Park West Gallery New York SoHo NYC — Attraction in New York

BUYER BEWARE! We were on a Celebrity Cruiseship to the British Isles this summer & stopped to look at some of the art & sculptures displayed at one of their shows. We were interested in a sculpture by Tim Yanke & a Peter Max Unique Hand-Coloring Etching of the Mona Lisa. We discussed pricing & asked repeatedly to make sure the pieces on display were the exact original pieces we were purchasing. We were told YES repeatedly that indeed we were getting the exact pieces we looking at & that they would be removed from the floor. We were told that the Max art would be shipped to Florida to be placed in a new frame & shipped back to us. Not once were we told that we would be charged delivery from FL to NJ, nor were we told we would be paying tax on a Duty Free Cruise. During the financial transaction, I was asked to sign on a blank iPad as to the exact pieces we were purchasing & the agreed to discounted pre-auction prices on each. We were waiting for a statement & after 20 minutes were told there was a problem with the printer & a statement itemizing pricing would be left in our cabin by the following day. The appraisal would follow along with the art. That didn't happen nor the following day or on the 3rd day. Each day was a different excuse; waiting for confirmation from corporate, printer problem, unable to get to statement behind all the framed art in the way & setting up for a show. Finally, the day prior to disembarking, I went to the gallery & did not leave till I was given the statement. After reviewing it, we noticed a delivery charge & tax that was also included without our prior knowledgeof this. I went to the Concierge desk to ask if purchases at sea were duty free. Yes was the answer & no merchant that he was aware of charged tax while at sea & he would call to find out why. There was no tax charged to us on any purchases we made on clothing, jewelry or handbags while at sea. Of course they were unable to be reached prior to disembarking. Our credit card was charged the full amount delivery & tax included. From home I called Park West customer service & was told they always charge tax & delivery as to their protocols written on the back of our statement in fine print that we didn't even see because I signed on a blank ipad & didn't get a statement till day before disembarking. No credit would not be given. The sculpture came 3 weeks later & we were happy with it. The Mona Lisa Etching came 2 weeks later along with the appraisal. We had taken pictures of our purchases while on board. Upon unpacking the huge box, we noticed this was not the piece we purchased. Her hair color went from blonde to purple, clothing colors went from pink to yellow, the angel & boat were on opposite sides, the Item ID # was different from the original we paid for. After multiple phone calls, emails, all documentation we provided them, we were referenced other Park West protocols that we knew nothing of. Referenced to us was, all sales are final at time of purchase, Park West can replace any piece of art with a similar like piece regardless of what we were told at time of Sale REPEATEDLY. The statement/Invoice is only for Park West protection not our. Read before signing for any purchases. Shame on them for taking advantage of cruise clients that never thought they would be, in our opinion, scammed on a major cruiseline with deceptive sales practice. And shame on Celebrity for allowing this to go on. Their, misleading information, lies, sales practices, in our opinion, are scams & should be...

I’m on a Celebrity Constellation cruise around Italy. I found an original painting Brodinsky the first night at Park West so I went to their first live auction. Olivia from South Africa helped me (very charming).

During the auction another work by Ilyayev came up. It seemed far too cheap for an original. I asked Olivia; “is it an ORIGINAL.” I asked a 2nd time to make 100% sure. She said “yes, it’s an original.”

A lady behind me said “no, that’s an “enhanced print.” I didn’t bid. After the auction I spoke to the ships Park West manager. He confirmed that the Ilyayev was NOT AN ORIGINAL. I told him Olivia lied to me twice and I would not buy anything from them.

After the incident I found other offers for Brodinsky originals for more than $2,000.00 cheaper than the Park West price.

Moral of the story. Don’t trust a pretty face or buy art from Park West on a cruise ship. Photos to confirm what I’m reporting.

Update - After posting the review Park West sent me a message asking that I contact them to discuss. I sent them all my contact information but no one...

It seemed as if I was bothering the employees who were there when I came into this establishment. I am an avid collector of Park West artwork, but no one asked if I have ever done any past business with them. You would think as a for profit business they would be trying to capture every sale they could. But low and behold, they were more interested in scrolling on their phones and conversing with each other than with their customers.

If I was in charge of this “gallery”, my associates first question would be have you purchased with us previously and how can I be of assistance to you.

Instead, my first interaction was please put your bag in front of you and take a look around. Not what a “ VIP” collector would expect...