An original painting by listed artist Garth Tapper

Picture called “At the Front Gate” by Garth Tapper. Painted in October 79.
Painters address 250 Puhinui Rd Papatoetoe. NZ
Have sent 2 pictures via email

Description and history

This is an original oil painting by listed artist GARTH TAPPER (1927 – 99).

Garth Tapper is best known for his figurative works of Kiwis, regarded as commentary on New Zealand life. He was born in Waikato, and studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts from 1945 to 1951. In his final year, he was invited to lecture in painting. During his time, he was awarded the Carnegie Scholarship from the Auckland Society of Arts. The scholarship was later enabled him to study in Europe between 1953 and 1953. He returned to New Zealand in 1954, teaching in Auckland until 1960. In 1977, he retired to paint full time.

Regarding this painting, there is no doubt it is an original painting. The roughness of the surface perfectly matches the colors of the painting and the brush strokes. The style is quite similar of other paintings from the artist, for instance, “Character Witness from the Law and its People Series”, that is shown below:

The title of this piece is “At the Front Gate” and it was painted in 1979. 

Regarding the value, there are a lot of past auction records that can be used to estimate its value. I used other paintings with similar style (portraits) and similar sizes. A full description of the methodology employed is included at the end of the report.

Appraisal Value ($)

10,000-13,000 USD$ (15,000-20,000 NZD$) 

How to sell it

Art pieces are difficult to sell, you will need some time to find a buyer, so be patient!

To sell the items, I would recommend doing so through the internet. You have plenty of options, for instance:

– Ebay, Craiglist, Etsy, Facebook ads, Amazon marktplace

I would probably go ahead and take a couple of good pictures, like described here:

https://www.channelreply.com/blog/view/how-to-take-photos-for-ebay

Then I would use the provided description as a text to the ad, and an attractive ad title will make it.

There isn’t any special difference between selling it on Etsy, FB or Amazon. I would recommend to upload the same ad to at least two or three platforms. It will ensure a high visibility of the ad.

The asking price can be close to the value, it depends upon how fast you want to sell. In general, an agressive strategy of 20% price cut will work great, however it depends upon your specific location.

About the valuation method

To value this item I have considered the results from past auction sales. Keep in mind that the final price can be different from asking prices that you can find on the internet. You can see ads on the internet with different asking prices. However, a very high asking price doesn’t normally find cash from a buyer. 

That’s why our method comprises searching and comparing similar past sale results that had a buyer. That’s why we can provide an accurate estimation of this item.

For art pieces, remember that it isn’t the same a print, a limited edition print or an original art piece. If the artist can’t be identified, the value assigned corresponds to the quality and potential interest of the market for the painting.