High Rollers

Alan, Bob Weinberg’s remarks yesterday encompass the essence of why the work of Carder has lagged Tiffany’s prices in the marketplace. Serious Carder collectors work under the proverbial radar. Few prominent dealers sell Carder pieces; little major Carder turns up at high end auction galleries.

Both Tiffany and Carder produced a large volume of generic pieces now available in abundance on the web and at mom and pop dealers. When rare pieces do come up for sale Tiffany attracts the high rollers. Carder collectors tend not to be high rollers. Rather, they are mostly people who collect modestly. Ergo, they do not constitute a viable high end base from which buyers compete for the work.

Until Carder is taken seriously by enough of those who seek the finest his pieces will languish and diminish in value. Of course the artistry is without equal. But the perception is what matters in the greater decorative arts universe. Upper level markets are made by people who can afford to pay well for that which is perceived to be rare.

High prices are paid by high net worth collectors. Picasso was a very prolific artist. His work was carefully managed in the marketplace during his lifetime and after his death. Ergo, attracting wealthy collectors and museums and secondary marketplace outlets. This is the way the rare and fine art marketplace operates. Had his work been reduced to being “collectibles” it would not have been elevated to the price levels it commands. It is perceived as rare and fine. And it is.

Anonymous