Art prices often rise faster than other prices. Most serious, committed artists who are diligent and productive have witnessed a substantial appreciation in the prices commanded for their works. Doing the math I was surprised to discover that my originals have increased in price over 2,000% in 30 years. If an artists price is not rising it is usually because too little effort has been made to cultivate a market.
Pricing art work depends on several criteria. One is the aesthetic and technical merit, second includes recovering costs of production and marketing, and third include the artist’s reputation, supply and demand, and the reputation of the dealer. For a painting to have any value it must have quality, which translates into aesthetic and technical merit. Second, recovering costs; professionals calculate this into pricing, Sunday painters or hobbyists rarely do. And third, supply and demand are key. Artists who produce work in quantity, paint fast and are prolific soon find supply outstrips the demand and their prices do not rise fast. Artists who are slow and deliberate, who produce quality work and understand the costs of doing business find that supply is low and demand high, their prices will appreciate.
Gail Niebrugge, pointillism artist
