Artwork Valuations
What is your artwork really worth?
The Blue Chip Room provides confidential, market-backed valuations of South African and international art — for sellers, collectors, insurers, attorneys, and estates.
When you need a valuation
A credible value is the foundation of every good decision about an artwork.
Selling or divesting
A market-backed valuation tells you what a work is realistically worth before you consign, negotiate privately, or approach auction — so you never leave money on the table.
Insurance cover
Underinsured collections are a quiet risk. We establish current replacement values so your cover reflects today's market, not the price you paid years ago.
Estate & succession
Executors, attorneys, and families rely on defensible fair market values for estate planning, division of assets, and transfer decisions.
Collection review
Understand how individual works — and your collection as a whole — have performed, and where the strongest opportunities now sit.
How value is determined
Six factors that move the number
Two works by the same artist can differ in value by an order of magnitude. Our valuations weigh each of these factors against current market evidence — not asking prices, which often mislead.
Artist standing
Auction records, institutional recognition, and the depth of demand for the artist's work locally and internationally.
Provenance
A documented chain of ownership. Works with clean, traceable histories consistently command stronger prices.
Condition
Restoration, relining, fading, and frame history all move value — sometimes significantly.
Period & subject
Sought-after periods, subjects, and mediums within an artist's oeuvre can be worth multiples of lesser examples.
Rarity & scale
How often comparable works come to market, and whether the size suits today's buyers and spaces.
Market timing
Current auction results and private-sale benchmarks for comparable works, in Rand and in global context.
How it works
- 01
Enquiry
Send us photographs, dimensions, signature details, and any provenance documentation via our confidential contact form.
- 02
Assessment
We review the work against auction records, comparable private sales, and condition indicators.
- 03
Valuation
You receive a considered value range with the reasoning behind it — market evidence, not guesswork.
- 04
Next steps
Where it serves you, we discuss options: insurance, formal appraisal, or a discreet approach to the market.
Common questions
How much does an artwork valuation cost?
An initial market indication is complimentary. Formal written valuations for insurance, estate, or legal purposes are quoted per work or per collection, depending on scope.
Which artists do you value?
We focus on established South African and international artists with a documented secondary market — Pierneef, Stern, Kentridge, Boshoff, Preller, and their peers.
Do you need to see the work in person?
Most initial valuations are completed from good photographs and documentation. For high-value or condition-sensitive works, we arrange a viewing in Sandton or on site.
Is my enquiry confidential?
Entirely. Ownership details are never disclosed, and we do not share images or information with third parties without your instruction.
Start with a confidential conversation
Share the details of your work and we will respond within two business days with an initial market indication.
Request a valuation