---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 1996 10:38:07 -0700 (MST)
From: Michael E Lee <[log in to unmask]>
To: Joseph M Ruggiero <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Renoir bronze for sale, 4/12/96 (fwd)

It always is interesting to me how people try and capitalize on an
artist's work after his/her death.  Maybe Renoir never ment the piece to
be cast and an edition of 220 seems a little much, at $30k a pop!  But
the practice is quite common and does make a bundle, mostly for the
galleries.  In some cases bronze castings are made as a way of saving an
artist's unfinished works,but usually it is to sqeese as much $ as
possible out of the estate.  Degas never caste any of his sculpture
and only exhibited the wax "Ballerina" in his lifetime, but after his
death all 79 pieces found in his studio were molded and cast into large
editions and the molds suposedly destroyed, HA. There is a substancial
blackmarket in duplicate castings of artwork of many great artists and
antiqities, so if you are thinking of buying, beware!  Sculpture
forgery is a interesting topic and would make a very
interesting science exhibit.

Thanks for the info.,
Michael