Bloomberg/Business Week Story - Art Auctions at Sea

[Lucky TGO]

... which was 750 ml of carbonated paint thinner donated by the artist.

 

Carbill and Bill B,

Do you guys really think that carbonated paint thinner really cost that much??

$1.00 no way that to much.

Tony

[Bill B]

Carbill and Bill B,

Do you guys really think that carbonated paint thinner really cost that much??

 

Real paint thinner does... but this was a 'copy'... and mixed with acrylic reducer.

[Aussieflyer]

On Golden Princess last week we were assailed by the "art" auctions - there were announcements and we had to run the gamut of them to get to various places. They also took over the Explorers Bar at least once for an auction and had paintings displayed all along the walkway there.

I was astounded to see sold stickers on a number of paintings though it did cross my mind that these were put there by the dealers themselves. I would never buy a piece of art through these people. There is no way to check provenance and true market value, though the same thing applies to the jewellery sold by Effy. No way would I part with the sort of money they want.

[NorbertsNiece]

i was interested in the poster who wasn't allowed to take their print off the ship themselves. You've actually no way of being sure that the pic you receive is the one you purchased!

 

On social media a poster was bragging about their purchase of a Picasso at an auction on board..... :rolleyes:

Edited December 16, 2016 by NorbertsNiece

[iancal]

I would not buy a postcard from Park. And a free glass of ginger ale is hardly an incentive to attend their auction.

 

Bottom line....there must be lots of commission/revenue in this business for the cruise lines. They all seem to have these auctions.

[partybarbie]

This is a Park West run operation.. though Princess, and the other lines, do allow them to sell.

 

IMO, when it was Princess Fine Arts (I think that's what it was called) there was a completely different, less pressure vibe. Additionally, the pieces were explained as to what they were so at least one would know the type of piece one MIGHT by buying. I say this since PFA was a totally different operation. And, from what I was interested in, actually offered pieces that I could find at galleries...and at a lower price.

 

Sad to see them go.. though I spend a few dollars less these days.

 

PW does come across as worse than many infomercials. And FWIW, the author of the piece didn't need to bring up the "champagne." It's not like one can get hammered on the one glass of it. There were enough other issues to shame the auction.

 

I miss Princess fine arts too. I'm extremely happy with the pieces that I bought from them. I was able to research the prices and framing, and in two different cases, I got to speak with the artist.

 

Having said that, there's no way I would buy from Park West. Our last piece was purchased from a local art gallery. It did cost a little more than similar past purchases from Princess Fine Arts, but at least it's not a forgery.

[Bill B]

Does anyone know (not speculation) what percentage: the artist, Park West, the auctioneer, P. W. staff and the cruise line gets from each piece?

[JimmyVWine]

Oh, that I could....but I cannot. While Princess does limit announcements, art auction hoo-haw claptrap is far too common. At least it was on the Regal in August/September.

 

Contrary to the previous poster we haven't heard much of that at all. It's posted in the Patter but I don't recall announcements over the PA.

 

I'll take the middle ground here. On our most recent cruise, there were several PA announcements each day that art auctions took place. But we were out and about by the pools when the announcements were made, so they were nothing more than white noise to us. So yes, announcements are out there. But no, they were not done in a way that made me clench my teeth. They were easy to tune out.

[Aus Traveller]

I'll take the middle ground here. On our most recent cruise, there were several PA announcements each day that art auctions took place. But we were out and about by the pools when the announcements were made, so they were nothing more than white noise to us. So yes, announcements are out there. But no, they were not done in a way that made me clench my teeth. They were easy to tune out.

This is what we have found also, although sometimes the announcements are intrusive. :)

[Fuzzyape]

...IMO, when it was Princess Fine Arts (I think that's what it was called) there was a completely different, less pressure vibe. Additionally, the pieces were explained as to what they were so at least one would know the type of piece one MIGHT by buying. I say this since PFA was a totally different operation. And, from what I was interested in, actually offered pieces that I could find at galleries...and at a lower price.

 

Redwing, I agree with you. Pardon the length of my story. DW and I bought a couple of works on our first cruise back in '02. One was a Godard Giclee (fancy word for xerox in my opinion). But we enjoyed it so much we started picking up other pieces from other venues. At that time PA wasn't charging any more than what we could get at the gallery itself. Granted these weren't thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars, but was impressed there wasn't a huge mark up.

 

We have gone to some of the PW auctions, but they don't have our favorite artist (Mr. Godard discontinued his relationship with Princess [not sure if it was when PW took over]) and none of the art wows me. Guess I should be happy about that. I've enjoyed the pieces we picked up on our cruises (most of them earlier under PFA). Just not that impressed with PW, but I may not be sophisticated enough. There are my 2 pennies. Thanks for your time.

 

Counting down the days!

[lovetosew]

All of this reminds me of a wonderful play by Yasmina Reza called Art which premiered in 1994 and ran on Broadway for eight years and in many dinner theaters hereafter. It was a delightful play about a gentleman who bought a perfectly blank canvas for a very high price only to have to justify his purchase to his two closest friends. It was a delightful play and well worth seeing if the opportunity arises. Art is in the eye of the beholder, which is part of the Park West champagne and aura. Beware.

[4cats4me]

My appreciation of art is limited to what they sell at Bed Bath and Beyond or Home Goods. Although my son presented us with a canvas that he created at what I call drunk paint night. Basically it's evening of drinking wine and a painting lesson. Now that's something I would pay to do on a cruise ship.

