Questions from owners

Selling a Joseph Kleitsch: questions owners ask

Straight answers for owners, heirs and executors of paintings by Joseph Kleitsch. If your question is not here, call Steven Stern Fine Arts at (310) 570-5679.

Who buys Joseph Kleitsch paintings?

Steven Stern Fine Arts in Los Angeles buys and consigns Joseph Kleitsch paintings: Laguna Beach landscapes, Capistrano subjects, portraits and figures. Collectors of California Impressionism are his main buyers, and the gallery offers works to them privately.

How do I sell a Joseph Kleitsch painting?

Email photographs and measurements to StevenSternFineArts@gmail.com or use the seller inquiry. Once the gallery has seen the painting it can buy it, consign it, or advise on a private sale, whichever suits the painting and you.

What is my Joseph Kleitsch painting worth?

Subject, size, period, condition and provenance decide most of it, and they are explained in our guide How much is a Joseph Kleitsch painting worth?. The gallery does not quote figures without seeing the painting.

Do you buy Kleitsch portraits and Chicago-period work?

Yes. The gallery is interested in all periods of his work, including the portraits and figure paintings he made in Chicago before 1920.

My painting has a Laguna Beach gallery label. Does that help?

It can. Labels from Laguna exhibitions or galleries, including the gallery his widow opened in Laguna Beach, help document a painting. Leave them in place and photograph them.

Will my name or the price be published?

Yes. Everything you send stays confidential, and no owner, buyer or price is ever made public.

Do you come to see paintings?

The gallery works with owners nationwide. Photographs come first, and an in-person viewing can be arranged for important paintings.

Should I clean or reframe the painting first?

It is best not to. Leave the varnish, the frame and anything on the back untouched until the painting has been looked at. A conservator can deal with cleaning later if it is needed.

How do I know my painting is really by Kleitsch?

Signature, technique, materials and documented history are weighed together. Send clear photographs of the front, back and signature, and the gallery will tell you whether it deserves closer study.

Do you buy paintings by other artists?

It does. Steven Stern Fine Arts handles paintings by many California and Western American artists; see californiapaintings.com and westernartexpert.com.

Where is Steven Stern Fine Arts?

In Los Angeles: 11901 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 601, Los Angeles, CA 90025. You can reach the gallery at (310) 570-5679 or StevenSternFineArts@gmail.com.

Ready to start? Send photographs through the seller inquiry, read How much is a Joseph Kleitsch painting worth?, or see the Kleitsch paintings the gallery has sold.