Defining Value in Today's Contemporary Art Market: Candace Worth at TEDxChelsea

[@chuckeelhart1746]

This is a wonderful lecture. We artists need people like this to represent us in a way we are unable to do ourselves. Our pieces are always our babies and we are too attached to them to clearly see their true monetary value, but we also need to eat. There are storerooms full of art that will never sell because it is either overvalued by it's creator or it is crap and we know it but don't want to hear it.

[@ericalexander2720]

You said... "I'm a lousy public speaker", but you have the 'voice' for it, you also have knowledge of a subject that many people are 'interested' in. This alone is enough to hold peoples attention. And this is what public speaking is about.

[@VeryPrivateGallery]

Very honest words in this talk! The value is something you create as an artist, creative, producer and entrepreneur. It’s up to you how you want to price, and what you are willing to do in order to support your price.

[@philiplindsay225]

To summarize what Candace said : An art work is a commodity whose monetary value ( at any one moment ) is based on supply and demand at that moment .

[@shailendraTiwaribhopal]

Candace Worth' s contribution to Art and Artists is worth appreciating as economics is now much more affecting Art i would love to meet her as she defines value in contemporary society.

[@Frühobst]

she gave a real inside into the art market. right into the core. thats how it is. pretty valuable.

[@origamibulldoser1618]

Her name is worth. She deals in value.

[@tsipiarts1]

A great straight forward talk that needs to be out there more. I wonder how different it is now during the pandemic.

[@gabby2421_]

Wow im learning this because its something young artist can understand how gallery and clients work. Sounds a lot of work to deal with many things in terms of price, how much the person is and other stuff. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@natella2426]

she is soo positive and humble. loved the talk

[@darthmindbender4225]

She merely defined how difficult it is to define.

[@kevinbridgewater5756]

This is. a great talk on art value and comparing auction prices vs gallery prices.

[@dansmith4984]

I like her top oh and her blunt honesty

[@srglepore]

I don't think we need anymore art which conforms to ANY MARKET. Creativity should not conform, period.

[@lisengel2498]

Very interesting to hear this talk about value but maybe also just value primarily seen from market perspective. - it is obvious that images speak in many ways to people and that people who do not have money still can value art just from finding ways to look at art and sometimes even appreciate an image just from a small print - I think there is the heart and soul value and the markets value - and sometimes they can be the same but not necessary

[@KyleClements]

Pricing art is such a vague and complicated game. Who knows how to determine the value of anything - especially contemporary work?

[@rickysantos3683]

Great talk

[@arcturusgold8858]

Expanding one sentence of definition into ten minutes makes it 'Worth' a lot to her Name!

[@kotonizna]

Question. Why do the gallery and the buyer/collector need a middle man? cant they just go straight to the gallery and purchase the piece they want?

[@kkingkok2]

Koto Nizna buyers are too lazy to do the research

[@WangDianqun]

+Koto Nizna In my opinion, many art collectors are not that confident about their art tastes and investments, so they somehow need something to rely on, and intermediaries are the ones who have rich knowledge (most of the time) about art, so rich art collectors are willing to pay extra to buy from intermediaries instead of buying from artists directly. many artists today also participate in self-marketing, which is good, but some of them are just not that good, their art is not good, but with marketing, they create a fake image that they are good, their art is valuable, so it is risky for art collectors to buy directly from them. ps, galleries are middlemen as well.

[@carloslagua1512]

ZI. Love her professionalism,

[@Labn3rd]

Great insight thank you!

[@stardust2811]

Great insight to the underbelly of the art world

[@krisschirmer]

BUYING ART IS THE SAME AS BUYING ANYTHING ELSE. IT IS VERY PERSONAL. HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THE OBJECT? AM I WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE IN ORDER TO OWN IT, CAN SEE IT EVERY DAY? KRISTINA

[@EWKification]

If art is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay for it, than it is worth less than money. Also, Van Gogh's art was, by her standards, worthless in his lifetime. Just imagine her in his lifetime arguing that his paintings were worthless because nobody would buy them. Art's value is intrinsic. It's what you get directly from it, irrespective of what the 1% are willing to spend on it. From her standpoint, the rich define what art is. Someone open the trap door!

