able to search the database for artists, media, bibliographies, etc., as well as keep automatically updated and expanded bibliographies for the results of the searches we perform.  In other words, once I've searched the database for 2007 catalogues covering the "Decorative Arts", I am able to print out the results of the search that includes any catalogues subsequently received and indexed using the term "decorative arts". We decided that we needed this database because we wanted to be able to access the wealth of information in the catalogues in our collection.

Edith L. Crowe | (408) 808-2037 | [log in to unmask]
Interim Head of Collection Development
Art & Humanities Librarian & Coordinator of Graduate Instruction
San Jose State University Library (http://www.sjlibrary.org)

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