With my appraiser hat on...... I was taught in an appraisal fine art 
specialty course that indeed WPA art created by artists hired and paid by 
the Fed Govn't was in fact Govn't property.   Property without proper title 
has no market value.   If you don't own it, you can't transfer the ownership 
bundle of rights to a second party.  This is as complicated as trying to 
sell endangered species and other contraband material.   No sale value.

Insurance is a different matter.  If the WPA created (not just era) art is 
held by an authority with legal right to hold it (govn't museum, city 
hall....) then it can be valued.  The valuation is tricky since finding 
recent comparable sales of murals that usually can't be sold legally....... 
(i often wonder why i chose this profession) is tough.  The fall-back 
position is to look at the artist and what they produced in their privately 
created body of work.  You research those sales figures and perform some 
magic to transfer that market data to mural size.

Large murals that can't be moved bring up the whole issue of "value in 
place."  I assume there are unattached.

Sara Conklin, ISA CAPP
Certified Appraiser of Personal Property
Ph:  800-464-4208
email:  [log in to unmask] 

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