STUDIES IN DAMAGE/LOSS
Cracking and Paint Loss on Contemporary Oil on Canvas
Rust and Abrasion on Wrought Iron Art Deco Metalwork
Mold Growth on Twentieth-Century Lithograph
DAMAGE/LOSS/FRAUD CASES
#1: Damage/Loss/Fraud cases have been a major part of the OTE business since the early 1980s when the firm created the first nationally used format for these types of appraisals. Since then our specialists have taken on surveys of burnt out residences and damaged homes in many parts of the country, as well as sites where there has been extensive flooding, mold infestation, gas explosions, vandalism, hoarding and other acts of deliberate damage, inactive negligence or natural disaster. OTE documents include careful reporting of the damage, possible conservation, and potential loss in value. These appraisals cover entire collections of art, furnishings, libraries, and collectibles, as well as single items of extreme value. OTE is called upon frequently by museums, major institutions, insurance companies and private collectors for expertise in this field. This is especially true when natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast or devastating forest fires on the West Coast occur with violent force, affecting hundreds of millions of dollars worth of artworks and objects of value, not just monetarily but also historically.
Damage cases are all-inclusive, ranging from antiques stolen during transport, antiques destroyed in an executive’s office during 9/11, one hundred antique rugs in St. Louis damaged after a fire, water damage to hundreds of pieces of vintage clothing at a clothing gallery, partial collections of valuable paintings in museum collections that suffered severe damage after Hurricane Sandy. OTE has valued the contents of entire small museums following natural disasters, as well as assessing damages of every kind to works of art of every period.
#2: From the 12 N.C. Wyeth murals in the Met Life building to the Diego Rivera Pan American Unity murals in the San Francisco Museum of Art to the Everett Shinn murals in the Oak Room in the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan to the near dozen WPA murals at Bellevue Hospital, and the New School University room sized mural by Clemente Orozco, OTE has been called upon by parties nationwide to provide expertise in the valuation of important mural paintings from the 18th through the 21st century. These include murals created for outdoors, murals held by museums, murals in commercial spaces such as Mar-a-Lago in Florida and the St. Regis Hotel’s King Cole Room.
Fire Damaged Twentieth Century Italianate Rococo Revival Armchair
MUSEUM MATTERS
#3: Because of its professional and permanent staff, OTE has been able to respond to the varied collections within established museums and produce reports that cover the entirety of these museums – these include the Bruce Museum in Connecticut, the JFK Special Warfare Museum at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the Abigail Adams Smith Museum in Manhattan, and The Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida. Included among the collections within museums valued by the staff of OTE are The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New York. In damage/loss cases OTE has provided reports for dozens of established museums nationwide.