That is the million dollar question. Or, most recently the $480 million dollar question. A DaVinci was recently sold for that amount at Christie’s. It was originally purchased for $59.00 at a tag sale. So, in light of the sale, I offer my thoughts on what makes a work of art more valuable than another one.
I like to use the tool that writers use: Who, What, Where, When and Why?
The most important question is Who?
There are millions of artists in the US and even more in the world. Creating art is natural to mankind. The success and notoriety of an artist makes their art more valuable than another’s. When they pass away their production is ended and so their CV of work becomes more valuable. Whom they painted with or associated with is also a factor. All the Impressionists painted and exhibited together, creating a group. Belonging to a known group is important. The Hudson River group, the Ashcan group, the Futurism group, the Photorealism group, the Highwayman group and so on…There is always a floor and ceiling to the works created in a group. Today’s internet makes it easy to find these values.
Unknown and emerging artists always wrestle with how to value their paintings. If they value it too low, the public thinks it is not worth the materials it’s made of. Too high and the public questions why. I am an emerging artist when discussing my Long Island works and an unknown artist here in Florida. I have never had a show in Florida and this website is my introduction, or coming out party. I have mainly guessed about the value of these works, using past sales of similar works. FYI if you see something and you would like to make an offer, let me know. [email protected]
The second question is What?
Subject matter is What? Certain subject matters are crowd pleasers and some are stinkers. The more popular the subject matter, the more valuable and therefore expensive it becomes. Children, pretty women, animals, florals, sea and landscapes and famous venues are crowd pleasers. Impressionist and abstract works are too personal to fit into a catagory. Sad subject matters or religious matters, and portraiture of people who are unknown to the viewer are usually not popular.
The third question is Where?
This is a two prong question. Where could be the subject matter, or the artist. If it is the subject matter, then value relates to where it is offered. Palm trees and coconut laden sand at the seashore would sell better in the tropical climates. Winter scenes would not. Where the artist painted the work is another issue. If an artist is associated with an area, like Georgia O’Keefe in New Mexico or Guy Wiggins in New York City, then paintings with these subject matters are more likely to be more valuable than, for instance, O’Keefe’s works in upstate New York.
The fourth question is When?
The first artist who invents a style or school is more valuable than his followers. Picasso and Braques invented Cubism. There were hundreds of followers, famous and not so famous. Gerhard Richter is the most valuable living painter today, so his Candles series, his Photography series and his Squeegee paintings are masterpieces because of when he painted them. Today every art student tries to create their own Richter Squeegee painting. No matter how similar, they will never be worth much in the art market. There is a former rock musician here in Florida who is now an artist and he is a follower of Basquiat. No matter how close it comes, it will never be as valuable because of when the idea came about and when it was painted.
The fifth question is Why?
This is the most difficult question to answer. The simplest answer is because art is like fashion and styles always change. Today the art world wants to sell large paintings I like to call “sofa art” because they look good over a sofa. Framed art is out of fashion today, and many artists use wide stretchers and paint around the corner of the work. Small works of art are hit and miss. The salon style of presenting- where entire walls are smothered in all sizes and styles of art, went out of style in the late 1990’s and there seems to be a resurgence lately. Which leads me to the question of “to buy what’s hot or not?” My answer is to buy what appeals to you. A painting must say something back to you when you view it. You must want to peek at it every time you pass it on the wall, or it isn’t saying anything to you. Ignore the fashion aspect. All things come ‘round in cycles. Keep it, enjoy it and plan to pass it on to your “objects of your affections”.
How to Go About Selecting the Right Painting for your Space
This logically follows the prior paragraph of “why”. So for those who skipped it, go back and read it. It is simpler for me to give you some “Do’s and Don’t’s”
Do: Buy what appeals to you. Art is like jewelry in a room. Make sure it is special to YOU.
Don’t: Buy something because it matches the textiles or rugs. In fact do the opposite. Have a room in cool tones of blue and beige? Buy a hot red and orange work of art. All the furniture in my home is neutral beige and the floors are cork. When you walk in to the room, however, the furniture disappears because of the riot of color on the walls.
Do: Buy one “Scene Stealer” work of art. It can be an oversized sculpture in the garden, or a series of art all the same size and by the same artist framed in the same manner and hung as if it is one work of art. I have a painting by another artist in my living room that is impossible to miss. A 7×5 portrait of Jimmi Hendrix! The face itself is about 4 x 4 and it is a compelling piece to say the least.
Don’t: Do not place or let your designer place anything that obstructs the view of the work of art. I am tired of seeing a gorgeous vertical painting over a chest of drawers that is hidden by a floral and / or a lamp or a stack of books. I consider it very disrespectful to the artist.
Do: Consider the space. If the room is small, place either a salon layout of smaller art or consider one big piece as the focal point. A larger room has other considerations. Group paintings on various walls. Use three panels instead of one over a sofa (I offer a few in my site). Make sure the center of all artwork is about 5 to 5’6’ from the floor. Never have to look up at a painting. It must always be at “eye level”.
Don’t: Do not space your paintings evenly around the room. Do not overdo it with the same subject matter. In fact, if you are living near or especially on the water, don’t have a water scene. You see enough every day. Don’t buy all of your art from the same artist or gallery or group. If your are a collector, fine, but have more than one collection and rotate the works. Galleries have a brand that they promote and their artists appeal to the gallery owner first. Unless you are discussing a DaVinci.
