What types of art fit into this category? Architecture, drawings, paintings and sculptures are the most popular. The world of art does not consider craftwork or applied art such as textiles to fit the fine art category.

Art history is an area of expertise that few fully understand and appreciate. Imagine being able to examine a piece of fine art and know the time period it was done and the estimated value of such work. I recently saw an article about a woman who donated an old painting to the Goodwill. It was discovered that the painting was a watercolor by Frank W. Benson. The value of this piece of fine art is $165,000.00. Word to the wise, check the value on art work before you get rid of it. You never know. As they saying goes, one mans junk is another mans treasure!

There are many excellent fine arts schools in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. The programs not only allow artists to show their creativity, but teach discipline and skill to help them promote their art work. I would suggest if you are interested in attending such a school, to do research on what schools offer what programs. Many specialize in particular areas of art. School advisors and counselors can help match your area of interest with the right schools.

It is amazing the number of websites on the internet that have fine art for sale. You can search by artist, design, or price. If you decide to purchase fine art online, it is important that you take the time to find out who you are dealing with. Unfortunately there are many scam artists that sale imitation fine art of the internet. By the time most people realize they have been scammed, the seller can’t be traced.

However, there are many legitimate online sites selling fine art. These businesses will have no problem with providing you with a business address, business phone number, or verifying the authenticity of the art they sale.

The artist creates different surface textures, color effects and forms to produce a unique work of art that reflects the artist’s style and personality. The process of transferring or printing the image is repeated numerous times, creating editions of the same image.

All the prints are created from the same matrix will be identical. This is called an Edition. The artist generally limits the edition to a certain number of their choice. The artist will indicate in pencil the number of each individual piece and the total number of copies in the edition. For example 15 of 200 tells the buyer it is the 15th print out of 200 available. After the fine art print has been made, the artist destroys the matrix so that no additional prints can ever be made. The value of fine art prints is affected by the total number available in the edition. Generally the higher the number of prints in the edition, the lower the value will be.

Unfortunately, today’s technology has lead to a history of fraudulent duplications of fine art prints. Regardless of the limited edition name of the print from the artist, scam artists have found ways to reproduce them. The duplications are hard to identify. It is strongly advised that you investigate the legitimacy from the artist, publisher, or producer prior to purchasing an edition print.

The most well known fine art prints are those of Ansel Adams. His photos represent the wilderness and many landscapes in different seasons. There are many galleries of his work to view online. The details he captured in his work is truly amazing.

The internet is a great place to see fine art prints from numerous artists. I am fascinated by the shear numbers of work available in this fashion. Purchasing prints from available editions vary from just a few dollars to thousands of dollars. Of course, I can’t be sure any of the items I saw are authentic, but it is a great place to start looking if you are interested in a particular piece of work or a particular artist.

The invention of photography changed history and changed people’s perception of history, of time, and of themselves. Privacy became a controversial issue of photography as cameras were used to record most areas of human life. The photograph was considered proof of an event taking place. People became more cautious with some of their actions.

As photography became more popular, there was a huge demand for more images. Photographers went to every corner of the world to take photos of everything in site. Photography was a tremendous find to history. Photographers accompanied expeditions to the new frontiers in the American West, China, and Egypt. The photos were records of lands and people never before seen.

The power of the photograph was demonstrated when photographs of the Yellowstone area persuaded Congress to make the area a national park. This sparked the idea to use photography to inform the public regarding important issues to generate social interest and change.

Photography as fine art was very controversial. It was questioned as being a legitimate form of art. Critics felt that the mechanical and chemical processing of photography categorized it as a craft rather than an art. Photographers turned to the art of painting to help get their art identified as such. They began to make photos soft and powerful with attention to detail in the images they captured. This was an important reason why photography was allowed to be considered a fine art. It no longer represented only images.

Ansel Adams is the best know fine arts photographer. The posters made from his photos are said to be the most beautiful every produced. In 1996, Corbis Corporation purchased the rights to the work of Ansel Adams. The company is owned by Bill Gates. This collection of fine arts photography includes some of the most striking and well-known photographs of the American wilderness.

The Museum of Fine Arts does work together under the partnership program. There are over 500 traveling exhibitions that go from one museum to another. They offer a loan program of DVD’s, books, movies and other resources. Artist workshops are offered, giving adults and children the opportunity to learn from professional artists. Educational workshops are offered to promote the arts. Lectures are given by individuals who share their knowledge of the arts and particular exhibits.

The most well known is the museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It has a unique selection of antique and modern pieces of art of display. The museum in Houston Texas is known for the Wild West display. It chronicles the changes to the West from 1890 to 1950. Overall, the museum offers a collection of 53,000 works. These works represent the civilizations of Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico the Museum of Fine Arts is known for its outreach to youth and education. Children sixteen years old and younger are admitted free of charge. In San Diego, the Fine Arts Museum is the city’s largest public arts institution. In Montreal, Canada, Girodet, Romantic Rebel, will be presented beginning October 12 of 2006. The piece was done by Anne-Louis Girodet. He was a very influential painter from France. She is considered a pillar of Romanticisms early period. This is the first time there has ever been an exhibition of his work in North America.

Regardless of which Museum of Fine Arts you visit, you will view numerous pieces of art, cultural displays, have the opportunity to attend workshops, and learn about new cultures. If you have not been to one of the museums, you are definitely missing out. It is important for all of us to be exposed to the arts. I find it very heart warming that all the Museums of Fine Arts have family oriented programs and educational programs for children in partnership with the area schools.

The museum prides itself with providing a unique collection of art extending from antique to present works. The wide range of exhibits is designed to enhance understanding of world art as a collection. Collectors have given generously to the Museum, donating many of its finest works of art including furniture, silver and masterpieces. In 1988, a group of Maya polychrome ceramics were donated. The collection ranks among the best of its type in the world.

About 80,000 students visit the museum each year. The museum offers grades two through twelve either a guided tour or self tour. The museum believes it is very important for school age children to be exposed to such art. They offer grants to help pay the cost of the bus trip to the museum for those schools who otherwise would not be able to attend.

The museum also offers films. They host film festivals throughout the year, special screenings of films relating to exhibits, and independent films by local artists. Gallery talks take place with museum staff for those interested in discussing particular exhibits.

As a non-profit organization, the Museum of Fine Arts is prohibited from providing appraisals. If you are looking for a monetary evaluation of an object for insurance or other purposes they can refer you to qualified appraisers in the area.

The Museum continues to attract more works of art and more viewers. To meet the demand of the viewers, the museum is currently undergoing construction. The East Wing will be demolished in November of 2006. The foundation for the new area will be laid in January of 2007.