Hello, I recently bought from a local store a 48"x36" framed picture depicting the "Paris Street Scene" some people have described in another topic on this board. I am now a bit worried that the picture is not worth the money I paid (about $1000) since there seem to be so many copies of the same painting in circulation. The artist signed as "W. Burnett" in the lower right corner. I have taken some digital pictures and here are the links:

http://members.accesstoledo.com/kaigoss/DSCF0243.jpg http://members.accesstoledo.com/kaigoss/DSCF0244.jpg http://members.accesstoledo.com/kaigoss/DSCF0246.jpg http://members.accesstoledo.com/kaigoss/DSCF0248.jpg http://members.accesstoledo.com/kaigoss/DSCF0249.jpg http://members.accesstoledo.com/kaigoss/DSCF0251.jpg

If anybody can tell me if the picture is worth what I paid for, I would be most appreciative (I have a trade-in option at the store I bought it so I can return it and exchange for something else).

Thanks much

Kai

-- kai Gossweiler (kaigoss@buckeye-express.com), June 21, 2003

Answers

My husband and I purchased 'Paris Street Scene' today at a local auction in Orange. We were told by the auctioneer that W Burnett is an 'unknown' painter. We paid $400 for it. There were other paintings by the same artist available at today's auction, titled the same, 'Paris Street Scene', however they were different scenes of buildings, whereby our's is a street scene with a flower stall in the foreground. There were three other W Burnett paintings titled 'Arc de Triumph' and 'Eiffel Tower', (both sold at $700 each) and 'Moulin Rouge' (sold for $425). I will be very interested if you hear of any further sales of W. Burnett's, please keep us in the loop.

Kind regards,

Sharyn Hair

-- Sharyn Hair (sharyn.hair@det.nsw.edu.au), August 10, 2003.

Not to give any definitive answers, but my wife and I purchased "Paris Street Scene II" in 1999, signed "Burnett." We have since seen litho prints available on art.com for about $25.

We paid $29 for the unframed original at Wal-Mart in Clarksville, IN.

I have seen "Arc de Triumph" and "Paris Street Scene I" for sale online, at a Swiss web site for 7,67 EU. I think that that is about $10 US.

-- Nick (leahandnick@yahoo.com), September 12, 2003.

about 2 years ago i found a burnett being thrown away by a neighboor so i added it to my non exsitent art collection. since then i have become very fond of it and it hangs in my living room. i was told by that neighboor it was bought form door to door art students from somewhere in europe that were painting these and selling them for money. at first i didn't even think twice to look up the artist thinking it was a unknown college student until recently i found another burnett signed differently in red on the left (the other in all caps in black on the right). this rasied an eyebrow and i have done alot of research and have found many sights where others have claimed to have unknown burnetts of paris scenes as well. i don't care the value but would love to find out who burnett is. either way i will always enjoy my two burnetts whoever painted them.

-- brandon millhouse (yooobeee@collegeclub.com), September 13, 2003.

I have just acqiired an oil painting of the "Moulin Rouge" by Burnett signed in black in capitals on the right Did this artist do repeats of the same picture? I would be interested to see a photo of this subject if anyone has got a copy.

-- Pat Collins (patco@patco.freeserve.co.uk), September 15, 2003.

I have a five paintings by Burnett , all of Paris scenes. Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge , Arc d'Triumphe etc etc. All purchased around £120. Two of these are in colour the other 3 in black and white (all in oil). I assumed he was a local artist (south of England) but maybe this is some sort of hoax and in fact it is a collection of artists doing these paintings.

-- Mike Blackwell (mandgblackwell@aol.com), September 22, 2003.

Today, I purchased the "original" oil on canvas by W. Burnett, 'Arc de Triumph' at a yard sale for $2.00 . . .

-- Bill Cullnane (b.billcull@verizon.net), September 26, 2003.

See following url and you'll see that there exist several "Moulin Rouge" paintings. I don't know if it is exactly the same picture.

http://www.yezzz.be/auctions/1797401.html

BURNETT "Moulin Rouge" ( #1797401 ) Categorie: Home > Kunst, Design & Antiek > Schilderkunst Huidige Prijs: - Hoogste bieder: - Startprijs: 75,00 € # Bod: - # Bezocht: 24 De minimum vraagprijs is nog niet bereikt. Resterende tijd: 17:27:05 Starttijd: 2003-09-08 13:45:10 Eindtijd: 2003-09-29 13:45:10 Verkoper: rpresario (1) Regio: Antwerpen (Zip Code: 2140) Verzendingsinfo: Naar de ganse wereld Levering na betaling

Zeer mooie iets apparte schilderij van Burnett. "Moulin Rouge" In goede staat.

-- ronny vander donckt (ronny.vanderdonckt@pandora.be), September 28, 2003.

