- Report: #906215
Complaint Review: Elinoff Gallery
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| Elinoff Gallery 204 West Colorado Ave
Teluride, Colorado United States of America |
|
Elinoff Gallery Neal Elinoff Claim a signature of Chagall authentic but not provide certificate of authenticity accordingly Teluride, Colorado
*Author of original report: COA issued by Gallery is suspect
*Author of original report: lets stick to the facts
*REBUTTAL Owner of company: president
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I bought four authentic Chagall Lithographs from this Art Dealer ($10,500 total) Neal said the signature were also authentic. The prints themselves are removed from a book and although legit are only worth about $800 each. Because Neal himself told me that the artist had signed the prints on a visit to New York I felt the inflated price Neal was asking was justified. However; when i received the prints which were shipped home for me, the certificates of authenticity simply stated that the signature were complimentry. It is common practice for the certificate of authenticity to clearly state " signed by the artist" not simply "complimentary". Mr Elinoff stated that because the prints were out of a publication of lithographs which were originally unsigned it was therefore a complimentary signature. My point is: this certificate should say complementary signature by the artist, not simply a complimentary signature . A complimentary signature is too vague and certainly does not provide any authenticity to the signature. I can sign a Picasso and give you the print and say "a Picasso with a complimentary signature".
Although Mr. Elinoff will provide me an exchange for something else in his gallery, he will not provide a refund . Frankly ,there is nothing in his gallery of any reasonable value to me other than those prints. If he has the integrity to exchange the prints for the money paid i will post here the follow up. This posting expresses what occurred and my opinion thereof. I have not been able to find any similar prints that are signed or any dealers to believe the signatures to be authentic.Now because these prints have a decorative complimentary signature they are worth even less than if they were unsigned.I will approach Mr Elinoff one last time this week in an attempt to get my money back and will post my results. I am prepared to begin action with the local chamber of commerce, bbb and the state attorney generals office in Colorado. This is an extremely embarrassing conundrum for me and I can no longer display these Lithographs without some shame and expectation of ridicule .
Although Mr. Elinoff will provide me an exchange for something else in his gallery, he will not provide a refund . Frankly ,there is nothing in his gallery of any reasonable value to me other than those prints. If he has the integrity to exchange the prints for the money paid i will post here the follow up. This posting expresses what occurred and my opinion thereof. I have not been able to find any similar prints that are signed or any dealers to believe the signatures to be authentic.Now because these prints have a decorative complimentary signature they are worth even less than if they were unsigned.I will approach Mr Elinoff one last time this week in an attempt to get my money back and will post my results. I am prepared to begin action with the local chamber of commerce, bbb and the state attorney generals office in Colorado. This is an extremely embarrassing conundrum for me and I can no longer display these Lithographs without some shame and expectation of ridicule .
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 07/03/2012 10:34 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Elinoff-Gallery/Teluride-Colorado-81435/Elinoff-Gallery-Neal-Elinoff-Claim-a-signature-of-Chagall-authentic-but-not-provide-certif-906215. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Search Tips#1 Author of original report
COA issued by Gallery is suspect
AUTHOR: aquaman - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Monday, July 09, 2012
POSTED: Monday, July 09, 2012
Ahh...it justs gets more interesting: The Certificate of Authenticity i received from Mr Elinof and his gallery seem to be not recognized in the Arts world . The certificate issued me is from The National Arts Guild and signed by George Kopel. There is no information available anywhere on george Kopel or the National Art Guild where these certificates come from. No phone number. No address. No contact information!! And to look it up on the internet and all you find is stories that back up my initial claim. This Art Dealer is dealing in misrepresentation and useless COA. Please do your own research before buying anything from this supposedly prestigious gallery in the resort town of Telluride Colorado. Don't get taken like i did!
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What's this? #2 Author of original report
lets stick to the facts
AUTHOR: aquaman - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, July 07, 2012
POSTED: Saturday, July 07, 2012
I stated that i believe (and actually do know) the lithographs to be authentic. That was never the issue herein. My point is that the gallery owner clearly refuses to authenticate the signature .He stands to lose no money other than his profit made from me.
Over the years in my travels to other reputable gallerie and dealers i have seen these same (book edition) prints but always unsigned. Every one has told me that it is highly unlikely that these prints bear an authentic signature. And indeed even Mr. Elinoff now tells me it cannot be substantiated.
As i was charged 5 times more for each print then what it sells for without the signature, it seems to me I should receive substanciation to the dealers claim. This he refuses and says tuff luck you vindictive poor boy !??
