Paintings
A painting is a unique work made by hand – which is why paintings are usually the top of an artist's market. But not everything on canvas is a painting.
Paintings are one-off works in which the artist applied paint by hand – on canvas, wood panel, paper, silk or other supports. Because each painting exists only once, paintings usually achieve an artist's highest prices, and most auction records are paintings.
That is also why paintings are the most frequently copied and the most often misattributed works. A canvas texture alone does not prove anything: prints on canvas, overpainted reproductions and studio copies look similar at first glance. The first step is always to establish that paint was really applied by hand – and then by whom.
What kinds of paintings are there?
Oil paintings
Oil paint on canvas or panel – the classic medium of European painting. Slow-drying, often layered and varnished.
Acrylic paintings
Fast-drying, water-based paint, widely used since the 1960s – common in contemporary, pop and street art.
Tempera and early panel painting
Pigments bound with egg on wooden panels – typical of medieval and early Renaissance works.
Paintings on silk and paper
Including East Asian hanging scrolls and screens – painted with ink and mineral colours.
Mixed media and enamel
Combinations of paint, spray paint, enamel, collage or found materials on unusual supports such as tarpaulin or wood.
Overpainted images and objects
Reproductions or objects painted over by hand – unique works, but valued differently from paintings on blank canvas.
What drives the value
- Attribution: A signed, documented work by a known artist is worth many times more than a work «in the style of» or «circle of».
- Period and quality: Works from an artist's most sought-after period and of high quality fetch the best prices.
- Size and subject: Larger works and typical motifs generally sell for more than small studies or untypical subjects.
- Condition: Cracks, losses, overpainting and heavy restoration reduce value; a clean, original surface raises it.
- Provenance: Exhibition history, literature and an unbroken ownership chain make a painting easier to sell and more valuable.
How to check what you have
- Hand or print?: Look at the surface at an angle and with a magnifier: real paint shows brushstrokes, relief and uneven edges; prints show dot patterns.
- Back of the work: Stretcher, labels, stamps, inscriptions and old exhibition stickers often reveal more than the front.
- Signature: Compare with verified examples; a signature that looks newer than the paint is a warning sign.
- Documents: Invoices, certificates, catalogue raisonné entries and auction records are the strongest evidence.
Paintings by the artists in our guides
How this type of work looks in the market of individual artists – with links to their full profiles, auction records and authenticity checks.
Keith Haring
Acrylic and enamel on vinyl tarpaulin: Large, loud works from the early 1980s, often with Day-Glo colours and grommets along the edges. The auction record is a tarpaulin work.
Joan Miró
Oil on canvas: From the detailed early works to the dream paintings and the large late canvases. The top of the market.
Gerda Wegener
Oil on canvas: Portraits and figure scenes, often with Lili as the model – the top of her market.
Niki de Saint Phalle
Tirs (shooting paintings): Plaster assemblages shot with paint, 1961–63 – rare and historically important.
André Saraiva
Paintings: Mr. A and text works in acrylic and spray paint on canvas – the top of his market.
Works on found images: Reproductions and objects painted over by hand, such as TOUT VA BIEN on the Mona Lisa.
Katsushika Hokusai
Paintings: Hanging scrolls and paintings on silk or paper – rare and far more valuable than most prints.
Questions
How do I know if my painting is an original?
Check whether the paint was applied by hand: brushstrokes, relief and paint over the edges point to an original, a regular dot pattern to a print. Whether it is by the artist named on it is a separate question that needs documents or an expert.
Is an oil painting worth more than an acrylic painting?
Not automatically. The artist, quality, period and condition matter far more than the type of paint.
Can I get a free estimate for a painting?
Yes – upload photos of the front, the back and the signature for a free estimate. For insurance, an estate or a sale, a written appraisal is the next step.
Do you own a painting?
Photograph the front, the back and any marks, signatures or seals, and get a free estimate. For insurance, a sale or an estate, order an appraisal with a notarized signature.
This guide explains general market rules. It is not an appraisal; the value of a specific work depends on its artist, condition and provenance.