Featured Need advice on my first painting! Chen Mau for $8.

Finally found my first painting worth anything at a thrift store for $8. It is a beautiful Chen Mau oil painting. I find it so interesting that he incorporates horse hair into the painting. Of course not ALL is great. The painting has started to crack somewhat, there is a stain of some kind on it, looks like it would come off easily if someone knew what to do though. So now I am stumped, I love it for myself, but would like to get it fixed so it doesn't get ruined further. Chens paintings sell for quite a bit but those are big painting whereas mine is smaller. So what would you guys do? I am planning on bringing it to a well known auction house who deals in fine arts and maybe they could point me in the right direction. Meanwhile however, should I put it in a bag to keep it from getting dusty?

 

Forgot to mention the price tag WAS ON THE PAINTING. I had to carefully peel it off and thankfully it came off cleanly, but then my fingerprints are probably on it somewhat. Argh, I really need it professionally cleaned or something. It amazes me how clueless thrifts are on paintings, I mean really come on, putting a sticker price tag on the actual painting????

 

if yer making minimum wage or less...and selling other folks cast offs.....do you really think for one moment that anyone there would give a rats ass about where the price tag goes....... I THINK NOT !!!

 

I REALLY like the painting, the added texture, AND the frame!!! In other words, the whole package!!! Just very nice!!! I don't understand pricing.....an auction house I know of who also has 2 carvings I & my brothers own had a small (and by that I mean I think it was 3" X 5"!!!) Chinese painting that sold for $700,000.+ ........HAHAHA NOT to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I bought 2 prints from a Victoria auction house....they put their stickers....right on the prints !!

 

Mass produced in the 60s,but has its own "look" and is decorative.I wouldnt be afraid to give it a wipe with a soft wet rag,just be gentle.

 

Pretty painting, spart.
First though, Chen Mao himself never painted in oil.
And although Chen Mao is a he, Chen Mao oil paintings can be painted by a number of people of either gender.
Chen Mao's brother-in-law started an art school and named it after Chen Mao as a tribute to him. Graduate students were hired to make these oil paintings to raise funds for the school. All students signed the paintings with the school's name.
Johnny is right, these can be seen as mass production, thousands were made.
More on the school and paintings:
http://chenmaomuseum.org/
There is a 2/29 on the back, by the way.

 

The "Made in México" mass-produced frame alone is enough to make one suspicious.

Debora

 

I actually do work at a thrift store and I am very careful about where the price goes and how it is applied. I almost had a heart attack when another employee was writing the prices on the items with a permanent marker. The job doesn’t pay much but just being able to open all the donations is - as Forest Gump said “like a box of chocolates - you never know what you’re gonna get”! Said in my best Southern accent which is pretty darn good!

 

& just maybe there are more folks out there like you.....but they are few & far between !

Thank you for caring !