In the art and antiques market, one question returns constantly: “How much is it worth?” It seems simple. One only needs to check auction results, sales platforms, or similar objects available online. In practice, however, the price we see rarely reflects the actual market value of an object.
After forty years of analysing the auction market, handling private collections, and working with both private and institutional clients, one thing is certain: the value of an artwork is not created in a single place and is never one-dimensional. Price is an event. Value is a process.
Price is always the result of a specific situation: the place of sale, the market moment, the number of interested parties, the emotions of buyers, the strategy of the seller. Value, on the other hand, is the result of analysis, not impulse.
The same object may achieve an undervalued price at one auction, be overpriced at another, and in a private sale reach a higher amount than ever before. Therefore, a single price should never be the basis for valuation.
Three markets, three different truths about the same object. Every artwork exists simultaneously in three markets.
The auction market is the most visible, but also the most volatile. Prices depend on attendance, sentiment, marketing, and timing. An auction shows what happened, not what an object is worth in the long term.
The dealer market is more stable, slower, and based on experience and relationships. Prices are often higher because they take into account selection, proper presentation, and the time required to find the right buyer.
The private market is the least transparent, yet often closest to real value. This is where transactions take place that never appear in public databases. A professional valuation must take all three markets into account simultaneously.
Why similar objects have completely different prices. The most common mistake made by owners: “It’s the same artist, a similar size, a similar technique.” Price differences can reach several hundred percent because decisive details matter: the period of creation, the quality of the work, the condition, the object’s history, the market context.
For someone outside the market, these differences are invisible. For a professional – they are crucial.
Provenance: a myth that can be costly. The origin of an object may increase its value, but only when it is documented, when it has real market significance, and when it is clear and understandable to the buyer. A family story without documentation does not increase value. Sometimes it even reduces it by introducing doubt.
Condition – a factor too often underestimated. Two identical objects may differ dramatically in value if one has been conserved professionally and the other has been “refreshed” through amateur intervention. The market is unforgiving toward irreversible changes. A professional valuation always considers the impact of condition on real marketability, not sentiment.
Why valuation is more than a number. A reliable valuation consists of comparative analysis, interpretation of data, risk assessment, and sales context. Therefore, a number without justification has no value – neither for the owner, nor for the market, nor for institutions. Every valuation carries responsibility – not only for the number, but for the decisions made on its basis.
Value from an institutional perspective. In professional practice, the value of an artwork must be understandable not only to a collector, but also to institutions. Banks, insurers, and courts are not interested in “nice stories” or a single auction price. They require substantiated value based on market analysis, comparisons, and a logical and coherent conclusion. That is why a professional valuation should always be a document, not an opinion.
When valuation protects against loss. Most losses occur not when selling expensively, but when selling too cheaply. Lack of knowledge leads to hasty decisions, choosing the wrong sales channel, and loss of the object’s potential. A professional valuation does not say: “Sell now.” It says: “These are your options – and these are your risks.”
What ArtRate.art is. ArtRate.art was created as a decision-making tool, not a gallery and not a sales platform. We do not guess prices. We do not rely on a single source. We do not oversimplify a market that is complex by nature. Every valuation is based on analysis of multiple markets, current data, experience, and responsibility for both wording and documentation.
When to commission a valuation. Whenever a decision has consequences: selling, buying, division of assets, insurance, investment planning. An online price is enough for curiosity. A professional valuation is for decisions.
If you want to know the real value of your object and understand your options: commission a professional valuation at ArtRate.art and make decisions based on the market, not assumptions.
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