View Cart
Online Order Policies
"It was an excellent read. … It is an excellent reference book. Certainly worth the time to read. I am proud to have it in my library."
- Mark Kaufman, museum trustee and collector
"Life Is Short, Art Is Long is a must-read for all in the art world. Whether you are a collector, dealer, antique enthusiastic, or simply a museum visitor, this book is a reliable and professional authority on how to manage art and antiques as you would any other financial asset."
- Allan and Kendra Daniel, art collectors and dealers
|
Books
 Life Is Short, Art Is Long
This book is the definitive resource for both collectors and for professional advisors planning for the disposition of art, antiques, and collectibles assets. Michael Mendelsohn describes innovative approaches that involve layering and phasing of conventional estate planning tools that offer advisors and collectors an array of creative alternatives to accomplish the collector's intentions. The strategies and techniques detailed in this book will show collectors and advisors how to optimize the value of art and antique assets, reclaiming as much as 70% of the asset value over conventional planning approaches.
Mendelsohn assembled a team of expert contributors from the legal, financial, insurance, and art worlds to offer a broad range of lifetime and postmortem planning options using the techniques that professional advisors work with every day.
When should financial advisors reach for this book? Whenever a case lands on their desk with over $1 million in art or antique assets, and:
- During the estate planning process. Create an art succession plan that mitigates estate, capital gains, and income taxes.
- When structuring a gift to a museum or other charitable organization. Work more effectively with the museum curator and the planned giving department.
- When liquidating some of the pieces to raise cash. Find the right dealer for a private sale or negotiate a consignment agreement with a major auction house.
- When creating income for collectors. Create income through a bargain sale, a charitable remainder trust, or by borrowing and using the art as collateral.
- When a collection has greatly appreciated in value or new items have been acquired. Evaluate the existing estate plan and identify new solutions to mitigate the tax liability.
- When fashioning a post-mortem strategy. Even when the collector has failed to plan during his or her lifetime there are still things that can be done to preserve the value of the collection and optimize the transfer of wealth to the heirs.
Mendelsohn shares his incredible insight into the mindset of world-class collectors (and everyday people who simply find something beautiful) through entertaining stories from his own experiences and the headlines that demonstrate the passion, the joy, and the obsession of collecting. This book gives collectors and advisors everything they need to plan for the disposition of art and antiques assets.
Title: Life Is Short, Art Is Long—Maximizing Estate Planning
Strategies for Collectors of Art, Antiques, and Collectibles, 2nd Edition
Author: Michael Mendelsohn, with Paige Stover Hague, Esq.
Publisher: Acanthus Publishing (Boston 2008)
ISBN: 978-1-933631-31-8
450 pages, softcover, color photos and illustrations
$24.95plus shipping and handling
 The Intuitive Eye: The Mendelsohn Collection
"As the pages of this beguiling catalog are quick to reveal, Gael and Michael Mendelsohn have assembled a collection of stunning originality and aesthetic strength. There are no half-measures here; each work of art is striking for the sheer intensity of its expressive voice. At once elegant and eccentric, strange and compelling, the Mendelsohn Collection not only provokes a whole range of emotional responses, but also invites consideration of the mystery of the creative process itself...
"As their explorations into kitsch and the collectibles of popular culture demonstrate, Gael and Michael Mendelsohn share a droll sense of the whimsical, but they are not hesitant to apply rigorous standards to the process of acquiring works of art. To be sure, an intuitive eye for excellence and a passionate commitment are at work, but self-discipline and high aspiration are no less important to the collectors. The result, which is here for all to see and enjoy, is one of endless delight and fascination."
Excerpted from the foreword by Gerard C, Wertkin, Director, Museum of American Folk Art, New York
Title: The Intuitive Eye: The Mendelsohn Collection
Authors: Michael and Gael Mendelsohn
Publisher: Ricco/Maresca Gallery
ISBN: 0-9669498-1-1
91 pages, softcover, color photos
$19.95 plus shipping and handling
Get both titles for the special bundle price of $39.95 plus shipping and handling.
|
"Your book is bloody terrific. I am ordering several copies as gifts to my collector friends."
- Jason Schoen
"Great reading as a guide to intelligent collecting, from your first purchase to the most important question: How am I going to maximize my collection when selling becomes a viable option?"
- Roger Ricco and Frank Maresca, Ricco Maresca Gallery
|
