Why does the Van Gogh story matter for my art business today?

Van Gogh’s work — including Starry Night — was shown in a gallery after his death and none of it sold. Not one piece. Then his sister-in-law found letters he’d written about each piece, published them as a book, and it became a bestseller. The next gallery show sold like crazy. It wasn’t just the art that mattered — it was the story. Who is the artist? What makes them interesting? Art sales are 50% the quality of the work and 50% who you are as a person. Do people know, like, and trust you? Without the story, there’s nothing.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-06-05