When No Price Is Good Enough

Popular ideas that don't work
or rather don't work as described.
Where they do work, they work for the few
in ways that are immune to regulation;
'the art market' is a place
where many are encouraged to believe
that they can paint, and to have ideas
about what represents 'creativity',
but creativity is not what sells.

If the test of the definition of a painting
is the ability to sell it for a decent price
then that is where most art comes unstuck;
there are too many who paint and ideas are cheap,
and where the work fails the most is the price;
give it away and people outright refuse it,
put a low price on a work and buyers are suspicious.
Put a high price on your work and then
watch other people say 'That is the right price,
but for somebody else other than me to buy it.'.

When paintings sell for millions
they are no longer bought
for what is on the canvas;
they are bought and sold
as insurance policies
against monetary inflation.