Betty Krulik Fine Art in New York City.

Betty Krulik, Owner, Betty Krulik Fine Art, Ltd.

The market continues to be highly selective if all the stars have to align—the right artist, subject, condition—then the sky is the limit. Anything less than 100% perfect is selling at what I call “pandemic pricing”: opportunistic buyers and compliant sellers.

I took in a consignment of 19th- and early 20th-century art and sold a lovely little work by E. L Henry, a little known upstate New York painter. There was a little mention in a trade paper, and I got numerous calls. It sold in just days to a seasoned collection, but totally new to me. It was “priced to sell.” The owners, an estate, were most supportive and appreciated the efficiency of the “deal.” I also had two post war works on paper, prints, sell—a Jasper Johns and Ed Ruscha—fresh to the market, good condition. I have several other irons on the fire that are fine quality works and well-priced. I think people are rewarding themselves for being responsible during the pandemic. They have been staying at home, and they see ways to improve their spaces and indulge their interests.

As you probably know, I do a lot of appraisal work. I have discovered some amazing artists, in particular some gutsy women, like Enid Bell (1904-1994) a direct carver working in the 1930s to ’40s. I have had the good fortune to work on some amazing collections of African American art and have become quite taken with an artist named Vertis Hayes (1911-200). His paintings are poignant and beautifully composed and painted. I have really been looking at sculpture lately, trying to expand the third dimension. I just got a wonderful small collection of William Zorach (1887-1966) bronzes. He was so versatile an artist. He has a broad range, smooth modernist to cubist and expressionist works, and so much fun to “handle.” —

Betty Krulik Fine Art, Ltd.
50 East 72nd Street, Suite 2A
New York, NY 10021
www.bkrulikfineart.com 

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