Point, click, cash in
Texas man sells Picasso painting through neighborhood website
A Texas man's listing on the website Nextdoor that had been making the social media rounds recently has paid off. The Houston resident has sold an “original Pablo Picasso painting with proper documentation for sale from early 1900s” through the neighborhood website.
Bypassing the usual (and, perhaps, safer?) art dealer route, the seller, listed as John Kiger, valued the painting at $15,000 — but was willing to let it go for a mere $12,000. CultureMap reached out to Kiger, who declined to officially comment or offer the final sale price.
Kiger described the painting as being from “Picasso's Blue Period (1901-1904), characterized by somber paintings rendered in shades of blue and blue-green, only occasionally warmed by other colors, began either in Spain in early 1901, or in Paris in the second half of the year.”
To assuage any doubts a serious collector may have had, here are some highlights from Kiger’s Nextdoor post:
- The painting is professionally framed with UV glass.
- It includes COA (copy of authenticity).
- The item will be packaged properly before delivered to location with his own "security detail" (inside a bank, for example) for "safety and security"
- Kiger will include two other documents that include insurer policy for the painting and a registered certificate from the NFATR (National Fine Arts Title Registry).
- The frame and matting/glass "is not cheap."
Kiger told CultureMap ahead of the sale that he collects and appreciates “certain items” and allows “others to truly enjoy them as well from time to time.”
Now that his Picasso is gone, his neighbors will have to wait to see what future trinket the enigmatic Kiger is prepared to share on Nextdoor.