[@7kurisu]

totally agree. TED really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. what a frivolous, arbitrary way to assign value

[@Herr2Cents]

I agree. Looks like the 80s art market has been exhumed.

[@laurakennedy1024]

Van Gogh was supported by his brother who was just this woman's job.

[@FuriousGibbon]

How do you define the value of a mural, which can't be moved and therefore can't be sold? Are the Raphael Rooms, the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the Last Supper all worthless because they can't be bought and sold?

[@natella2426]

she's talking about market value, it's not the same thing as artistic value...

[@ericswain4177]

Thot it was a informative talk on that aspect of the industry and the part it plays. Its unfortunate that she seems to be inaccessible as I felt stone walled by her Receptionist / Assistant several times when calling or E-mailing her for information ,as I am a collector looking to take the next step in my collecting of Art.

[@Herr2Cents]

Gosh,I can feel the anxiety from her and her job. So is art once again for the wealthy only? It feels like people are investing vs collecting cause they enjoy the work. Perhaps part of that enjoyment has to do with the $$$ of it. I was glad to hear she bought a work she loves and didn't have to get gouged by a gallery.

[@sodacushion2815]

John Herr art has always been closely associated with the rich/aristocracy I guess

[@KR1298508]

Thats why artists have social media pages. So us pleabs can look at it and not have to pay.

[@Herr2Cents]

@@KR1298508 Looking at art on a computer screen doesn't do it for me. 😉 I like to collect art and most is affordable and some I have been lucky enough to receive as gifts. It really enriches my life. There's something about appreciating a hand made piece from someone that gives me great peace. Artists are the best. 🙂

[@KR1298508]

@@Herr2Cents I agree, the disconnect you get by looking at it online takes away from the essence/presence of the work. Platforms like Instagram and others alike help with getting work out to the masses, but on the other hand its treated in a way where its more like content than art. Nothing beats having a beautiful piece hanging on the wall in your home.

[@2000sborton]

There is tons of good work available at decent prices. You just have to do a bit more than walk into a retail outlet and put down your credit card. It seems like that is what the majority of North Americans do. They end up with mass produced Batemans or cheaply turned out work by the masters etc. Nothing original. Any college or university that offers art courses has student art sales on a regular basis. Attend these and you will eventually find a great piece that speaks directly to and for you. Maybe even two or three. The prices tend to be ridiculously low for original pieces and in no way represent the hours of work put into them. Not only the splashing on of paint but the hours of contemplation or the previous works which eventually evolved into the finished piece you are buying. If you have the bucks to go big and hire an advisor fine, do so. But if you are just a middle class joe average that enjoys original art, it is available.

[@jasencordiero5366]

Awesome!!

[@MrSebaaa1]

who is the artist she's talking about? can't hear the name well

[@IrisLopesArt]

Love the stories, being an artist in Brasil, selling my pieces at less value/hour than a cleaning worker (maid) here... but I have no idea how to enter the art market, find a dealer? Galleries? Here we don´t have many Galleries and art collectors here... I am looking for tips and paths...

[@jorge62142]

What is wrong with art is the same of what is wrong with modern economy American welthy.

[@baddoggie101]

A work of art is worth no more than a very good copy is worth. If I was Emperor of the World, I would make a mold from the original The David, crush up and calcine the original, make it into a cement, and pour it into the mold. What then would The David be worth?? Start by defining "worth."

[@sonnycorbi4316]

baddoggie101 This post reminds me on a bumper sticker i saw: "Give me ambiguity or give me something else" :-)

[@sonnycorbi4316]

baddoggie101 A fraction or less then the original manifest from the hands and heart of Michael Angelo - How ignorant! - Gezzzzzzzz where do these people come from and why are there so many of them?

