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Publicasso 2025 26(Art and Media)printed 16 · PDF 18
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Sources:
kasimkasuri.com — The Beginner’s
Guide to Buying Contemporary
Pakistani Art
artbusinessinfo.com— How Artists
Price Their Art
In Pakistan and India, artists ensure that they keep
that aspect of their artwork in mind,
adding culture-based value to their work which
ranges from Mughal miniatures to Islamic
calligraphy, not to mention the value of
heritage and skill passed on from
generation to generation. A helpful
analogy of this concept is this: Let’s
say there is an artist called Artist X
and he passes his skill to
his children and grandchild
-ren, and the cycle continu—
s. After multiple centuries,
Artist X’s work is valued at
millions of dollars, but Artist
X’s descendant, Artist Y is a
budding artist whose skill
isn’t valued because not
many care about
heritage-based value.
Looking at it this way
would make it sound
absurd but it is the
near-truth for so
many artists out there.
In Pakistan and India, artists ensure that they keep
that aspect of their artwork in mind,
adding culture-based value to their work which
ranges from Mughal miniatures to Islamic
calligraphy, not to mention the value of
heritage and skill passed on from
generation to generation. A helpful
analogy of this concept is this: Let’s
say there is an artist called Artist X
and he passes his skill to
his children and grandchild
-ren, and the cycle continu—
s. After multiple centuries,
Artist X’s work is valued at
millions of dollars, but Artist
X’s descendant, Artist Y is a
budding artist whose skill
isn’t valued because not
many care about
heritage-based value.
Looking at it this way
would make it sound
absurd but it is the
near-truth for so
many artists out there.
Artists make use of a mix of strategies, shaped by
culture, economic conditions, and artistic value, to arrive
at prices that take labor, heritage, and concept into
account. For example, several emerging painters in
Lahore and Karachi start their process by calculating the
direct costs of canvas, paint, frames, and other essential
equipment. Given the current rise in inflation, the cost of
materials has risen sharply, squeezing artists’ margins.
In other cases, artists charge based on the amount of
hours they spent on a specific piece. As an example,
artists in Pakistan may charge 1000 rupees per hour if
they recently became part of the market, while more
established names in art would charge 3000 rupees per
hour. Furthermore, at the National College of Art,
teachers tend to allow full freedom to their students in
pricing their work at university exhibitions,
while recommending keeping those prices
reasonable to maintain long-term demand.
Artists make use of a mix of strategies, shaped by
culture, economic conditions, and artistic value, to arrive
at prices that take labor, heritage, and concept into
account. For example, several emerging painters in
Lahore and Karachi start their process by calculating the
direct costs of canvas, paint, frames, and other essential
equipment. Given the current rise in inflation, the cost of
materials has risen sharply, squeezing artists’ margins.
In other cases, artists charge based on the amount of
hours they spent on a specific piece. As an example,
artists in Pakistan may charge 1000 rupees per hour if
they recently became part of the market, while more
established names in art would charge 3000 rupees per
hour. Furthermore, at the National College of Art,
teachers tend to allow full freedom to their students in
pricing their work at university exhibitions,
while recommending keeping those prices
reasonable to maintain long-term demand.
In light of
the above,
it is also of utmost
importance that the
artist fosters a good
relationship with their
customers. That. is to
say, they help their
customers to understand
why their work is
valued the way it is. As mentioned earlier, to
maintain long-term demand, you must not just price
your work wisely, but also find a target audience
that values your work just as much
as you do.
In light of
the above,
it is also of utmost
importance that the
artist fosters a good
relationship with their
customers. That. is to
say, they help their
customers to understand
why their work is
valued the way it is. As mentioned earlier, to
maintain long-term demand, you must not just price
your work wisely, but also find a target audience
that values your work just as much
as you do.
By: Ali Nawaz
16
Publicasso