Ask for an Addendum sheet or if no sheet is available, as “What, if any are the added lots? and What lots have been withdrawn?”
Without fail, attend a preview day. Color correction online or in a printed catalogue attempts to be accurate, but almost never is. There is a better chance of color saturation being accurate when just one image appears on a printed catalogue page, as someone is not working to do justice to two different paintings with entirely different color requirements.
Condition issues are rarely adequately disclosed. Experienced a large mechanical crack in a strong large scale painting. Double checked the catalogue to find a mild reference to craquelure. This is vaguely accurate, but not as daunting as citing a 3″ diameter spiral crack at viewer’s upper right.
Can’t know how many times I’ve overlooked an artwork in a catalogue, only to find it to be heart stopping in person. Don’t know if the item ahead was so dominant. Perhaps my eyes glided past what came next–not sure. “Preview” should be my mantra.
Corinne Cain of SavvyCollector.com