Darwin Musselman
Darwin Musselman
California Styles of the Artist and Educator
Authentication
Most of the auction activity the heirs of Darwin Musselman have monitored have been completely legitimate; some great bargains can be found as paintings are passed down and subsequently liquidated without knowing the proper market value. When sold through a site that specializes in California regional art, we have seen purchase prices in the several thousand dollar range. Recent sales of his work from his own private collection been transacted in the multi thousand dollar range, as noted on the Recent Private Sales page on this website. Unfortunately, there has been some activity found on a popular internet auction site featuring a clear forgery of the work of Darwin Musselman.
If you run across a Musselman work for sale, and you would like to verify its authenticity, please contact us, his heirs, at steve@darwinmusselman.com, or inquiries@darwinmusselman.com. We will instruct you to provide a few snapshots to aid in the quick verification. Also, well-known auction houses which specialize in the work of known California artists can also help to authenticate in person; one such house is John Moran of Pasadena, CA.
We have a complete catalog of all of his work, as Musselman's wife Ethel was a bookkeeper by education. This protects innocent investors from fraud, and ensures confidence in the market. Just ask.
Recently, two prospective investors brought to our attention a painting listed on a national auction site for Goodwill Industries. At first look, the painting's authenticity was uncertain, as the title listed did not match our records, and the telltale codes, markings and signature on the back of the painting were obscured by a paper wrap. Upon further contact with the local posting center, we were able to determine that the painting was actually entitled with another name which we found in our records, and the subsequent photos of the back of the painting the center e-mailed to us provided the conclusive confirmation that the painting was indeed a genuine Musselman.
Besides the consistent hand of the artist evident in his work, there are obvious and subtle details in all of Musselman's work that can easily help identify the authenticity. Please reach out to his heirs at the e-mail above, and we will follow-up promptly to provide the assurance and authentication.
The painting at the left was found to be for sale, at a price consistent with recent auction activity. It was listed as a Musselman, (poorly) signed as a Darwin Musselman, and listed the complete bio found on various on-line art references.
If/as more fraudulent activity is uncovered, the Estate of Darwin Musselman will aggressively pursue such matters with the proper legal authorities (as it already has in the State of California).