So, not all the auctions are conducted by independent companies. I have heard of very few negative experiences associated with the Princess auctions. Perhaps the black mark on cruise ship auctions is the cause of a particular company, who is consequently giving the whole industry a bad name…

Your point about the cost of frames made me laugh. True, many commercial art dealers use cheap, faux gold frames. But good frames cost a bundle, much more than your stated range. The highest priced one brought in around a million dollars–just the frame, mind you. That was an antique. But even beautiful modern gold-leaf frames start today at around $1500-2000, depending on size and complexity, and go way up from there.

I have gone to many of these auctions and never found anything fishy going on and I am a skeptic. I really do not think Princess or most of the other cruise lines need to rip any one off to make lots of money at this. Here are the reasons they can afford to give better prices…very low overhead, volume purchases and sales, in fact many artist give them pieces for free sometimes just so they can get exposure. Think of it with thousands of people a week viewing the artist work what better way to get your name out there if you’re an artist. I know some of this stuff because I have become friends with one of the art directors on one of the ships. He even buys his art from them (he saves the 15% by the way).
I can understand if you’re a gallery owner trying to compete against these “wal-marts” of the art world but don’t throw them under the bus when they really do give good value at least when it comes to Original oils and acrylics.

I’ve posted your comment because it is well written (that always scores points in my book) and to help provide a balanced perspective, but I take issue with most of your points. For example, there is little doubt that Sotheby’s holds itself to a higher standard of scrupulousness–and is more knowledgeable about fine art–than your typical cruise ship. Taubman was charged with price-fixing, but not fraud. I wish that art dealers, let alone cruise ship auctions, held themselves to as high a standard as the two major auction houses.

Second, buyers have reported the failure to me of some cruise ships to provide refunds, despite claims to the contrary made prior to the sales.

I disagree that prices are lower on cruise ships. Lower than where? They seem to be at par with your typical storefront retail art gallery, as far as I’ve seen. They are much higher than my prices, but my prices are typically rock bottom. I also object to your characterization of cruise ship auctions as “wholesalers and large dealers”. Large dealers, yes, but wholesalers, no. Wholesale implies lower prices, for which cruise ship auctions are not known.

I certainly disagree with your parting comment most vociferously. Don’t buy what you’re comfortable with until you’ve done enough due diligence so that you’re convinced that you’ve earned the right to be comfortable with your decisions. You seem to imply that all is well just as long as the buyer feels good about spending his money, regardless of whether he’s overpaying or buying fake art. Typical of a huckster who tries to lull his unsuspecting marks into a false sense of security. Caveat emptor.

I have not done an in-depth analysis of cruise ship auctions–I lack the means–and my sources of information are admittedly anecdotal. Yet it’s helpful to know something about those sources in order to account for a possible bias. The last person who submitted an argument in favor of cruise ship auctions failed to answer my email in which I asked him whether he works for or owns such an auction. Interestingly, you haven’t even supplied your surname. But perhaps you’ll turn out to be different. So…who are you, what has been your personal experience at these auctions?

In 2000, Time Magazine stated that Cruise Ship auctions had changed the dynamic of the art world forever. No wonder – the volume of artwork being sold is astronomical. The traditional publisher to dealer to gallery to collector relationship was being upset, and the public could now buy from wholesalers and large dealers. Galleries and dealers who weren’t involved in this aspect of the industry were justifiably threatened – prices are lower. The fact that some pieces sold could have questionable authenticity is true – and the auction houses and cruiselines have remedied these instances with refunds.

There will always be unscrupulous salespeople, in every industry. There have always been unscrupulous salespeople in the art industry… just ask anyone who owns a fraudulent Dali or Chagall or (insert name here) bought from a “reputable” dealer or gallery in the 1970’s or 80’s.

To paint a whole industry as corrupt because of a few bad apples is irresponsible. Are there unscrupulous people in big business? Are there unscrupulous people in politics? Of course. But we don’t buy from them when we have the choice, and we don’t vote for them if we keep ourselves informed.

Is Sotheby’s better?… hmmm… let’s call Alfred Taubman and ask him.

The point is this: Do your due diligence and ask the right questions. If you are a neophyte in the art world, buy what you are comfortable with.

I am amazed and very interested in what is written above. It seems that there is a crusade against the art auctions at sea. But all these crusaders never actually been there, saw the art, the prices, invoices, frames, authenticity certificates … the all deal. However, they are too ready to declare as a scam the sale of works that were not actually inspected. Very interesting, indeed.

Considering that I do my business on cruise ships, have worked on more than 30 in the last 8 years, and have been in the art market for over 20, I would be more than interested to participate in this discussion. Especially, because there are indeed very bad “art auctioneers” that would say whatever to get a sale: a second hand car salesperson would dropp the jaw seeing these auctioneers at work as it happened to me many times.

There are also absolute rip-offs like the some Rembrants contemporary prints sold for the real life-time stuff. Unreal and fraudulent, I couldn’t agree more. But if those of you with knowledge and integrity really want to so something about it, you better get serious yourselves. And find out what is going on cruise ships.

To start with, it would be good to understand that there aren’t 500 large cruise ships in the world, not even 1/5 of this number … and by the way, we usually conduct between 4 and 5 auctions per week. Secondly, it would be better to start looking at art dealers on land – these are the ones that supply ships (just in case you have not noticied ships are supplied by “land” galleries in the USA). Finnaly, before you start getting so excited and thinking of “exposing the Cruise Ships Art Scams” you better get serious and know what you are talking about, otherwise you are not much different than the con-artists themselves.

These would be a shame, because I sincerelly belive that the scams do exist both on cruise ships and on land galleries (what about all those fake Dalis, Mattas, Matisses, Chagalls … et cetera being sold in “reputable” galleries in New York, Chicago and all over Florida???? The scams should be, indeed, exposed but, PLEASE, be serious!!!! -Roy R.

I thank you for your submission, but I would like to further investigate your claims. Regarding the “incredible deals” you’ve mentioned, limiting your response to original works by Picasso (since of course that is my field of interest), could you kindly supply their titles, catalogue raisonné reference numbers, and prices? I would be keen to assimilate such data, given that every other instance of cruise ship art sales that I have encountered involved high retail pricing.

I agree that cruise ships engage in “bulk purchasing”, but most of these purchases presumably occur at auction, where the cruise ship auction proprietors proprietors have to pay the same prices as the rest of us do.

As for the due diligence that you assume multi-billion dollar cruise lines have performed, I need only direct your attention to the “PiCostcos”, the fake Picasso drawings which Costco sold. To their credit, they offered refunds to the buyers after the fakes had been exposed, and they removed the remaining fake from their website. But they were caught with their pants down, obviously having done no real Investigation into their merchandise in advance.

Furthermore, although some of the cruise ship auctions may properly vet their art, do you know how often they honestly differentiate their merchandise between original prints and “afters”?
I am aware of more than one instance in which an “after” has been sold as an original print on the high seas (see above).

By the way, are you employed by, or do you do business in any way, with the two cruise ship companies you mentioned, NCL and Princess? -Kobi