Large Curtis Jere metal wall sculpture, dragonflies and lily pads

Fair amount of tarnish, where the brass hooks into the backing there are little untarnished circles on the lily pads, so kind of uneven tarnish. (I'm not going to polish.) Possibly one of the heavy bottom wires bent slightly, bottom right, but I think it is complete. Very solidly made. Even the thinner reeds have a rigid metal stem backing on each one. Wasn't sure if the paint on the dragonfly wings was always like this (sort of airbrushed looking) or whether that was wear. I thought I would instantly find another of these online and could compare, but I'm coming up with zilch. Signed "C. Jere, 81".

If anyone has thoughts on how this condition impacts value, let me know.

Due to size at 46" across I'm looking for a quick sale, and thought about listing on Craigslist for $200. Didn't know if the tarnish was something to be expected or a deal breaker. $200 too much? Too little? I suppose I could also list on Ebay for pick up only. Thoughts?


Here is the tarnish, signature lower right.



Paint worn, or supposed to be like this?


Sits flat on the wall, with 3 hooks to attach. It's huge. About 46" across and 36" high.




Thanks.

 

Do you really think you'd get that much ? I knew these were popular a few years ago,but I didnt think they brought a huge amount.

 

Thanks for taking a look. There were two Curtis Jere sculptures at a recent estate sale here last weekend (asking $1200 for one) but it was the giant starburst pattern, I think it wound up selling for around $900. There are a number on Ebay sold around $1K, I just don't know what makes one more or less valuable. I think the more Brutalist ones go higher, certainly anything with complicated enamel, too. Some can be quite tame looking... a street scene with trees and a few buildings, that kind of thing. I think this one would land somewhere in the middle, but can't find anything remotely like it to get a price point. It's huge at 46" which helps, also a bit of an Asian vibe with the lily pads and dragonflies, just not sure if I'll find the right buyer and just don't know if the condition here is to be expected with metal that is 40 years old, how people view that, etc. I suppose could be an idea to list on Ebay with pick up only. There is no way I'm mailing this.

 

Wow, that is big Lucille, very cool piece Tarnish is to be expected, lots of time they have a layer of nicotine on them too, but if it has no breaks to the metal, then that is good.
I'd go for $200 locally, you can always drop the price if there isn't any interest on it

 

$200 sounds too cheap to me.

 

Yes, I did some poking around this afternoon and I agree with Brad I guess it depends on what your local market is like if you don't want to ship (I imagine trying to ship something this size would be a nightmare).
There are pages of Jere pieces on Liveauctioneers, showing this one as an example. Considerably smaller, but got a good price.
I couldn't find one like yours, that might be a good thing I think yours is very cool, would look fabulous on the wall of a MCM designed home.
Maybe do an auction with a starting bid of $200-$250 and see what happens?

 

Oh wow, guys. Thanks. Appreciate seeing the one above. I couldn't find anything remotely in the ballpark.

Maybe I should try on Ebay for pick up only, auction and start at $200. I did list on CL for $200, no responses so far, but Ebay might be a better audience. I'll give it some more thought. Thank you.