I recently purchased 2 burnetts in acrilic of the paris street scene. Sold one. Would like to know there true value and who painted them. Ted

-- ted turnbull (tturnbull8@comcast.net), October 06, 2003.

I don't have any answers but when my mother passed away I had an oil painting by Burnett(signed in white)and had a garage sale. I had a price tag of $7.00. Needless to say it didn't sell. Could anyone tell me if this painting is worth anything. It is a Paris St. with Moulin Rouge cafe in it. If anyone is interested in buying it please contact me at my email address. (Please be honest about the price). Thank you

-- Mariann Cutter (mcabby9@fuse.net), October 15, 2003.

My mother recently bought 2 Burnett painting of the same Paris street corner in each painting. She paid $10 a piece for them. If someone could tell me anything about this artist or these paintings, I would be very greatful.

-- Erica (DoodieBugGrad2003@yahoo.com), October 22, 2003.

i have one oil painting by burnett (signed in black, all capital letters)we have a street corner with two domes in the bckground we cannot tell if the painting in the foreground is a cafe, flowers? it has no name it just says an original oil painting by burnett. if anyone can help me figure out the price and what and where the painting is i would be really grateful! (age 13)

-- katie (angelic079@hotmail.com), November 08, 2003.

I think I have a original oil signed by Burnett of Moulin Rouge. However it is in black and white. I have only seen a color oil painting of moulin rouge. It is signed at the bottom right hand side in black capital letters. I paid 150 american dollars for it 2 years ago. Can someone tell me how much they think it is worth.

-- Daune (daune.yarbrough@per-se.com), November 20, 2003.

W. Burnett is actually a ghost name used by a Mexican sweatshop studio in Juarez. there specialty is cranking out tacky tourist art with an old European style- basically a dressed up version of Black Velvet painting. The "artist name" is actually a play on words- The Sweatshop owner is perported to have said "if those gringos discover the origin of their painting they surely will burn it" thus the name Will Burnett. My advice is to stick it on ebay under Kitsch.

-- Nate Fors (realart@k9gear.net), December 03, 2003.

i purchased a burnett picture around 10 years ago, signed in capitals in black on the left of the picture. i am pretty suere from reading these comments that there is obviously some sought of hoax and that there has never been any true burnett character, just some college students as mentioned before. i think i'll take Nate Fors's advice and sell it on ebay.

-- amy hamish (amyjelly@hotmail.com), December 19, 2003.

I have a painting similar to the ones everyone else has written about, i did a search for the title "paris street scene" on google, and i found some interesting web sites if anyone is interested. http://www.creativeartworks.cc/i_712.html http://www.creativeartworks.cc/i_710.html these two web sites have painting that are very similar to mine but slightly different, but the web site says it is an oil painting by Ed Immar, signed by Burnett, i also clicked on "all artwork by Ed Immar" and some paintings were art from his collection and some had multiple different names signed on painting so i was not sure whether it is just Ed Immars art collection or his original art, but there was also a link to go to Ed Immars personal website.

(http://www.aspireauctions.com/216-231- 5515/WebObjects/auction.woa/wa/lotdetails?lotID=3361)this is another artist that burnett's work is very similar to: Antonio De Vity, i honestly don't know if it is just a coincidence that their art is so much alike??? hope this helps anyone.

-- Emily Jacobson (emilydawnbrad@hotmail.com), February 11, 2004.

hi i just bought a painting of the paris street scene with the steet lamp and tree. mine is signed in the bottom right corner in red letters. i got it at a cheap price also b/c the lady had no idea what it was. obviously however, no one else does either. has anyone gotten a response that helped them figure out whats real and whats not? It looks really similar to an artist i've seen before. any leads yet? thanks kristen

-- Kristen Armbrister (kristensarai2003@aol.com), February 27, 2004.

Burnett: I got a painting yesterday from a gallery antique auctions..Was a painting signed BURNETT with Paris scene,Estimate volue was $1000. I got it for $25- has to say that I was lucky because was not many people at the begining of the auction.From the frame the painting looks old- somewhere 60's. People from the auction told me that they sold one more painting couple months ago same name at the price of $500

-- myro bazio (bolinivet@yahoo.com), April 25, 2004.

I recently purchased (for $1) an oil painting on canvas that has "BURNETT." written in the LEFT hand corner in brown. It has five people up close and in the distance there's a capital building. Sounds like it's not worth anything but I like it! Please let me know if you have any insights.

-- presdm (postmaster@lingualexplorations.com), May 29, 2004.

Continuing the theme of Burnett's Paris scenes, I too have a Burnett of the Eiffel Tower and a Parisienne couple walking in front of it. Anybody out there couple of dollars/pounds for theirs I am afraid has been conned. I love my painting, but I am afraid they are all massed produced and there are very many copies of all of them out there.

I can't contribute to the discussion on who Burnett is, but I think it is a pseudonym for "long line of slave Chinese/Asian/Indian etc" artists who churn these out by the dozen.