 

 

 

LOL. I'm kind of partial to those dancing olive paintings on board

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited December 17, 2016 by 4cats4me

[caribill]

Carbill and Bill B,

Do you guys really think that carbonated paint thinner really cost that much??

$1.00 no way that to much.

Tony

 

Paint thinner: $.25

Bottle: $.55

Cork: $.10

Fancy label: $.10

 

Total $1.00

[Colorado Coasty]

Paint thinner: $.25

Bottle: $.55

Cork: $.10

Fancy label: $.10

 

Total $1.00

 

"Fine" art from Park West - PRICELESS

[tailspintom]

Aw, come on folks. Are the art auctions any more intrusive than the massage therapy, facials, jewelry, wine packages, or nightly after dinner drinks? If you don't like the sparkling wine offered, don't drink it. If you don't enjoy the art, don't buy it. Both Princess and the vendors are attempting to make some margin on their product(s). All of us are capable of canning the brochure we receive in about 2 seconds. Further, if you don't like an offering, don't order, purchase or consume it. I am not particularly keen on the Curtis Stone products offered at dinner. They are not ordered. It is called free will.

[NorbertsNiece]

Yes.

They are.

[tailspintom]

Yes.

They are.

 

How so, NorbertsNiece? Perhaps you could share how the Art auctions differ from, say the Spa folk that display their products and services at the Horizon Court and certainly send out state room material.

I don’t want to get into an argument about something so trivial, but I also don't want to miss an opportunity to be indignant about something☺. And, I do understand that some folks are having some fun with the fine sparkling wine.

[shredie]

How so, NorbertsNiece? Perhaps you could share how the Art auctions differ from, say the Spa folk that display their products and services at the Horizon Court and certainly send out state room material.

I don’t want to get into an argument about something so trivial, but I also don't want to miss an opportunity to be indignant about something☺. And, I do understand that some folks are having some fun with the fine sparkling wine.

 

This is a silly argument. The art auctions are more intrusive than the spa people in the hall outside the Horizon court when they put up their paintings in easels in Explorer's Lounge and all along the walkway in front of it.

[cherylandtk]

Tom, don't know if it's worth getting indignant about, but the almost daily auctions are announced over the loudspeaker (thankfully not in the rooms but everywhere else) and several times a day..."the preview is starting", "the auction is starting", "our special auction is tomorrow at 2", etc. I don't think many of the other 'opportunities' get that privileged priority. We get the noon bridge announcement and the clearance to disembark at a port....and art auctions. On some ships the CD does a single daily announcement. On very rare occasions I have heard an announcement for a wine tasting, or a special onboard event, but only art auctions seem to get the multiple announcements on a daily basis on every ship. YMMV.

[neverbeenhere]

As I always do when this subject arises, I ask all cruisers to attend and purchase as many pieces that they can afford. Take your kid's inheritance or the inheritance you got from your parents and spend it all on the pieces that are for sale of the ships.

 

This will help to insure that my cost of cruising stays lower.

 

 

Thank You in advance.

[JustinPlusLauren]

I enjoyed it much more when Princess used their own company / a different company to sell art. I went to a Park West art auction on my last cruise and did not enjoy it at all. After reading this, I know that the company is super scummy. Thanks for sharing.

[Aussieflyer]

Aw, come on folks. Are the art auctions any more intrusive than the massage therapy, facials, jewelry, wine packages, or nightly after dinner drinks? If you don't like the sparkling wine offered, don't drink it. If you don't enjoy the art, don't buy it. Both Princess and the vendors are attempting to make some margin on their product(s). All of us are capable of canning the brochure we receive in about 2 seconds. Further, if you don't like an offering, don't order, purchase or consume it. I am not particularly keen on the Curtis Stone products offered at dinner. They are not ordered. It is called free will.

 

Yes IMO the art auctions are different. The Spa displays are small and unintrusive; occasionally they seem to take over areas for a sales talk etc but this is usually a small area and easy to bypass. Brochures for any activity on board are easy to throw away but I don't see the spa having multiple 'invitations' placed at my door. One of the most annoying things is that often the art work is set up so that you have to pass through the area to get somewhere.

Not worth getting into a fight over but the cruise lines must be making a packet from them. I for one would love to see them disappear, or maybe just a small art gallery area for those who want to buy.

[Griller]

Yes IMO the art auctions are different. The Spa displays are small and unintrusive; occasionally they seem to take over areas for a sales talk etc but this is usually a small area and easy to bypass. Brochures for any activity on board are easy to throw away but I don't see the spa having multiple 'invitations' placed at my door. One of the most annoying things is that often the art work is set up so that you have to pass through the area to get somewhere.

Not worth getting into a fight over but the cruise lines must be making a packet from them. I for one would love to see them disappear, or maybe just a small art gallery area for those who want to buy.

 

I don't think they have them on the Explorer class Princess ship any more. And that is where many serious and well-off cruisers sail on the World cruise etc. Maybe those folk are not good enough buyers of "art".

Anyway I can confirm this in a couple of weeks when we sail on Pacific Princess.

[Bill B]

Explorer class???

[GUT2407]

i was interested in the poster who wasn't allowed to take their print off the ship themselves. You've actually no way of being sure that the pic you receive is the one you purchased!

 

On social media a poster was bragging about their purchase of a Picasso at an auction on board..... :rolleyes:

 

Think that was me.

 

That's one issue.

 

Funnily enough they now call themselves Princess Fine Art again, makes one think that PW name must stink so much they try to hide who they are.