The Top Genera’s and Art Mediums Sold

Over the last thirty years being quite literally consumed in the Fine Art world, not only within my own business but that of my Mother’s, American Master artist Ruth Mayer and many other extremely notable and popular artists, I have a keen understanding for what sells, and which genera’s sell most! Not only what types of art are selling best but also what sizes of artworks are selling the best! If you are a young artist just starting out, I am sure that anything and everything beyond the actual art itself is a huge mystery! For this reason, I can certainly shed some light on what is trending and what you need to focus on as a business and as an artist!

The reality is that for most artists, their artwork comes first, and the monetization of their works are left far behind with a majority of them thinking that their artistic efforts and endeavors should be what sets themselves apart and reveals the “truth” about their work. However, the hard truth is that they couldn’t be further from the truth, unless you don’t mind going unnoticed until the dire moments of which the artist has long since passed and the work is all that remains.

Remember that art in history has certainly had many long forlorn moments. Meaning that the artistic greats of our past were treated as if they were almost evil in some cases or dismissed as dreamers and losers far before they were regarded as masters of their craft applauded into history. They had unfortunately long passed on before any sort of accolade was given irrespective of their dedication to a life’s worth of work. If you want to be recognized as a relevant talent in this day and age, you must be just as focused on your business, leadership and marketing acumen as you are your artwork. As challenging as it may be to read this, you almost have to be better as a business owner and a marketing agent that you are as a master artisan. While I am not solely suggesting that you should only paint or photograph something just so that you can sell it, I can say that it isn’t a bad idea to do that either! For example, my art gallery is located in Laguna Beach, CA. It is a very popular tourism destination, and I would be all but not thinking if I did not have artworks dedicated exclusively to the Laguna Beach landscape! So hopefully, you are catching my drift here a bit better, in understanding that we must hybridize our approach to being an artisan.

With that said, the BEST-SELLING fine artwork themes are Landscapes, Local Landscapes, Modern or semi-abstract landscapes, Abstract Nature, Animals and Nature, Figure work, Seascapes, harbors and ocean beach landscapes, Wildlife, Impressionistic landscapes and Nudes. The categories are diverse and many in nature, the data values were taken from a survey published in Art Business Today. Some of these findings are very interesting in that they have similarities in their conveyance of a very deep-rooted love for landscapes in general, however there was little sidebar here in that the correlation to fine art and art subject matter does change. When it comes to fine art in general landscapes such as trees, mountains, flowers, lakes, bridges, docks, small rowboats and seascapes took the large majority of the actual category.

In particular, seascapes, beaches, harbors sell very well. I would think there is a correlation to these places because of their association to places people go during holidays, vacations, honeymoons and relaxation. Many of those individuals who own homes along the coast also show a high desire to decorate their homes in a beach like vibe, in addition many people buy seascapes to remember their vacations.

Modern and semi abstract artworks also do very well. With trends forever going toward minimalistic scenes and modern, abstract takes on nature it only makes sense that tastes in art would follow suit. Impressionistic landscapes also have a wide appeal. Whether we like this part or not, we must understand that people buy artwork that often simply goes well with their décor. Abstract artworks are easy because there is a lot left up to the mind’s eye and anything can be interpreted through works of this nature. Having abstract artworks in many different textures and colors is a winning combination for this particular type of art buyer.

Limited Edition Prints 

Due to scarcity of supply, limited edition artworks will always outsell unlimited works. Art buyers as a whole are very attracted to the idea of buying artworks of a controlled supply. If you intend to sell your artworks, I highly suggest that you forego the calendars, the small prints, puzzles, cards and posters. While the trickle flow of revenue might be enticing at these lower price points, you are sure to suffer from it as well. The reality is that when you sell small, or cheap copies of your work, you have already diminished the value of your artwork and your name right from the start. The more you become well known for cheap art in attempting to gain a foothold in the art market the tougher it will become for you to work yourself out of that demographic once you’re in it. Essentially, your chances of ever being taken serious as a high-end collectible from a luxury art collector all but go away. It is better to walk through a desert while you market your brand that it is to sell your soul for peanuts waiting for someone to give you the credit that you might think you deserve. 

In these considerations you must also ask yourself what sells better? Original artworks or Limited-edition reproductions? Generally speaking, the prints will sell better for you simply because the price points are much more attainable for most as limited-edition prints. In addition to this, having a lower edition number of say 100, 50 or less has a lot more allure to it than say, editions of 1000, 950 or 500. Keeping things scarce means that you might be busier creating, however your collectors will see more value in your work.

