# What does "(after)" mean? Auction listing for "Fernando Botero (after)" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855 "2018-05-26T15:31:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/1 "2018-05-26T15:31:49Z")
Site may require login: [https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/62104056\_fernando-botero-after-guitar-and-chair](https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/62104056_fernando-botero-after-guitar-and-chair) I am looking at a lithograph coming up for auction listed with the artist listed as “Fernando Botero (after)”. What does the “(after)” mean? I have seen museum art labelled like “John Smith (after Picasso)” to indicate that artist John Smith was attempting to create art in the style of Picasso, but I have never seen this particular notation. The same auction show three related items all listed as “Fernando Botero (after)” that all very much have the distinctive Botero style. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/2 "2018-05-26T15:46:33Z")
Maybe it was an another (unknown?) artist’s copy of a work by Botero (or, as you say, working in his style)? ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/3 "2018-05-26T19:21:11Z")
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**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/4 "2018-05-26T21:54:10Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Maybe it was an another (unknown?) artist’s copy of a work by Botero (or, as you say, working in his style)? Yep, ‘After’ in this case means to follow on from Botero in style. It may be intended to copy [honestly or deceitfully], or just be one artist trying on another one’s suit to see if it fits. There’s no sense that it could be Botero but without clear proof, which might be expressed as ‘Attributed to’. Other similar terms could be ‘From the school of’, ‘from the workshop of’, both of which would imply some level of direction and maybe direct involvement by the artist. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/5 "2018-05-26T22:17:31Z")
The particular formulation looks very clumsy. “After Botero” wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows whatsoever for an attribution to someone working in his style. A quick Google of the phrase and title however throws up lots of sites like [this](https://www.judaica-art.com/fernando-botero/1290-guitar-and-chair-1983-by-fernando-botero-art-gallery-oil-painting-reproductions.html). These are selling bog standard oil **copies** of the original by nobodies. Perhaps nice enough to have on your wall, but utterly valueless otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/6 "2018-05-26T22:44:36Z")
If it’s a copy by “a nobody”, that doesn’t mean don’t buy it. It just means if you’re buying it then buy it for its face value only, with no expectation of future financial gain. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/7 "2018-05-26T23:53:00Z")
Since the going rate seems be about 200 bucks or so, I’m not really sure that the difference between “nice enough to have on your wall, but utterly valueless otherwise” and “buy it for its face value only, with no expectation of future financial gain” is any much of a muchness worth commenting on. They’re basically selling crap. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/8 "2018-05-27T00:00:35Z")
> [@bonzer](#): > > Since the going rate seems be about 200 bucks or so, I’m not really sure that the difference between “nice enough to have on your wall, but utterly valueless otherwise” and “buy it for its face value only, with no expectation of future financial gain” is any much of a muchness worth commenting on. They’re basically selling crap. Sure, but if it’s crap you like, and you have the $200, and you know your $200 isn’t ever coming back, then go for it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/9 "2018-05-28T13:08:04Z")
Here is the answer I got from the auction house. > [@](#): > > after means done from a painting this is an offset litho done after one of his paintings numbered from the rare edition of only 200 in 1982… very hard to find…at any price… What’s the difference between an “offset litho” and a “poster” when it’s just basically a photo of a painting? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/10 "2018-05-28T14:16:41Z")
Offset litho is just the technique used to make the poster. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/11 "2018-05-28T15:53:32Z")
So how is this worth $200? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-after-mean-auction-listing-for-fernando-botero-after/814855/12 "2018-05-28T16:17:40Z")
nm