Park west

[Alliezona09]

There were paintings at the art auction?? :confused: All I remember is the free champagne~!! lol~ DH kept trying to leave and I kept going after the waiters!!! :D

[Raven Days]

I avoid them like the plague! I "won" a free print at one of the auctions. They had me set up an appointment to pick out the "free" print and then they hit me with the costs involved! It was going to cost me $50 to mail it to me, in a tube. I asked if I could just carry it off, and was told no. I was then told that I would be charged a fee for the processing. When all was said and done, I was paying for the "free" art I just "won". I declined. Thanks but free for me does not equal me paying for it. Now, I just go for the free cheap champagne and browse.

 

I do like the Peter Max and I dont think he is a had been. He just had a show here in SA that I missed. I think he does wonderful work and love his American flag focused work.

[kbmeow]

the art gallery had nothing in it last week on the Inspiration. Blank walls...

[elcuchio24]

Park West's business model is simple:

 

They get artists whose work isn't collected by any museum or serious collector to mass-produce stuff. This "art" has virtually no commercial value.

 

Then they talk the art up throughout the cruise, convincing passengers who know nothing about the art market that they're getting great deals.

 

Think about it: have you ever seen work by any of those artists in a museum? Or sold by a REAL auction house? Of course not: it's junk!

 

(By the way, I am an expert in art connoisseurship, so I know what I'm speaking about)

 

I at first questioned if you were really a connoisseur. On the second post I was starting to believe. By the fifth I was sold. :-) But I agree, any business that has to liquor you up to sell you the product is not going to get my money.

[kbmeow]

I at first questioned if you were really a connoisseur. On the second post I was starting to believe. By the fifth I was sold. :-) But I agree, any business that has to liquor you up to sell you the product is not going to get my money.

 

 

I like businesses that Liquor me up. My dealership does it at least once a year.

[matj2000]

Utterly unnecessary comment, as usual.

 

CC is experiencing issues all over the place with replies posting multiple times, through no fault of the poster.

 

I thought it was pretty funny.

I believe it was the fault of the poster.

I haven't seen anyone else replying mulitple times like that.

A little over anxious + slow computer and thats what happens.....

[jewopaho]

This is a topic which arises with some regularity, and manages to bring out both the best and worst in contributors. We cruise often, and have attended at least a dozen of these "auctions" ... more like, "Give us our opening bid, and it's yours ... and in the event of a tie, you each get one." From both observation and a bit of research, I must conclude the Park West business model is nothing more than a well-contrived sales hustle, having little or nothing to do with art; it just happens to be what they're pushing (used cars, aluminum siding, Ginsu knives ... it wouldn't matter). The emphasis is on perceived appreciation, a totally unfounded sales gimmick, with no basis in fact. Probably the most valuable component of any piece sold by Park West is the frame. They're continually in litigation (99.9% of the time as the defendant, largely over authenticity issues), and Royal Caribbean recently terminated its relationship with them. Of course, if you purchase a piece simply because you like it, and believe the price to be fair, that's a different matter ... until you're hit with another $100 bill to ship it home.

[Justsyd]

I agree with most other posters - if you find something that you like at a reasonable price - there is nothing wrong with purchasing it. We have several pieces that we love.

[Elmer McCurdy]

Most of the "art" they sell you can usually find online and cheaper.

 

I have no taste for Peter Max or Thomas Kinkade or cheap champagne.