Does Carnival have on board Art Auctions?

[hova]

My wife enjoyed the art auctions on our past NCL cruises, and we were wondering, if Carnival has these? (more specifically, the Conquest) If so.. how often? thanks hova

[golfadj]

Not a fan but they have them.

[okbookgirl]

Yes they have the art auctions. The champaine is free but not very good. The art is nice and a variety of styles and I might have bought some if they weren't trying to convience me that prints were 'just like original art' since the artist had authorized the copies and the price should be the same. Right.:rolleyes: I did bid on a few pieces but they really jacked the prices up and I wasn't willing to pay over $50 dollars for unsigned, unframed copies.

 

Not going to happen but I saw people buy and it was amusing for a while. The art up in the gallery was really awesome and I like looking at art so looking at the prints was a way to pass the time.

[yogimax]

I did bid on a few pieces but they really jacked the prices up and I wasn't willing to pay over $50 dollars for unsigned, unframed copies.

 

The art up in the gallery was really awesome and I like looking at art so looking at the prints was a way to pass the time.

 

Surprised by your comment. I never saw any unsigned art that was auctioned. Yes, the giveaways were not signed, but not the pieces that came up for sale.

 

You should also know there is a major difference between a "print" and a serigraph, lithograph or seriolithograph.

[1965]

I enjoy the auctions. I cannot possibly afford to actually buy anything, but I enjoy seeing all the works of art, watching the bidding, and the champagne, while not the best, is free. :)

[okbookgirl]

Surprised by your comment. I never saw any unsigned art that was auctioned. Yes, the giveaways were not signed, but not the pieces that came up for sale.

 

You should also know there is a major difference between a "print" and a serigraph, lithograph or seriolithograph.

 

A lot of what I looked at had a signature that was part of the copy not an actual signature. There were a few lithograph (numbered and authenticated items with actual seals on back) which I did not bid on but would have liked to because they were above my budget but there were also a bunch of prints with the signature part of the copy not an actual original signature. But the guy just tried to talk them up and told me that they were still 'original' art because the artist had okayed copying his signature. I just didn't think they worth the hundreds they wanted. The few items I did think were worth bidding on went for a lot and at the time I just didn't have the budget to go above a couple hundred.

 

But I am not an expert. I just know enough to know what I like and not to buy things that are nothing more than a print with a laser embossed name in the corner. If I pay for a picture I want an actual signature or at least authentication.

 

However lithograph was the only word of the three you used that I recognize so maybe there were some others that were there and I just didn't understand.

[brendrek]

Our friends won one of the "free" giveaways. They were not allowed to take it off the ship, they had visit the gallery and pay like $35 to have it shipped directly to their home. They justified the cost because they liked the image. You could do better in any shopping mall that sells art prints.

[sanmarcosman]

If you have an extremely loose interpretation of the word art, then yes, they do. There's even a rumor they're branching out to include Precious Moments "sculpture." ;)

[tootsiescurly]

Park West is a ripoff. There are several federal lawsuits against them. They get away with their thievery because of the following - read the certificate of authenticity it does not apply to guarantees about the work's title, lot size, rarity, provenance or importance. As well, Park West "assumes no liability for claims that the appraisal is inaccurate. The disclaimer on the auction invoice says "No verbal agreements or representations (by Park West agents) shall be of any force or effect unless set forth in writing."

[EastTex]

You might try googling Park West and New York Times for a very interesting article written in 2008. To my knowledge, nothing has essentially changed as far as Park West is concerned since that article was written.

 

I've also read that their appraisals are done by a family member of the owners and are incredibly inflated.

 

I would tread carefully on this!

[tgunn1978]

I went to an Art auction on Carnival Ecstasy. They had really great free champagne, and gave me a free autographed lithograph print that I LOVE!!!!

The free print was a thank you gift for coming to the auction. No purchase necessary. I didn't buy anything that day, but enjoyed the experience and would do it again.

[sanmarcosman]

You might try googling Park West and New York Times for a very interesting article written in 2008. To my knowledge, nothing has essentially changed as far as Park West is concerned since that article was written.

 

I've also read that their appraisals are done by a family member of the owners and are incredibly inflated.

 

I would tread carefully on this!

 

Wise advice. Park West can't even be trusted to call the swill they serve "sparkling wine." Instead they refer to it as champagne yet only grapes grown in the Champagne region of France qualify to be called Champagne. This isn't semantics folks, it's accepted international case law and Park West scoffs at this, too.

[my_crib_too]

On our last cruise we watched four people purchase a copy of the same painting for $4000+ a copy. I’m sure the bidders knew what they were doing but that’s more than I spent for my vacation. This was the last auction of the cruise and the auctioneer knew each of the four bidders by name.

I enjoy looking at the art but would never impulse spend $4,000 or even $1,000. It’s great fun to watch others though.

[Raven Days]

Its the perfect place for free cheap champagne and a day to watch others blow money....I love it. I "won" a free print that I had to pay for. I declined my winnings.:cool:

[dcedar]

My husband and I 'won' a print on the Dream. It was $35 to ship which we declined. I didn't like it enough to pay the $35. I knew it would cost a couple hundred to frame. My friends purchased three prints for $300. They then paid $1100 to have them framed. It took a long time to get them but they do look nice.

 

Myself, personally, would not pay a lot of money for a print (any of the ...'ographs) LOL. I would want an original painting even if the artist was unknown.

[JohnSpo]

Glory had the art auctions on our Sep-2012 Canada/New England sailing. The weather on the sea days was cool so it was fun to pass the time at the art auction. You do get to learn some things during the auction. I have not purchased anything on my last few cruises. I have purchased a couple of pieces a few years ago. They were not in the thousands. It was about $300 and less plus framing. Of course they are not originals or master pieces, but art is in the eye of the beholder. You should attend the auction for the fun of it and if you see something you really like, go for it. No one will force you to spend more than you want to. Enjoy.