What Makes Artwork Sell?

If you’re looking to buy fine art or sell your artwork, you’ve come to the right place. Because before you can do either of those things, there’s some stuff you should know about artwork and what drives its value.

There’s artwork out there that sells for pennies, while other pieces of art sell for hundreds, thousands, or even sometimes millions of dollars. But what exactly differentiates one piece of artwork’s value from another?

This is not an easy question to answer, as art is an abstract subject and the value of any piece truly changes based on the desire of the individual purchasing it. However, there are certain factors that typically determine how much a piece of fine art costs to buy or how much you might make selling a piece of your artwork. Here are a few:

Authenticity: Now, there are varying degrees of authenticity, but you’ll at least want to make sure you know what you’re getting if you purchase a piece of art and are paying the right price based on its level of authenticity. Clearly original pieces that are totally unique are worth the most, but some reprints of famous works can also be worth some money. Just don’t pay original prices for a reprint or a fake.

Popularity: Art goes in and out of style like fashion. If you’re looking to buy a piece of art that is currently in style, you better be prepared to buck up. If you’re lucky enough to be selling a piece of artwork that is in style, you could make a pretty penny.

History: If art has history it can really increase its value. Certain artists like Rembrandt, Leonardo, Raphael, or Picasso are always valuable because of the critical role they played in art history.

Subject: The subject of art is a major driving factor in its value. Certain subjects just simply sell better than others. Landscape art, for example, sells great for those looking to hang artwork on their walls at home or at work.  

Condition: Obviously artwork’s condition is going to affect its value. The better the condition the more money it’s worth. However, some very old, historical pieces are forgiven for their worn condition and still sell for a lot.