All these years i have wanted to believe these Signatures were authentic; However, consistently over the years I have been told that it is not likely . Now I am embarrassed to display these prints. I am not looking to make a profit here I am only asking that the gallery substantiate their claim or refund me the money paid in good faith, without interest.
He claims I am vindictive and must be in financial hardship? I now believe he is trying to distract from the issue at hand: either substantiate the signature on the authentic lithos cut out from an edition Chagall book or refund my purchase . I think maybe it is him whom is greedy and does not want to give up the extra $10,000 profit he made on unsigned prints!
Over the years in my travels to other reputable gallerie and dealers i have seen these same (book edition) prints but always unsigned. Every one has told me that it is highly unlikely that these prints bear an authentic signature. And indeed even Mr. Elinoff now tells me it cannot be substantiated.
As i was charged 5 times more for each print then what it sells for without the signature, it seems to me I should receive substanciation to the dealers claim. This he refuses and says tuff luck you vindictive poor boy !??
All these years i have wanted to believe these Signatures were authentic; However, consistently over the years I have been told that it is not likely . Now I am embarrassed to display these prints. I am not looking to make a profit here I am only asking that the gallery substantiate their claim or refund me the money paid in good faith, without interest.
He claims I am vindictive and must be in financial hardship? I now believe he is trying to distract from the issue at hand: either substantiate the signature on the authentic lithos cut out from an edition Chagall book or refund my purchase . I think maybe it is him whom is greedy and does not want to give up the extra $10,000 profit he made on unsigned prints!
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What's this? #3 REBUTTAL Owner of company
president
AUTHOR: elinoff gallery - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, July 05, 2012
POSTED: Thursday, July 05, 2012
Dear Reader,
The complainer states that the Certificate of Authenticity is vaguely
worded. He states his case, "My point is: this certificate should say
complementary signature by the artist, not simply a complimentary
signature" (sic)
The dictionary definition of signature is as follows:
1. One's name as written by oneself.
2. The act of signing one's name. However, there is also a third definition, ie,
3. The name of a person or a mark or sign representing his name, marked by himself or by an authorized deputy
By deductive reasoning, the person who signed the piece is the person whose name is signed, except in the 3rd case, in which case it may be signed by an authorized deputy.
So the complainer is right. There is no way to know. The only evidence that the signature is authentic is by a signature expert, for which I am not. However, that doesn't diminish the fact that the artwork is indeed, authentic, whether or not it was signed by the artist or his deputy.
He purchased these lithos in early 2003. However, he approached us by telephone last week, June 28th, 2012. Waiting 9 years to lodge a complaint about whether the artist or his deputy signed an original litho is beyond reason. I think there is something else going on.
Many people are experiencing financial hardships at the moment. Business is down, unemployment is up and the economy is in the toilet. I think he wants a refund because he needs money and when we only offered
him a store credit, he got angry and vindictive.
He's enjoyed these authentic lithos for years and I hope that he continues to enjoy them for generations and not get hung up on the wording of the COA. If there was no COA, it would not change the authenticity of the art, nor does having a COA validate the authenticity of the signature.
It is authentic art done by the artist represented and the issue of whether or not the artist or his deputy signed the work cannot be confirmed or denied by the COA.
The complainer states that the Certificate of Authenticity is vaguely
worded. He states his case, "My point is: this certificate should say
complementary signature by the artist, not simply a complimentary
signature" (sic)
The dictionary definition of signature is as follows:
1. One's name as written by oneself.
2. The act of signing one's name. However, there is also a third definition, ie,
3. The name of a person or a mark or sign representing his name, marked by himself or by an authorized deputy
By deductive reasoning, the person who signed the piece is the person whose name is signed, except in the 3rd case, in which case it may be signed by an authorized deputy.
So the complainer is right. There is no way to know. The only evidence that the signature is authentic is by a signature expert, for which I am not. However, that doesn't diminish the fact that the artwork is indeed, authentic, whether or not it was signed by the artist or his deputy.
He purchased these lithos in early 2003. However, he approached us by telephone last week, June 28th, 2012. Waiting 9 years to lodge a complaint about whether the artist or his deputy signed an original litho is beyond reason. I think there is something else going on.
Many people are experiencing financial hardships at the moment. Business is down, unemployment is up and the economy is in the toilet. I think he wants a refund because he needs money and when we only offered
him a store credit, he got angry and vindictive.
He's enjoyed these authentic lithos for years and I hope that he continues to enjoy them for generations and not get hung up on the wording of the COA. If there was no COA, it would not change the authenticity of the art, nor does having a COA validate the authenticity of the signature.
It is authentic art done by the artist represented and the issue of whether or not the artist or his deputy signed the work cannot be confirmed or denied by the COA.
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