Artwork for sale, its advertised on every art related website on the internet, Art paintings for sale, Framed artwork for sale and Art for sale, the banners and adds come at you from all directions. So now you’re interested, but as a new potential buyer, what should you look for and what precautions should you take, before you commit yourself.
There are two main types of artwork for sale on the internet today, original artwork and reproduction oil paintings, with vendors as diverse as Chinese art factories, that churn them out by the thousands, small specialist boutique studios that have their own retinue of qualified artists, to the artists themselves selling their original artwork creations, directly to the public, through the Web.
Dealing with the original artwork for sale is relatively easy, it’s a matter of individual taste and how much do you want to spend. You won’t be looking at artists with high established reputations, that is, of course, unless you’re a pension fund manager or multimillionaire. Be prepared to have a little fun and wonder around the internet trying to find someone you like and looks as if their work could be a good investment. Good luck with that one, but you will have the huge advantage of being able to see the finished artwork for sale before you part with any money and that’s a key imperative.
Reproduction oil paintings of the old masters are a completely different purchasing story, there are a few in trade home truths you need to be aware of before you go ahead and order that reproduction old fine art.
1: Ninety nine percent of online galleries regardless of what they imply in their marketing, get their artwork for sale from one source, China.
2: This second item is important; it concerns the images that these galleries and companies show you to entice your commission. The images are almost entirely of the original artwork, not and I repeat not, their copies done in their factories by their painters. Sometimes if you look really hard on the site they may show you a few examples, when you see them you will realize why they don’t make it easy for you.
3: These Chinese factories and their agents don’t really care what you think of the finished work, they made their profit when you paid your deposit and if you later reject their reproduction artwork for sale they just go ahead and sell it to other dealers at Chinese Trade Fairs, regaining their material and labor costs that way.
4: This is a think about it moment, why would anyone think that they can purchase artwork for sale, of high quality, for just a couple of hundred bucks? Don’t they realize that to create fine art requires years of study and practice, each painting regardless of its layout and subject matter, takes days, if not weeks to produce accurately? With a little mental effort they should also realize that the artist has to make a living, feed his family and pay his bills, why would the laws of economics not apply to creating artwork for sale?
Remember what I told you earlier, about buying an original painting, you will be able to see the Artwork for sale before you buy it, and that’s the key. Ask yourself, why it would be any different if you’re buying a fine art reproduction? wouldn’t it make sense to see what you will be getting first?
In Conclusion: my advice as a classically trained artist of over Twenty Five Years experience and part owner of a boutique studio is this:
Look for a reputable on-line gallery that keeps in stock a large number of paintings, and then choose a painting you like directly from their stock. You will probably find something far more interesting and appropriate, and you can see what you’re getting, before you part with any of your hard earned money, for that Artwork for Sale.
