Sculpture Schemes

There's a segment of the knock-off market which

deals with low cost sculpture reproductions. Most factories

manufacturing these reproductions inhabit Mexico, China,

and India. They mass duplicate works by well-established

artists and masters.  You will see reproductions of "The

Thinker" by Rodan, sculptures by Ecart, Michelangelo and

countless other artists. These reproductions sell for several

hundred dollars to a maximum of two thousand dollars. But

you will find merchant-thieves who often pass these

off for outrageous fortunes.

I've seen stores purported to be antique dealers

selling some of these novelty sculptures as "antiques,"

deceptively pricing them for thousands of dollars beyond

anything resembling a fair price. There was a pair of parrots

reproduced by a bronze factory in Mexico. The warehouse

had a suggested retail price on the birds of one thousand

dollars a piece. A gallery I visited had the pair for sale

at ten thousand dollars.  Therefore, make sure you

inquire if the work you are looking at is an original piece

done by the noted artist, cast under his or her supervision,

or is this something reproduced without the artist's direct

participation.

Look for yourself and see if the sculpture is signed

and numbered by the artist. Ask if the sculptor who created

the image authorized the piece, and most importantly can

the gallery provide you with a certificate of authenticity. If

the certificate of authenticity is not there or if it has no

artist signature on it, this is a clear giveaway you are not

looking at an authentic piece.

When you see the copycatting of living artists, to the

untrained eye, differences between the knock-off and