The works on Artsper are sold at the same price as in a gallery, i.e. at the public price. It is the partner galleries that define the prices with their artists. No work on Artsper is sold at a higher price than in the gallery.
Several elements are taken into account to define the price of a work of art:
⭐️ The artist's reputation
The artist's reputation is based on his degree of exposure:
- Has the artist exhibited nationally? Internationally?
- Alone or in group?
On the notoriety of their representatives and collectors:
- Who are the galleries that represent them?
- Is the artist’s work part of private collections (individual collectors)?
- Public collections (museums)?
Their technique:
- Is the artist known for having invented a style, a technique?
These are all elements that allow us to calculate the notoriety of an artist. The more the artist has exhibited their works internationally, the greater their fame, and all the more if they are part of public collections.
🖼 The artist's achievements
Has the artist exhibited recently?
Has they been part of a recent fair, won a prize, collaborated with a brand...
With each new achievement, their fame grows, and in fact the value of their works.
📈 An artist's rating (or market trend)
The artistic and media fame of the artist, the recognition of their work, the sale of their work in major auction houses and the rarity are all elements that define the rating of an artist.
Indeed, if the demand is very high for an artist and the supply rare, the prices can increase. We often see this when artists die. Indeed the prices of their works also rise because there will be no more production during the artist's lifetime, so the supply has stopped. If the demand for that artist climbs then the price will follow the same trend.
📆 The date of execution
In the life and production of an artist some periods are more highly rated than others.
Is it a work of the beginning of their career, or of maturity?
🖍 The techniques employed and materials used
The price of a work can also depend on the materials and technique used to create the work.
Unique works are more expensive than multiple editions because of their uniqueness and therefore rarity. The higher the number of copies, the less rare the work is and therefore its price is lower. Hand-signed editions by the artist (rather than in the plate) also have greater value.
Bronze or steel sculptures are often expensive because the material used is itself expensive. In addition, these materials require special tools that are sometimes expensive as well.
Though this is rarely said explicitly, there is a hierarchy between the visual techniques in the various mediums (painting, sculpture, art drawing, art photography or publishing). This hierarchy between artistic techniques depends on the complexity of the techniques but also on their popularity in the history of art. For example, in painting, the queen technique remains oil painting, one of the most used in history and which is one of the most complex to master (it is considered more complex to use than watercolor for example).