Featured THRIFT STORE PAINTING - ANYONE KNOW THE ARTIST?

This is the 3rd of 3 paintings I bought at a local thrift store today. I went over my budget since I don't know if people are going to be buying now with this weird coronavirus/businesses closing/no income time we're living in, but for $70 each I took a chance.
Does anyone recognize the artist's name? I think it's J. E. Goupsue? Goursue?
Thanks!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Enguerrand_Gourgue

Gourgue is one of Haiti's most celebrated and renowned painters of the 20th century. At age 17 Gourgue was encouraged by Hector Hyppolite to join Port-au-Prince's Centre d'Art


I think you will like this site to feel better about your purchase:
https://www.invaluable.com/artist/enguerrand-gourgue-jacques-ajhr3isgmq/sold-at-auction-prices/

 

Because he is so well known, yours might be a copy. Lots of that in the Haitian art scene ..worth checking if authentic.

Whenever I see see notations on the reverse of a work "painted over" they often hide things like "copy of such-and-such by Joe Blow gift to Annie on her birthday" or words to that effect.

Not saying for sure this is the case but having handled hundreds of wannabe works, this kind of thing arouses a suspicion or two.

 

Thank you flipper!! I was actually thinking I wished I had left this one because I couldn't find anything by J. E. Goursue! lol

 

Sorry I can't help you, I just wanted to say I love it!

 

Took it outside in sun to look - nothing written under paint on back -- looks like tar spots like underneath the paint? Paint looks like someone trying to empty their brush by swiping it back & forth across the board

 

Sounds like what thrifts have become. $70 a piece for an I don't know?

It is neat but as others have said so many fakes. GW's have gone crazy, (I do not know where you bought this) and rely on people paying high dollar prices.

Anything they think is good they put on their websites now. And they are amazingly good at picking through everything.

Point of my rant is don't pay high prices for things in those places!

 

Umm... then don't look at my post today - wanted to show another Haitian painting I found at the same thrift store today; but this one he charged me $150!
But! It is a 1965 painting by Haitian renown artist Jean Nehemy!

 

https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x89b929962cf61bab:0x6301ffaf744875ba!3m1!7e115!4shttps://lh5.g

Might be cheaper there........

There isn't a damn thing in GW now, or then that is worth spending that kind of money on if you don't know!
Even the average solid score might be worth around $500, and that was a few years ago (Although I did get extremely lucky on two finds last year, one of which would not make it to the floor now)
Theses places rely on the I don't know crowd.
In 2014 I bought a box of Amazing Spiderman comics for $260. A lower grade #2 was in there among others. In 2019 I sold #2 for $900, not counting the others I flipped.
Only time I have ever spent that kind of money in 20 years of digging in these places.
See, these would be great buys at under $15, and hell, maybe you did make out, but that's a bit of coin for a maybe.

 

Ain't that the truth!

 

Well I sent in pics & info on the Gourgue painting to Christie's to see if they were interested in selling it - they appraised it for $500 - $1,000 - less than their usual $10,000 starting price, BUT they did give me 2 other auction houses that have sold his work at that price. And now I have some estimate of my painting's value!
Email answer below:

Thank you for contacting Christie's. We have carefully reviewed the information you provided. We estimate your Jacques-Enguerrand Gourgue oil painting between 500 and 1,000USD. As Christie’s typically sells items with a low estimate of 10,000 USD, we are unable to offer it a place in consignment at this time.

That is not to say it lacks value! Due to Christie’s shipping and consignment fees, it would be more advantageous for you, as a consignor, to sell at a smaller venue. I would recommend contacting either John Moran Auctioneers or Stair Galleries, companies that has recently sold Gourgue’s at comparable values to the estimate above. Please do let them know that you were referred to them by Christie’s.

 

If no one had any interests in buying it off ebay there probably isn't a huge demand of his work. I wouldn't bother putting it an auction and having to deal with fees and then take a percentage out of it. Your decision though.

 

I had it at a higher price on ebay - what I had thought it was worth

 

If it was only valued between 500 to 1000 it wouldn't be worth the hassle of shipping it. Paying auction fees then dealing with percentage of whatever they take and hoping it reaches the value they said. If it was me I'd stick it on ebay for 500 and see what happens. Your decision though in the end.