Artists, makers and objects named here illustrate the market we follow and what meets our criteria. They are not a list of Caldrion’s holdings or acquisitions. Price bands are rough, based on public auction results through mid-2026; private-treaty prices and today’s market can differ, so treat them as orientation, not valuations.
Our criteria ask for A-grade examples “from the periods, series and mediums that command the deepest liquidity.” That phrase is shorthand for how specialists rank a work, and for why two works by the same artist can behave completely differently when it is time to sell.
What “A-grade” means in practice
- Period: the years an artist is known for. Warhol’s 1960s silkscreens beat his 1980s commissions, and Kline’s 1950s work beats everything else he made.
- Medium: unique paintings and sculpture rank above unique works on paper, which rank above editions. Prints and photographs rarely clear our $250K floor anyway.
- Scale: mid-size works trade most often. Museum-scale pieces have very few buyers.
- Series and subject: an iconic series (a Warhol Flowers) beats a commissioned portrait.
- Documentation: named prior owners, museum exhibitions and catalogue raisonné entries all add value and make resale faster.
Where our criteria bite hardest
- The authenticity-certificate requirement. The Warhol, Basquiat and Haring authentication boards all dissolved around 2012, and Lichtenstein’s foundation no longer authenticates. For those artists the requirement effectively means a pre-closure letter or a catalogue raisonné entry, which narrows each market to its best-documented works.
- Certificate-as-work artists. Flavin, LeWitt and Judd fit unusually well, because their certificates and fabrication records are the backbone of authenticity.
- Restitution. Our 1945 start date sidesteps most Nazi-era title risk, and that is deliberate: we want works free of restitution claims.
- The museum-quality condition standard. It suits paintings but works differently for collectibles. Cars are kept running, and wine is judged on storage history, not a condition report.
- The per-item $250K floor. It turns wine from a bottle-buying exercise into a cellar-buying one, and it excludes most watches made after the 1970s.
If you own or represent a work or object of this kind, see our criteria and what to send. We read every submission and aim to reply within a few business days of receiving a complete package, whether or not we proceed.
The field guide
- What “A-grade” means, and where our criteria bite
- Post-war and contemporary masters
- Established mid-career artists
- Collector automobiles
- Watches
- Fine wine and spirits
- Emerging patronage
This guide reflects Caldrion’s views as of November 2026. It is not an offer of securities, investment advice or a valuation.