-- Peter Holliday (hollpe01@yahoo.co.uk), June 04, 2004.

I recently returned from a trip and purchased the street scene but in total black and white. I've attached a link for you to look at. I have not turned up much other information on this artist as of yet. I paid just under $100 for it with framing.

http://members.cavtel.net/mrmarty/paris.jpg

-- Martin (mlholcombe@cavtel.net), June 26, 2004.

Sounds like there is a lot of mystery surrounding these paintings. I haven't heard anyone talk about the painting that I have but it seems to follow this mystery painter's M.O. The painting I have aquired through the passing of my grandmother features a street scene with a cafe in the foreground. There is a long and narrow sidewalk that leads into the background and a person with an umbrella. My painting is oil on canvas and signed BURNETT in black letters on the right hand bottom. Any information about my painting would be appreciated.

-- Chandler Aaron (swinger1@sbcglobal.net), October 09, 2004.

I have also an Burnett oil painting with his signature (BURNETT) in the right below corner, also black. We got the painting as an gift form some friends who had seen it at an market. At the painting is the view of the Mont Martre area. I really dont know how much it is worth by know. If any one got an idea of what it is worth, please let me know by reply at my e-mail.

-- Bernd (b_2_the_boomerang@hotmail.com), October 10, 2004.

A Burnett just turned up at our church garage sale and I came here looking for a price to put on it. This one is a Paris street scene with a florist's cart in the foreground and the signature in black in the left corner. I see after 17 months we are not really much the wiser. Looks like we'll be putting $3 on the sticker!

-- (djr@cisp.com.au), November 13, 2004.

Burnett, I believe, is a 'factory' name for a group of artists in China painting Paris street scenes. You can even by 'black and white' originals. You can order the painting in almost any size you desire. They are (claimed) hand painting. The old ones, such as my Burnett, are. The newer ones may be machined and hand finished. I have several paintings that have been produced with this process. I once spent many hours on the net searching. All answers led to the same conclusion. Remember; a $20 painting costs the same to frame as a $20,000 painting. Last year I found the Chinese site that wholesales the paintings. You could order multiple copies of the same original painting. I guess they would naturally vary a little Try these sites for samples. http://www.aoliu.com/view.asp?id=112 (Same style as Burnett, some modern, several different signatures. Lots of sizes. Use this site as a guide to unframed paintings.) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ViewItem&category=20136&item=3761765796&tc=photo http://www.creativeartworks.cc/i_710.html http://www.creativeartworks.cc/i_712.html http://street.ioffer.com/i/R98YY901ej89 (This is very similar to my picture. I've always been pleased that mine does not have the Eiffel Tower-most on the net did.)

PS I am not a dealer. I am a collector and I own approximately 400 painings (all bargains). I paid $50 Australian (at auction) for my Burnett, which I enjoy. I would say (because of the frame) that mine is 40-60 years old. Your Burnett signature is different, and I have no "W". I will email some photos if I can get them off my 'dead' computer.

-- Alan Lacrosse (alacrosse@tpg.com.au), November 17, 2004.

Burnett pages

I have found a Chinese wholesaler that produces ‘BURNETT’ Paris street scenes.

Start here – street scenes http://www.artaisle.com/type2.asp?typeid=12

These are actual Burnett paintings – note the range of sizes. http://www.artaisle.com/display.asp?id=5334 (This signature is very similar to my 60 year old painting) http://www.artaisle.com/display.asp?id=5348 http://www.artaisle.com/display.asp?id=5324

There are many pages on this site.

I hope this helps answer some questions.

I must say that there are actual artist out the called Burnett (many – it is a common name). However, it must be a significant coincidence that there could be a quality ‘original’ artist producing ‘one-of’ oil paintings of Paris. You would have to feel sorry for that artist (if such a person exists – I would paint under another name, or change what I paint).

Also note that there are variations in the way these paintings are signed.

Alan

-- Alan Lacrosse (alacrosse@tpg.com.au), December 11, 2004.

Dear Kai, if you like your "Burnett" by all means it keep it. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. My 84 year old dumpster- diving lady friend found a black and white Burnett oil painting of a Paris street scene in a Mountain View, California dumpster and gave it to me this Christmas as a house-warming gift. It is in very good condition considering what it has been through. The information on this web-page told me all I need to know about it, and does not change my opinion that the painting is appealing. The background information recorded here is fascinating and now there is a colorful story to go with it! Thank you all! :)

-- Terry Harkins (ratherbexstitching@yahoo.com), December 27, 2004.

I just purchased a BURNETT at an art auction Friday evening for $90. It is titled Street Scene. Now I wonder if I was ripped off. I guess the nice frame is worth something! I will have to go home and check the signature and compare it to what everyone has listed here. Thanks for all the posts it really helped.

KY

-- Kathy Young (kathyyoung2004@aol.com), January 31, 2005.