What makes art valuable?
Van Gough arts weren't so popular when he was alive. After his death, people seem love of his art even bid the highest amount of money just to have it. Why?
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SomeMichGuy · M
Sometimes death is how an artist is suddenly known, and, when dead, the canon is closed, even if not entirely known.
As @Crazywaterspring pointed out, it's ultimately a market: works exist; the estimation of "the importance"/worth/value of a school, an artist, a given work, by various people & institutions changes; when a work *is* available--and this is seldom for artists with fewer works and greater "significance"--the pent-up demand (over years or even decades, sometimes) pushes up the price. One acquistion can change the economics of a location, put it "on the map" of better/serious galleries, etc.
But--to address @helenS--I don't the selection process, which might certainly be more random earlier in the process, as being random overall; it tends to recognize people who are founders, exemplars, etc., of schools, styles, techniques, periods.
As @Crazywaterspring pointed out, it's ultimately a market: works exist; the estimation of "the importance"/worth/value of a school, an artist, a given work, by various people & institutions changes; when a work *is* available--and this is seldom for artists with fewer works and greater "significance"--the pent-up demand (over years or even decades, sometimes) pushes up the price. One acquistion can change the economics of a location, put it "on the map" of better/serious galleries, etc.
But--to address @helenS--I don't the selection process, which might certainly be more random earlier in the process, as being random overall; it tends to recognize people who are founders, exemplars, etc., of schools, styles, techniques, periods.