Art at Any Price

The sale price of a piece of art does not always reflect its true value. A masterpiece may be sold for very little. One reason for this may be that the artist is not well known. Another reason may be that the person does not know the artist and doesn’t value the work. Someone might also sell a piece of art because they do not consider it to be art. If they don’t like it, it is not art to them. No matter what the reason for the low price, art is always valuable to someone.

Valuing art is very difficult for most people. Unless the artist has a name and large following, there is no good definitive way to calculate the price of a piece of art work. Even the works of famous artists suffer from this lack of price scaling. Many art pieces are sold at auction to the highest bidder. Over the last few centuries, this has been the standard way to put a price on any piece of art.

Not all art is valuable to anyone other than the current owner. A mountain or beach scene may be beautiful in a home that is decorated to match. The person that owns it may feel losing it would be the worst thing that could happen. Selling this piece of art would be painful and difficult for them. It would be even worse if they found out no one else valued it or wanted to buy it.

The value of art must be determined by the buyer. Whether it is bid upon at an art auction, or negotiated at a yard sale, the buyer will ultimately set the price. They must look at the piece and decide how much they are willing to part with so they can own it. Unfair as it may seem, art is a buyer’s market.