Misty Mountains by Wijmer

You raise an interesting question. First, you have to be sure that you want the answer - sounds funny I know, but you *potentially* have a valuable piece here. If it pans out you have to decide about insurance, security, restoration costs, etc. Some people simply don't want to know. - if you don't, then look after it (ie don't hang in smoky area, in sunlight, etc.) Some people don't want the headache! Second, If you do indeed want to know, then you will absolutely need to take this in for an expert appraisal. Paintings cannot be done 'over the web' except possibly in the negative - Something in a photo *might* be visible that would say 'no, not valuable' but even that could be an artifact of the photo. A proper appraisal looks closely at the brush strokes and fine details both front and back that simply do not show up on internet images. Sometimes an analysis of the paint is required - ranging from black light scans to paint content matching. If someone offers to do so from a photo seek other opinions. There are copies and fakes of this artist around. Legitimate ones are in the $10,000 + range depending on size etc. As a side note, you can often tell if a painting has been 'touched up' by shining a black light on it - newer paint fluoresces brightly. It will cost dollars to have it professionally evaluated. You might want to try a local museum or art gallery that exhibits paintings a lot first. (call and make appointment - bad luck wandering around a museum or art gallery unexpectedly with a painting tucked under your arm! smile!) They probably won't be able to tell you a price, but would be able to indicate if it is potentially genuine and not a print or student copy. Then you can decide if you want to find and spend money an expert on the artist. It's interesting to research the artist as well, even if a fake. Put the info you find with it, along with the evaluations and it adds to the value. For example: I stumbled across a print (not painting) by FOGG. Initial searches said it wasn't of much value, maybe $50. I persisted and found an artist who worked with and specializes in FOGG prints (as Fogg has passed on). I then found out my print was professionally touched up by an artist, probably for a President's office (train line)! Makes the print now worth about $400. Not too shabby for a $10 purchase! Let us know what your decision is. I would like to see a photo of it posted here so that we can enjoy it too!