Heirs who inherit works of art and decide to sell them often have to coordinate complex decisions with the other heirs, with little familiarity with the works and under tight deadlines, set by the need to clear a property or settle the division of the estate.

The preliminary steps, from the care of the works and the inventory to the choice of sales channel, are covered in dedicated articles ("Inherited artwork: the first steps"; "Selling a work of art: auctions, galleries and private sales"). This article focuses on three key decisions to make before receiving the first offers.

1. Shared decisions among the heirs, before showing the works

The first step is for the heirs to decide together which works to keep and which to sell, agreeing in advance on how to proceed.

  • Avoid individual initiatives: if one heir acts alone, or shows the works to potential buyers before the family has reached an agreement, the negotiating position of the whole family is weakened.
  • How the market reads it: buyers quickly sense disagreement or a hurry to sell. Moreover, once works start circulating informally on the market, they lose their appeal.
  • Legal and notarial check: it is advisable to consult the notary beforehand to clarify the shares of the estate and establish who has signing authority and full entitlement to sell.

2. Assessing offers for the whole lot

It is not unusual to receive a single offer for all the works, or for the entire contents of the house.

  • The limits of the quick solution: although this route saves a great deal of time, the price offered inevitably reflects the profit margin and business risk of the professional buyer. As a result, works with an established market of their own risk being paid the same as works with no commercial value.
  • Why the inventory matters: before considering an option of this kind, it is essential to separate the works that have an active market from those that do not. The initial inventory and a first valuation serve exactly this purpose.

3. Handling works by the same artist

When the estate includes a substantial group of works by the same artist, putting them all on the market at the same time is a strategic mistake.

  • The risk of depreciation: the market for a single artist absorbs a limited number of works in a given period; an oversupply drives prices down.
  • Spreading sales over time: it is better to spread the sales over time, choosing the most suitable channels each time.

Professional support

As an art advisor, I assist heirs through this process: from defining a targeted strategy (what to sell, where and when) to preparing the works for the market.