Home sellers rent fine art to lure buyers

Home sellers rent fine art to lure buyers: "NEW YORK -- Aug. 21, 2006 -- Art museums have long rented paintings to art lovers who want the real thing on their walls, but lately, museum officials say they�ve seen a spike in demand from home sellers.

The latest customers are redecorating their homes in hopes of boosting their selling price and ramping up buyer interest.

At the Seattle Art Museum Gallery, revenue has more than doubled in four years, to $1 million, says gallery director Barbara Shaiman. Sales have doubled since 2001 at the Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale, Ariz., in part because of bigger orders for contemporary art from sellers of the area's new, loft-like buildings."