Park West Auctions-Peter Max

[Plato123]

There is an interesting article in today's new York Times on the Peter Max print factory and sales on cruise ships.

Sorry but I can't provide a link.

[Xrayal]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/business/peter-max-dementia-cruise-ship-auctions.html#click=https://t.co/U6pDsjT7I9

[LisaLeone]

Just read it and it makes me angry. In fact, I was just coming to the board to post it. Buyer beware.

[ECCruise]

This had to be so obvious over the last few years.  Even thought Peter Max was a pretty prolific artist, when you would look at the huge number of Max works on every Celebrity ship and every RCCL ship plus Carnival and NCL, it seemed  clear that it was pretty unlikely that an 80+ year old artist was turning out that volume of work.  And that was before we found out about the Alzheimer's. 

Once again, trust in Park West erodes.  But the cruise lines will go back to that trough, just as they did after the last lawsuit.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Personally. Why is Park West on every darn ship. MONEY! Went to one auction years ago. Not impressed at all.

[bermadu22]

You see so much of Peter Max's art on ships auctions, I wondered how there seemed to be an infinite supply of his work. The truth of it is so sad. 

[Orator]

49 minutes ago, bermadu22 said:

You see so much of Peter Max's art on ships auctions, I wondered how there seemed to be an infinite supply of his work. The truth of it is so sad. 

Many of works that are signed by MAX are the work of minimum wage workers. Until about 4 years ago he only affixed his name. He is too far gone now to even sign. You have to be very careful at any auction. I would suggest that if you see something you like google the artist and check the market. As was said by a man much wiser than I: "Investigate before you invest".

Edited May 28, 2019 by Orator

[bEwAbG]

You also need to understand what they're selling you.  A giclée is a reproduction made on a high-quality printer, for example.  In this case, they're technically selling you something that Peter Max has signed.  They leave out the part where collectors will not touch this stuff for anything close to what you're going to pay for it.  

 

Park West is going to hide behind the best legal team money can buy.  I was especially amused at the "lawyers at the company said employees are told" XYZ line in a bid to keep management from being culpable for not monitoring their employees' performance.  An example:

 

"Lawyers for the company said that... Park West instructs auctioneers to never use the word “investment” when describing art."

 

All fine and dandy, except the last time I dropped by an auction two years ago, the auctioneer said something like "I'm not an investment adviser and cannot make those types of recommendations but doesn't it make sense that you'd want to leave something of this quality for your heirs?"  Complete weaselly nonsense, if you listen close enough.  

[fluffybunny22]

Christ. My husband just conned me into a Max last year. It's the least ugly Max I've ever seen which isn't saying much. I'm sitting under it right now.

[NantahalaCruiser]

3 hours ago, bermadu22 said:

You see so much of Peter Max's art on ships auctions, I wondered how there seemed to be an infinite supply of his work. The truth of it is so sad. 

And I have often wondered how there seems to be an infinite supply of suckers to purchase "his" work!

[niborHS]

Most of what Park West sells are offset lithos, whether they are by Peter Max or other artists, what they really are is glorified prints, they are not even real lithographs. People way over-pay for them. My husband once bought something from them, and I am still annoyed about it. Everything is overpriced. 

[Northern Aurora]

I also read the article on the New York Times website.  Very interesting from a number of standpoints --  elder care issues, exploitation of someone with dementia and Park West.  There also was a fascinating article in Bloomberg Businessweek several years ago (2016 or early 2017).  The magazine sent one of their reporters on a cruise ship, and the tactics used by Park West sales staff was appalling.  Given the misrepresentations made by Park West staff and history of lawsuits I find it curious that any cruise line would want to expose their passengers to Park West.  But apparently Park West makes so much money for the cruise lines that management just looks away.

[fstuff1]

2 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Christ. My husband just conned me into a Max last year. It's the least ugly Max I've ever seen which isn't saying much. I'm sitting under it right now.

 

pic?

and how much did you pay for it?

 

[cruise47]

Question. Is Park West today,  Tuesday, May 28,2019, still selling Peter Max painting aboard cruise ships ?

