A small clique of art critics and art consultants - that’s who determines the value of art. Those who have access to those who have deep pockets - that’s who. Those who have deep pockets always want to buy and those who have access to them tell them what to buy. As in Music, the viewers determine (and will always determine) what great art is because they instinctively know – trust me, they know - but the consultants determine the value. No artwork has intrinsic value. Whatever its value is, that value is subjective. Be that as it may, the value is always tied to the hand of the painter. You can replicate a Picasso perfectly, but the copy, compared to the original, will be nearly worthless. If your name is Casimiro Jinjis Pitoperos, or Benny Garces, or Willie Crackers, or Tobia Selemoebe Lacoleetah, or Alice Blanco, or Miklos Molloy, or Ann G. Maimah, or Irma Driggers or you are something other than famous or scandalous, you will not sell your art for millions. Sorry. The value is also tied to its historical significance or its uniqueness. Supply and demand are just commercial factors which do not really tell you what an art work is worth. It may be worth millions to a collector who wants it and has the ready cash, but its true worth compared to other art may be negligible. Beauty or brilliance in execution are seldom factors upon which to assign a value – and, believe me, values are assigned and manipulated by the small cliques. Ugly art can sell for millions provided someone can be persuaded to pay millions for it - simplistic, minimalist, mediocre, childish art, too. A plain white canvas can sell for millions if the artist is well-connected, but only if she is well-connected. If you have not been credentialed in this manner, you will not sell for millions – sorry. There is nothing unique or imaginative about a white canvas, but, if you hang around with the New York elites with deep pockets, your agent can persuade one of them to buy it for ten million. It’s considered chic. It’s just a bauble to hang on a wall. It's who you know, remember? As in real estate, location is everything. The design and wood and brick and glass and mortar are the same, but the location is not - same thing with art. In a trash can, a Picasso is worthless, but on Donald Trump’s wall – well, take a wild guess. Place your art in the hands of someone who knows he can sell it for lots of money – one of the auction houses maybe - and you are on your way. That’s how Van Gogh and Modigliani made it big - a lot of other painters too. Too bad most of them were dead by the time they were selling for millions. Luck has a lot to do with it after all, so don’t even worry about it – just keep painting If it's great, it will be discovered sooner or later.
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