Undisplayable Artwork

[duotrouble]

While I know plenty of who do have hidden beauties (several I've seen in person), it's a deal breaker for me. It's not that I want to "brag" because geez I have quite a few not displayed due to laziness. It's because I paid money for something. It's now legally mine. I don't like ANYONE telling me what I can or can't do with it.

I understand the worrying about burning bridges because I know someone in that situation. However, I'm sure that once you're done, who's to say you won't just go ahead and burn that bridge? And as far as not selling said item, who's to say you might need money. Or better yet, maybe your tastes changed and you just don't like it anymore? I'm fine with ask me first if you decide to sell. I've done that. But if they say no, they have no right to tell you that you have to keep it. That's controlling.

[cutiebunny]

I've had sellers mention to me that I shouldn't display artwork either, and, in my opinion, there's a difference between someone saying/emailing it and a pretty official looking document.

The letter that I received was in English, and an excellent translation from what may have been drawn up in Japanese. I presume this may be due to the fact that the seller at the studio was informed by the intermediary that the item would be going to the US. As I mentioned, in the wording of the letter, it's mentioned that the seller is aware that the intermediary is selling this item to another party. Since I still have a solid line of contact with the intermediary, I should inquire as to whether or not there is a Japanese version of the letter and if I can receive a copy of it. It'd be nice to have, even if for a reference.

It's also possible that the fact that the item was headed outside of Japan was the reason I received it. It's a lot harder to track artwork once it leaves the country and extremely difficult to legally seek its return. Anime artwork hasn't, as of now, been seen in the same light as say, Impressionism paintings.

As for displaying, it may be one of those things that, after many years pass, neither the mangaka or its copyright holders will really care. I mean, if you talk with young fans now about anime, they're pretty lost if you mention anime from the 1970-1990s. The younger generations, for the most part, haven't watched a lot of what you and I consider classics. They're into whatever is the latest and greatest(and not so greatest..) from Japan. So, twenty years from now, I can't see that there will be an extremely large fanbase for this manga as there is now.

So, who knows...maybe I can enter it in the 2040 Anime Beta Awards.

[kizu]

If it was artwork I really loved, I'd buy it with pre-conditions however I must deem the reasons acceptable... With something I really love I can just be happy with it existing with me and showing it off to close friends.... Otherwise if the reasons are ridiculous I might just buy it and ignore the pre-conditions.

If it was artwork I like to have, aka rounds up the collection, adds value to the collection or just rare and stunning... I wouldn't buy it with the precondition of hiding it.

If you've already bought it and you think it's scenario #2 where it's something you want to show off (I don't mean this in any weird or derogatory manner), then ask for your money back.

[sugarcels]

No, I don't believe I have ever come across something I wouldn't be able to share. That just seems strange to me and I don't understand it :/

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

Yes, I've bought items that the items' sellers requested I not display online. My response to this, as disappointed as some will be by it, is to simply not display them online. This is kind of an easy thing to ask me, since I generally distrust displaying my artwork online ANYway, due to scan stealing. In one case, a seller, who had initially asked this and from whom I had purchased several pieces, contected me later and told me it would be okay to display them online.... but I still haven't done so, other than one or two of the pieces.

That said, I see the request to not display them online more exactly as: "Do not display them online publically." I've had many things online which I've been asked to not display, but they've always been listed in private, password protected galleries that are visited ONLY by someone I personally invited... and I do NOT invite many people.

I guess, for this, I follow what a lot of people here have said.... I don't want to burn any bridges. Further than that, this is a community of people who talk to each other a lot and in which reputation plays an important role. If I say I'll do one thing, then ignore my promise......... yeeeeeah. Not the kind of name I want to make for myself.

On that note, I would never promise to not resell something. That's ridiculous. First of all, to state the obvious, I'm mortal. Eventually I'll die and, all jokes aside, I am NOT going to have my cels buried with me. ^_^ That means my collection will be sold. Secondly, if I did get up a creek financially and needed to sell my collection to get through it, I wouldn't want to be further burdened by breaking promises I made.

One thing I have occasionally promised to private collectors who sell me something is, if I ever DO decide to resell the piece in question, I will attempt to contact them and give them first chance to buy it back. But that's as far as I go. If the person couldn't be reached, didn't reply to my contact attempts, or had simply dropped off the planet, then that would finish my promise to them and I'd sell the piece as I normally would.

[dark-water-dragon]

The thing I wonder about with this and the situation that you are in cutiebunny is what rights do the studio have after they have released the item from their grasp and sell it on the open market. For them to say that you can not display this on the internet seem wrong to me. However, I can see their point if the individual who has bought the item is using it to make a profit. That to me would go against the copyright. For example if the gallery is making money off advertisement or if it is a location where people pay to see it, I can understand the studio's side. Now if it is just displayed on a private or RS gallery I can not see the harm at all, and I can't see them really doing anything about it.

Now that is just my opinion and what the hell do I know.

[glorff]

Don't most of these situations come up because the studio has decided that all of the artwork is to be destroyed and someone either smuggles it out or it accidentally gets out in a trash bin?

[aethel]

I do have one piece of artwork that is password protected because of a request not to display it. However, I didn't pay money for it. It was an omake with another purchase. Given that it was a free and extremely generous gift, I honored their request.

Other than that, I agree with the sentiment that a request not to display it devalues the item for me, but doesn't mean I wouldn't buy it. I'd just want the chance to factor that into my decision.

Now as far as this situation, if someone told me AFTER I bought something that I couldn't display it.. I think I would misplace that letter.

[Mackettric]

I bought a few pieces that the seller told me not to display because he'd been given the cels as a gift after working on the show and he didn't want anyone to know he'd turned around and sold them. After that, I've kinda wondered if it's worth having an online gallery.

[Keropi]

Don't most of these situations come up because the studio has decided that all of the artwork is to be destroyed and someone either smuggles it out or it accidentally gets out in a trash bin?

That's what I figured. In most cases, the original rights holders order the artwork destroyed. At least one person had his residence raided for production artwork and got arrested. Apparently he was attracting too much attention for selling production artwork that he had acquired (For backgrounds and sketches I believe. Studios had much less scrupples with cels).

I didn't realize so many collectors felt that an artwork is devalued in some way because they wouldn't be able to display it. This has been an enlightening thread.