[fluffybunny22]

13 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

 

pic?

and how much did you pay for it?

 

There is no way I'm telling you how much I paid. It was enough that Park West keeps calling me and inviting me to artist weekends in a fancy hotel in Asheville, NC. Next time they call they are getting an earful.

[Orator]

7 minutes ago, cruise47 said:

Question. Is Park West today,  Tuesday, May 28,2019, still selling Peter Max painting aboard cruise ships ?

Yes they are.

[hcat]

We met a couple on an X cruise whose 

"hobby" is the art auctions on board.  They were comped....for the cruise and other benefits...so they must spend a fortune at Park West....hope they at least enjoy what they buy!

[KmomChicago]

Humph!! These gloppy things I photographed on Carnival Sensation about 18 months ago are barely worth the data to keep the pics on my phone all this time!

[clskinsfan]

3 hours ago, bEwAbG said:

You also need to understand what they're selling you.  A giclée is a reproduction made on a high-quality printer, for example.  In this case, they're technically selling you something that Peter Max has signed.  They leave out the part where collectors will not touch this stuff for anything close to what you're going to pay for it.  

 

Park West is going to hide behind the best legal team money can buy.  I was especially amused at the "lawyers at the company said employees are told" XYZ line in a bid to keep management from being culpable for not monitoring their employees' performance.  An example:

 

"Lawyers for the company said that... Park West instructs auctioneers to never use the word “investment” when describing art."

 

All fine and dandy, except the last time I dropped by an auction two years ago, the auctioneer said something like "I'm not an investment adviser and cannot make those types of recommendations but doesn't it make sense that you'd want to leave something of this quality for your heirs?"  Complete weaselly nonsense, if you listen close enough.  

 

My wife and I walked by one of the auctions a couple of weeks ago on Eclipse. And the woman DEFINITELY said Max is an investment. In fact we watched a woman drop $4500 on a "special" 3 for 1 Max auction. 

[clskinsfan]

1 hour ago, cruise47 said:

Question. Is Park West today,  Tuesday, May 28,2019, still selling Peter Max painting aboard cruise ships ?

They were two weeks ago?

[hcat]

I wonder if LLP and R  Fain have read the article..or are otherwise aware.  I do not believe they would want to be part of  these alleged shady practices on their ships

[sailingskyward]

For several years, the number of pieces being sold onboard various cruise lines seemed far beyond what any one artist could produce. Mathematically, it simply didn't add up. 

 

Recently, Holland America switched vendors to a new company called ArtLink which bills itself as the "World's Largest Emerging Art Gallery"   I wasn't impressed, to say the least. It felt like Park West under a new brand name. 

 

There's a sucker born every minute, folks. I'm guessing a lot of them buy "art" on cruises. 

[bikerunner]

Art is about as subjective as food.  Never understood the draw to maxx.  I met him years ago before he was getting dementia or might have had early stages. I have seen people spend much on Art on cruises. I was fooled long ago on first cruise but I did get something that I enjoy hanging on the wall. Was not a max but one of the other artists. I knew it was a copy/litho etc.  I also know I am not in position to own originals since some of this artist ledan,  I like came up on an auction house near me.  The originals went for over 10k at the auction.  Am I upset I bought it not really it gets great compliments. And looks great.  But it is also being aware of how much things cost etc. can say same thing on jewelry and the hard sells on the islands they do. You can get the same price hear in the states.  Well if you live in states that don’t have sales tax anyway. 

[bEwAbG]

At the auction I attended two years ago, the guy beside me spent the whole time making snide comments about the art and the buyers and basically how everyone bidding was a fool buying crap.  We were humoring him (and he was funny).  Lo and behold, they bring up a Thomas Kinkade piece, and the first one with his paddle in the air is this guy!  He ended up winning the auction and without a hint of irony turned to us and said "I have to make my wife happy" and was on his way. 

[floridatravelersforlife]

We got conned once back 12 years ago with a $100 piece.  Since then we have bought items we liked on Ebayand the like for much less a few years after we saw it on the ship.  We treat this art as decoration, not investment.  Flippers don't touch this product.