What Size Artworks Sell The Best

Many people that are not familiar with art sales to a higher level will tell you that smaller artworks sell better because they are easier to place on a smaller space in a home and do nor require as large of a commitment of wall or money and since smaller works of art are generally priced less than larger artworks, they seem to create smaller artworks in hopes of selling these artworks more regularly and easily. However, is it better to sell 10 artworks at $1,000 or one artwork at $10,000? I do not think there is a blanker statement here, however I do believe it is important to retain flexibility here and create a little of everything. I will say in my thirty years of fine Art sales experience, smaller artworks fit in fewer homes these days and as homes have gotten larger and larger, there are a lot of very big walls and not many artists that accommodate these people with a high end offering that fits the scale and luxury aesthetic that they require.

I also believe that price point should correlate much more to the exclusivity of the artwork in conjunction with size, much more than solely of size alone. While you may have a cost of production that is much higher on a larger artwork that a smaller artwork, the reality is that if you have spent the time in building your brand, then you will not have to worry about the production expense of the size of your work so much as ensuring that the collector has exactly what they want and that they are extremely satisfied with not only your work but the value proposition that comes with it. With all of these considerations, the vast majority of the work I sell generally starts at 5 ft long and many reach towards 16 to even 20 feet long. High end, upscale residences require luxury fine art, and it needs to be of great quality, extremely limited in edition size and exemplary in nature.

Where Do People Buy Fine Art

Brick and Mortar galleries have garnered much of the fine art landscape for decades and continue to do so today! The chances of your artwork really exploding onto the scene without some sort of gallery representation is relatively low. Even in this day and age of online sales, woo commerce and things like first dibs, Etsy, artbroker.com and many more, the reality is that not many sophisticated fine art connoisseurs are willing to spend five, six or seven figures for artwork sight unseen. Savvy art collectors desire the tactile experience of real life galleries. I would go on to say that if your only aim is to sell a few inexpensive prints, the online route very well may be a great avenue to pursue, however when a serious buyer comes to make a serious acquisition, generally they want to be in person to experience your aesthetic and learn more about you in person.

Granted, I am well aware of several artists who have cracked the proverbial on-line code and do very well via optimizing their websites and working hard at constantly creating relevant content, and over the years, it turns out that they were able to create something genuinely great for themselves, however I cannot say that this route will give you the long-term sustainable roots that you might be desiring from your work.

What Colors or Artwork Sell The Best

This may very well sound like a loaded question. Color choices are heavily influenced by the décor of the homeowner. In addition, there have been very few albeit no reputable studies on what actually sells best color wise, however there are a few notable anecdotes that I will add. Co-head of contemporary art at Christie’s International Brett Gorvy had said that the color red was the most desirable and sought-after color in art, followed by white, blue, yellow, green and black. Also, during a recent upsurge in art buying from the Asian markets, experts at Sotheby’s agreed and added that artwork featuring the color red would enjoy a bit more attention. However, I believe after being immersed in fine art for three decades now, that color is not just IN or OUT, it is not a trend or aesthetic.  Color intrinsically correlates to emotion and emotional responses. Fine Art buyers are all triggered emotionally one way or another because of their own individual experiences. In which case I strongly dissuade you from thinking that you should only rely on specific colors in your collection in order to lead your pathway to sales. Rather create what makes you invigorated and in many facets or forms of color. However, remember that you must always do so in understanding who you are as an artist, what you represent as a brand and of greatest importance, do yourself the favor of understanding business, leadership, sales and marketing.

A Little About Marlon Holden and Marlon Holden Fine Art

I have been living in coastal Southern California for the better part of over thirty years now, Son to artist parents and serial entrepreneurs I wasn’t given the choice to not learn the family business. When it came time for me to open and operate my own gallery here in downtown Laguna Beach, I was very well equipped to understand the landscape of fine art, as well as business leadership and have been doing so for the better part of my adult life. Having a true love for the natural world and the hidden beauty of fleeting moments, I work hard to give a glimpse into the secret world of these small moments of serene light and in turn offer them to my high-end clientele as true, custom works of Fine Art. Always limited edition in nature, myself and my team are dedicated to offering a boutique, white glove experience for even the most sophisticated and discerning art collectors worldwide.

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