Why isn't art selling based purely on quality, and why does the artist's story matter so much?

Art sales are not a pure meritocracy on quality — they’re 50% quality of work and 50% who the artist is and their story. The example of Van Gogh proves this perfectly: after he died, his sister-in-law held a major exhibition in Paris of all his most famous works (Starry Night, Sunflowers, etc.) and not a single piece sold. Zero. Same paintings we all revere today. Why? Because there was no story and no one knew who Van Gogh was. Later, she published his letters where he described where he was, what he was doing, why he painted each piece (like painting sunflowers while hoping his idol Degas would visit, then watching them wilt when he didn’t show). The book became a huge hit, she held the show again with the story now known, and all the work sold. That’s when Van Gogh became famous. The story changed everything. People need to know, like, and trust you — the human behind the work — before they’ll invest in buying from you. You are the brand just as much as the creations.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-06-15