Webzine Update and First Post

The Personal Property Appraisers Post webzine is starting to become a reality. I have received interest from many appraisers and most associations. I am very please to see the interest in participating has been high.

Although the site has not officially launched, I have been getting some bio's of contributors loaded onto the site, and Stephen Sweeting, ASA is the first contributor to log into the site and make a post. Stephen's article is a good example of the type of analysis and content the site will be providing. As you will see, there is much more first person input and analysis offered in the post then what I offer on the AW Blog. The site and posts will of course also contain appraisal association news and product knowledge content as well.

Stephen's post has an excellent analysis of the Canadian art market and discusses how the Post Modern auction house Heffel's is handling the soft market.

Sweeting states Observers of the Canadian auction scene are asking whether Heffel’s successful sale is the harbinger of better times – or merely a reflection of the company’s more aggressive and resilient business model. I want to propose a different hypothesis behind Heffel’s rise to the top of the Canadian art auction scene and its apparent stability in an undeniably soft art market: Heffel Fine Art Auction House more successfully connects with the changing culture underpinning the Canadian art market and is in effect the country’s first postmodern (pomo) auction house. Several years ago when attending a Heffel Canadian art auction in Toronto I felt that something different was going on with this firm – a relative latecomer on the national auction scene. The salesroom crowd reacted uniquely to the proceedings and there was an almost electric combination of theatricality and state-of-the-art technology in the Park Hyatt ballroom where the sale was being conducted. Moreover, prices realized were uncharacteristically high with many well above normal market levels. I walked out of the auction feeling like I had just observed a definitive break with the ossified old-style model of first-tier Canadian art auctions. The average Canadian auction salesroom with its cast of regulars and its measured almost ceremonial proceedings suddenly looked very quaint and out-of-date. A changing of the guard was taking place.

Great reading. Click HERE to visit the Personal Property Appraisers Post and read all of Stephen Sweeting's post.

If you are interested in being a contributor please click HERE to contact me by email, or call at 703-836-1020.