Determining The Value Of Fine Art - By: David Tatham

The worth of fine art is quite simply a matter of how much a collector is prepared to pay for a picture. This price tag put on the piece is often arrived at by a mixture of six main reasons. These six reasons are due to the age of the art, the matrials used, the usefulness of the art, the artist's signature, the experience involved in the artwork, the rarity of this style of art on the market at present.Often the older a piece of work is dated, the more valuable it is. Ancient Egyptians created sculptures and paintings on walls that are considered beyond price today, simply because of the the time at which these pieces were created. Art created by an artist who has since passed away can often achieve greater prices than paintings by a living artist. A painting created recently is usually not as sought after as for example, handmade pottery made several hundred years ago.

Television can influence the value of paintings in today's galleries. There are different types of art. Painters use oil and acrylic on canvas, wood, or paper. Sculptors use bronze or clay or wood. Some artists etch into wood or metal while other artists use watercolour paints on paper. The price of the materials used in creating the work can sometimes directly affect the price of the piece itself.

Sometimes a work of art created with a specific use can be valued higher than art with only a decorative purpose. Stainless steel silverware hand etched with an art expression on the handle can be of more value than a plain strip of metal with engravings on it.Artwork created by specific artists will have a higher selling price than art created by an artist who is unknown.

Artists coming from specific communities or schools of art can expect to see a higher value put on their art works. Art hailing from France and Italy often have a greater value than paintings from a lesser known artistic community.

A collector must not disregard the pure talent embedded a piece of art. Everyone views art differently. Some people admire abstract art and some collectors like realism art. Some people love paintings and some love sculptures.

No matter the type of art, it will be harder to resell art that is poor quality. Talent is usually what sets apart a professional artist from the rest of the world.Probably the largest contributing factor in the estimation of price of an artist's painting is the rarity of the piece. Usually, the scarcer a piece of artwork is, the higher the value it becomes. Availability and demand is the economic theory that creates this buying force.

Thousands of art works that are exactly the same are less sought after than the final surviving painting from a dead artisan.These six reasons play a large part in setting the value to a piece of fine art. A buyer will take into account these six factors when determining if the art work has been priced correctly.

One's own likes and dislikes plays a role in deciding the value of a painting but these six factors are very useful in allowing help buyers determine the value of fine art.

About the Author

David Tatham, specialist picture dealer for more than quarter of a century, has an extensive knowledge of Lowry's biography. Signed, limited editions and drawings can be seen and bought from the website.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/David-Tatham/67295

Additional Articles From - Home | Arts & entertainment | Art