How to Buy or Sell — Folk Art

There is an ongoing argument among experts over what is folk art. For the purposes of this website, folk art is whatever is called folk art by some experts. It may have been made in the eighteenth, nineteenth, or twentieth century. It may be naive art by an untrained artist, an old advertising figure, or carousel horses. This is one collecting field with few hard and fast rules of quality, condition, and age. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what seems primitive to one may be considered superior by another. Some collectors prefer pieces with worn paint and rough wooden edges; others want pristine paint. Don’t do any restoration unless the piece is so badly damaged that it would be useless without restoration. If you think your folk art piece is of value, be sure to ask an expert before any work is done.