[@chitrasdesign]

+baddoggie101 Worth: That's a very interesting question. I guess the point to remember is that, when someone pays for art, they are not just paying for that piece, they are paying for the artist, his history of work, the socio- political significance of that work, and the overall context. I, in fact, feel that if you ever did something like that, the piece could even be priced above the original. 1) this would be the only mold of the original, and since the original is lost, the closest surviving object to the original. 2) the story behind the process 3) and the wide spread media attention it could grab in today's day and age. Well, I guess one can only wonder.

[@theriffwriter2194]

very interesting question

[@baddoggie101]

So, in other words, when you purchase "art" you are buying a load of bullshit and blather and hype. A work of art is worth no more than what a good counterfeit is worth.chinnu

[@gerher4047]

if an artist is popular in the beginning but their art is lazy later does it go down in value? Or, does all of their art keep its value all the time. Many of Picasso's pieces are not as expensive as others.

[@PeachPlastic]

She seems competent and driven, I'm sure she's good at her job and a confident speaker. However: I am disgusted by the art market & establishment and these anecdotes only confirm that feeling.

[@jacekpokrak9258]

it was a time without compmaturism yet, regards J.J. Pokrak

[@ippang2104]

great !!!!!!!!!

[@xsthetic7239]

Does anyone have any opinion or knowledge on the wealthy elite buying expensive artwork for the purpose of avoiding paying taxes or tax breaks through buying high art. I'm curious what people think about it.

[@7kurisu]

so sad that the equivalent of real estate agents control the art market. if only selling work online were a viable option for most artists

[@NicolasTylerDoyle]

make a free, quick website. post your work. go to forums and post up. its really easy, but people are scared because theres hardwork to be done

[@captainnwalps6689]

It depends on what medium and scale of art you're selling. Most serious buyers are not going to buy any 3d piece just based on pictures, and painting look so different in person than they do on a screen. Basically you can only really sell photographs, prints and digital work online

[@FuriousGibbon]

She didn't show a single picture in a lecture supposedly about art.

[@mzp1422]

$60,000, for art, dang, people are crazy

[@theriffwriter2194]

that's nothing. I decided I was about two off from being good enough to sell my stuff but you can put art in an online gallery for like 3$ so I decided to put a piece on eBay under a fake name. Long story short I ended up selling my first piece, that only took me an hour to produce, that I thought was crap, for a little under $1000. I can't wait to see what I get out of something I actually spend some time on. Needless to say: I never worked a "real" job a day in my life after that. I have a tremendous respect for artists and anyone who creates anything but art buyers are assholes with bad taste and money to burn. God bless em.

[@yellowjag]

Therefore a piece of art must be sold to have any value?

[@ReformationsCoUk]

Here's a link to my art - Etsy.com/shop/ReformationsUk

[@midiaespacial]

Glenn who?

[@SaurabhGuptaMumbaiIndia]

too much about "what I do", what about value ?

[@scott5358]

talent is missing in modern art . period

[@caslavsredojevic3834]

Lynn-Nicole Gatien 💚

[@Funkestech]

"I sell worthless shit, and now I'm going to tell you why you should buy it: it's how I make money"

[@Bobbychristopher]

Buy asian fine art. Its cheaper and Asia is the future whether you like it or not.

[@rrdd8457]

+Bobby Christopher cringe...

[@darthmindbender4225]

Just what everyone looks for in art...cheap.

[@Frühobst]

you should have written your comment with an asian accent.

[@midiaespacial]

GLEN LIGON!! hhaha i found it (dont ask me how...)

[@the_key_x]

"Not so young, in her early forties." OUCH.

[@Nuclearoscoop]

If a collector buys the artwork at auction for $32000, then he makes a "good deal". Now, if a dealer buys this same artwork at auction for $32000, he needs to get a benefit from selling it. A margin of 2 is regular in the art world, so I don't see the problem with selling it at $60000. A dealer has to pay a rent, employees, taxes, vat... Thus, he has to take a margin in order to make a living. Then, I do not think that auction price determines the market-set price, I would say it determines the wholesale price (decades ago, mainly art professionals were buying at auctions. Nowadays, final customers are taking over).

