Table Talk: Price like Picasso

How I approach pricing art + considerations for gallery, commission, trade, retail and wholesale pricing

Welcome to Table Talk, a casual convo held the first Sunday of each month where I share BTS of my experience as a working artist + mom of *almost* 3 under 5.

Table Talk: An Artist's Income, Explained

Table Talk: Art Licensing, Part I

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Talking about money + pricing your work can feel wonky. We’re here to embrace the wonky-ness.

Last month I had the pleasure of participating in an inspiring community Artist Talk at Farm Club. If you joined us, thank you! I sat on a panel with Alexa Grambush, Lindsay Gardner and Alyssa Smith and the conversation was thoughtfully moderated by Sarah Bearup-Neal. Two of the owners - Allison Jonas and Sara Theisen - generously organized the event. They have supported and shared our work with their vibrant community since their doors opened in 2020 - we are endlessly grateful for their partnership!

At the end of our panel discussion, we answered some audience questions. One question, posed by Sara Theisen, inspired today’s topic. She asked how we approach pricing our work and I realized, even amongst highly educated and seasoned artists, this remains a gray area and it’s something everyone wonders about.

Today I’m sharing how I answered her question, and digging in a little more to how I personally approach pricing and the variety of guidelines artists might follow. I’ll go over original artwork pricing + the formula I use, as well as considerations for gallery, commission, trade, retail and wholesale pricing. I hope if you’re an artist this sheds some light on a murky subject. And if you’re a collector, I hope this helps you realize the value of your investments and clarifies the price tag of original art!

*Other creatives + freelancers - you may also find take-aways in here! I’m referring to art and paintings but these words could easily be swapped for “photography”, “ceramics”, “design services” etc.

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Picasso and the Napkin

To begin, let’s start with a favorite story of mine - Picasso and the Napkin.

Legend has it, Picasso was at a Paris market when an admirer approached and asked if he would do a quick sketch on a napkin for her. Picasso politely agreed, promptly creating a drawing and handed back the napkin - but not before asking for a million Francs.

The lady was shocked: “How can you ask for so much? It took you five minutes to draw this!”

“No”, Picasso replied, “It took me 40 years to draw this in 5 minutes.”

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MINDSET

Consider the work and worth of art + artist.

First and foremost - If you don’t value your work, you can’t expect a stranger to value it. This of course, is easier said than done. Creating art is an incredibly vulnerable act, and putting it out into the world - even more vulnerable! But when someone buys a painting from you, they aren’t just paying for the time it took you to apply paint to canvas. As Picasso suggests to the woman, they are paying for your years of education, practice and failure. They are paying for your time spent gathering inspiration, for planning of colors and composition, for the micro-decisions made along the way.

Another common retort you may have heard is when someone looks at a large abstract piece of art in a museum and scoffs “my 5 year old could have done that” or better yet “I could have done that.” To which the appropriate answer is: “But, you didn’t”.

The take away? Making good art isn’t easy. Having the bravery to act on a creative impulse isn’t easy. We tend to quickly take for granted the skillsets we develop over time. A lesson for all professions by the way, not just the arts.

Having said that, none of us start out with 40 years of painting under our belts. Which brings me to…