How is original art priced?

One of our most frequently asked questions is why one piece of art can be priced so differently to another on this site. The answer lies in how art is valued by the artist, by ourselves and by our buying customers.

It's useful to know that prices for original art at artgallery.co.uk are rarely set by ourselves - in the vast majority of cases the price is set by the artist. That's because the artist has a much better idea of how much their work sells for on the open market. The price will reflect a variety of factors.

Reputation of artist

This is the factor which has the most dramatic effect on the price of an artwork. Here at artgallery.co.uk we feature very well known artists as well as up and coming artists. If you see a piece on sale at £2000 this means that the artist has a considerable reputation, is considered collectable, and has most probably exhibited their works around the world and won awards. Check each artists' CV on their profile page on this site for further details.

If a piece is valued at much less than this, it doesn't mean the piece is not as good. It means the artist is probably somewhat newer on the scene and the art world has not yet had time to decide how collectable their work is.

Time and materials

Often overlooked, but very important. It costs a lot of money to paint a picture. A large canvas can itself cost up to £40 to purchase, and the cost of the paint covering the canvas can add another £50 on top of that, depending on how thickly it is applied. For example a piece painted in an impasto style where paint is applied very liberally is much more expensive to create than a piece where the paint is applied thinly.

Some pieces can take many weeks to create, whereas other pieces may take just days. This has to be reflected in the price of the artwork otherwise the artist will be paying YOU to buy their art, not the other way round.

Delivery charges

Here at artgallery.co.uk delivery of a piece of original art is factored into the price. Depending on how large the piece is delivery can account for as much as £100 of the price you will pay. Often art has to be delivered by courier and in some cases it is so fragile it must be transported by specialist art and antiques carriers. Large canvasses are unfortunately very expensive to delivery. Smaller canvasses and prints however can often be placed in a postal tube and sent through the postal system, so delivery charges can be brought down to under £10.

Profit margins

Naturally there is a profit element built into the price of the art you see here at artgallery.co.uk. We ourselves take a much smaller commission than most high street galleries, so more money goes to the artist, which in turn helps artists to produce more art!