What is inside the price of a work of art

A price next to a work looks like a single number. It is really a short story about who made the work, who looked after it and how it gets to you. Here is how to read it.

Who it pays

When a gallery sells new work, the price is shared between the artist and the gallery, often in half. The artist's part pays for the work and the practice behind it. The gallery's part pays for exhibitions, fairs, photography, the people who answer your questions and the months when nothing sells.

What should be inside

The work, as described.

Its certificate of authenticity.

The invoice.

Someone to ask, now and in ten years.

What is usually quoted apart

Delivery and its insurance, which depend on where you live. On this site you see them on the work's page before you pay.

Import taxes, if the work crosses a border.

Framing, unless the work is sold framed.

A published price is a good sign

Every work on this site shows its price, the same for everyone. If a price elsewhere is "on request", asking is perfectly normal, and the answer should come in writing.

A sense of scale

In the market index we keep, seven in ten sold works with a public price went for less than 5,000 dollars, and more than a quarter for less than 1,000. Most art is priced for people, not for headlines.

About discounts

A small courtesy for a collector who buys often, or for several works at once, is normal. A large discount offered without being asked says the first price was never real.

If you would like company

This is what we do every day from Mexico City: help people find, buy and live with original contemporary art. Book a free 30-minute call, or simply look at the works available now.

Image: our exhibition Art+Tech Collection ’25 in Mexico City.