[@davidreninger5093]

Value , the presenter keeps using the word value, what can that mean, inherit worth , the labor and materials, aesthetic worth, what are the basic asthetics of a work of art, a simple answer, there is 1. Good , Traditional Art. Art that is of a traditional subject done in fine technique, 2. Bad Traditional Art, Art that uses Traditional subject , and technique done poorly. 3. Good Bad Art , Art that uses nontradiional genres , or materials , to create new forms or hybrids of known forms that resonates contempary meaning, 4. Bad , Bad Art, Art that uses hybrid form , and non traditional materials to mimic Good Bad art, and has no resonances in contemporary culture. Contempoary art values 3. and 4. The dealers and spectulators value money over art . Value is created in a monetary sense by the gatekeepers of galleries, auction houses , and contemporary art museums these hiearchries create value. The question is if the art is in this case , Good Bad Art , or Bad Bad art . The art world knows many times and often does not. They also sell what they can get a print of a copy of a work by a veted artist instead of the actual original work. Older artists are often dismissed because the value of their work can not grow exponentially like younger artist. 40 was almost to old. De Kooning had his first show at 40 , was well respected among artists and lived a long life . His work is now worth 10s and often 100s of millions. Would he even have chance in the contemporay market?

[@Q-64]

Respectable contemporary art: William Daniels' work Utter nonsense Contemporary art: stuff like barnett newmanns voice of fire.

[@markmahoney6399]

She has questions like us but not answers on how value is established. People buying with big dollars still does not make it good art.

[@srglepore]

I am tired of the artist being the follower.

[@philamor5139]

true art collectors don't need advisors to tell them what to buy when to buy it and how much to spend. Oh and what they love and don't love either

[@Timel0rdz]

Hmm, not enough personal anecdotes

[@TheArtbdw]

Funny how she wouldn’t talk numbers on the piece that she bought for herself

[@sammysmith586]

I came here to get a good laugh. She didn't disappoint. You're a wee bit transparent Candace. [wink]

[@paulsmith1981]

Contemporary art lacks quality. Its pathetic.

[@hthomasackermann]

DOPE - offer $100,000 and sell it for $5,000. That's how the contemporary art market works. Her anxiety level is off the charts. Take a pill. Ask me, I'll tell you about the art that will last in the AGE OF FISSION !!!!!!!

[@VoodooMansion]

That thumbnail picture looks like Caitlyn Jenner.

[@jmdza]

I forgot to put deoderent, FML

[@MGNighswonger]

tell me why I should believe you. The wheels on the bus go round and round...

[@victorcold46]

spoke for ten minutes and said nothing?

[@flamingspew]

I will sell you the ForeverScape for 1.5 million.

[@KrisKitchen]

Solo show at the kitchen....

[@anitagu9261]

Bad speeching style.

[@jamesimperialart4337]

i was bothered by her um's um um um um um um um

[@kcir1955]

Dogs playing poker. Now that's art. You just can't top the classics. How can I get this woman's job? It is entirely unnecessary. And requires little effort.

[@peterjones6715]

greetings . when you can make something complicated look simple , the psychological aspect of art becomes common sense . some use the term enlightenment , but few ever explain what this means . why , well they don`t actually know what they pretend to project . the individual has no need for his story of art and critics are just obstacles to personal understanding . of course this has no value in a world of academic establishment as they would have to admit that everything they consider intellectual is a nurtured thought process . if you really think for yourself the conscious awareness opens and this frightens the so called genius`s because they daren`t admit they are not as clever as everyone has told them . until people daze solve the ignorance of man made exploitation this will continue. with regards

[@MrKerlinca]

Umm i think i mean umm i feel like this is why umm no rightfully umm thinking person umm takes tedtalks seriously umm