I walked into a few art galleries two weeks ago to check out some paintings.  I asked the art consultant how much was the price of an artwork I fancied.  Her reply was, "Sir, the going rate for this artist is x pesos per square inch", at which moment she pulled out her tape measure to assess the dimensions of the painting. 

After gathering the length and width, she tapped on her calculator and told me that the price of the painting I took interest in was in the neighborhood of PhP 200,000.00.  She quickly remarked, "Pero sir, may less 30% pa yun".  Okay, so that makes the price land at PhP 140,000.00 .  Then, if we factor in the gallery commission (or overprice whichever way you want to view it), the cost of the painting finally lands at 98,000 .

Question...is that the real price of the painting?

It has always been my belief and position that an artwork should never be assessed on a "per square inch basis".  One can use that method for real estate wherein the standard unit is a square meter.  While paintings can be scaled down to a per square inch assessment, I firmly believe we should always avoid taking that route.  A painting or any artwork for that matter should never ever be scaled down to its square inch value.

Unlike real estate wherein a zonal valuation is determined by designated authorities, art pieces or artists for that matter have hardly any basis at all by which to peg themselves or their artwork on a scale.  Oh yes, there are artists who enjoy seeing their work fetching stellar prices while being sold at international auction houses but even then, is that an accurate gauge to say that the product of their hands is worth x pesos per square inch?

I remember one time in the 90s when a friend remarked that a square inch of a painting by Hidalgo is more expensive than a square meter of prime property in the Ortigas Central Business District.  In my recollection, that was a perfect example of disrespect to a work of art by a revered master.

Going back to the art consultant, she was very earnest in her efforts to make a sale.  I just had to turn away because while Ms. Art Consultant was only doing her job, I was convinced, this was not the way to purchase art.  Maybe it will apply to some people who just want something to match their living room wherein they buy art for its "interior design value".  However, for those who buy art for all its intrinsic worth, disregarding whether the artpiece is an investment or not, there are surely better ways of buying and pricing art.

If you were an artist, would you like your art to be assessed on a per square inch basis?