To the artists: What's the highest price you've been able to put on a work of art and end up managing to sell it to someone? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 days ago by CraigOhMyEggo@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I know artists often make art to try to get by, but you have to admit how high the prices would sound to outsiders, which is why I see people arguing over art pricing ethics all the time.

The arguments against pricey art: It is offensive to societal necessities to price art higher than that, and there comes a point in an art's price where it doesn't make sense to raise the price more based on what relative little went into making it.

The arguments in favor of pricey art: They help the artist and it's up to the person buying the art how much they're willing to pay.

Based on the arguments in favor of pricey art, what's the highest you've ever priced art (both with haggling intended/involved and without haggling intended/involved) and were able to sell it for that amount?

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[-] Lumidaub@feddit.org 16 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I've never sold any of my art but

It is offensive [...] on what relative little went into making it

What I find offensive is judging art on how much visible "effort" non-artists think went into it. That's not how that works.

Owning a piece of art is a luxury, nobody NEEDS it, it's not food or shelter or anything necessary for survival. Pricing is purely a matter between seller (artist) and buyer, I don't see how "ethics" come into it (other than when buyers are trying to shame artists into lowering their prices to a point where they can't live off their own work anymore).

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

My daughter sold a painting for $250 last year. It was at a little gallery in a rural town.

She's still in art school, so it was her first big sale.

[-] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

People often dismiss the high price of paint in a work also.

There are some styles which take huge volumes of expensive paint, some skill and maybe 20 minutes of labor. They sell for more than i can afford and the artist barely makes profit.

[-] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

About $750, IIRC. It was a resized copy of a piece that I'd made for a runway show. I think it took me about 60 hours in fittings, patterning, cutting, and sewing to make. (My sewing process wasn't very efficient, since I was working with a single machine, and had to keep changing it attachments, folders, feet, etc.)

It still takes me a long time to make my first piece--when I sew at all--but I'm faster now.

[-] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 days ago

I was a commercial artist (animator in AAA studio).

I sold my art, and paid for it with my own soul.

Burnt out.

Now I sketch for joy, not money.

[-] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I got paid over $1k to perform at a 3 day festival (9x10min total)

[-] IMALlama@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Local or did you need to travel? Even though you were "only" performing for say ~30 minutes/day were you able to do any other work those days?

This does seem like a good hourly rate, but if you had to travel there and back, and couldn't do other things for $$ in your free time, the deal doesn't become as good sounding.

[-] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I was already in the area on vacation :) We booked the hotel and planned the trip before I got the gig, the stars just happened line up. The other people in my troupe were friends so it was a lotta fun.

[-] IMALlama@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Very cool, glad to hear it worked out so well!

this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2025

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