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By Geoffrey Williams, Founder and Publishing Curator, The Indigenous Art Book

 

I would like to begin this week’s blog by thanking the visitors to our website who have emailed us their questions. I will do my very best to write answers to them in the weeks ahead, but this question from Laura in Adelaide, South Australia, was a particularly interesting one, and one that I thought I would answer for this week’s post.

 

Q: Why do prices for Aboriginal Art vary so much on so many different websites?

 

In a previous post, I shared my thoughts about how we might determine the ‘value’ of Aboriginal Art, and the price that sellers choose for particular pieces is often based on the results of an equally subjective equation – what have, and/or what will, people pay for it? There can also be other considerations that are used to determine pricing, such as size, paint coverage (how much paint or ochre has been used), materials (linen, canvas, paper or bark), and the cultural significance of the subject of the painting.


Rainbow Serpent Dreaming by Jimmy Nimitjuma. Painted in 1995. Natural ochres on Arches paper. 57cm x 38cm. Image courtesy of The Bedford Collection and The Indigenous Art Book. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.

 

Another important aspect of pricing is also how comfortable the Artist was or is when dealing with their buyers – whether they are gallery owners, dealers, studio managers, or direct customers. The ways in which Aboriginal Art is acquired are vast and often complex, and I wrote about this in a previous post about provenance. The main issue relating to pricing, however, is how much the seller paid for the painting when they acquired it in the first instance. This price can vary dramatically, and in the case of the majority of Aboriginal Artists in the commercial space, the paintings are purchased outright. Aboriginal Artists don’t work within the ‘consignment’ construct (where artists are paid their share when and if the piece sells), so their creations need to be paid for in full and up front. This creates a particular kind of pressure on the buyer, because not only have they paid for the piece, but they also need to then load the piece with their associated oncosts and profit margin to arrive at the new selling price.

 

Ensuring that the artists understand the difference between the price they sold their piece for and the price for which it is now offered for sale is a critical aspect of doing business with them. The more comfortable, experienced and knowledgeable an artist is about how art sales in the commercial context work, the more constructive and mutually beneficial the relationship will be. I have always valued the opportunity to help artists appreciate the difference between our pricing and theirs, and always made it clear what the difference reflects.

 

In the case of the studios where the artists go to paint, their paintings will be offered for sale at standardised prices, which is based predominantly on size and the artist’s reputation. Some buyers base their purchase price on ‘X number of dollars per 10 square centimetres’, which is also how canvas stretchers can arrive at their stretching price. While this standardisation works well a majority of the time, it does not take into account the cultural significance of a particular piece, which can then often be added to the purchase price as a purely subjective amount to reflect the significance of a particular piece.

 

As I touched on earlier in this post, how much artists want for their creations can vary dramatically – and this factor will always be considered when the buyer sets their selling price. It is crucial to understand that Aboriginal Artists are the family members who are making an enormous contribution to the continual economic needs of not only themselves and their families, but also their extended families. They are, almost without exception, generating the income that a very large number of people will rely on to exist.

 

One of the most interesting examples of this aspect of the transaction in my direct experience was when a famous family of weavers were travelling from Arnhem Land to Darwin and then back again. When they set off from Country, they carried with them enough weavings to fund their entire return trip. They would sell a few pieces at every stop, to cover bus fares, accommodation, food, drinks and entertainment – and each of their beautiful pieces had a very significant role and value to play in the journey. The unfortunate disruption occurred when they missed the bus that was to take them on the first leg of their journey home, and so they came to see me. The pieces they brought me to sell to me had obviously increased in value, because now they represented additional costs that they had not anticipated. Of course, I paid the price they needed, but then had to spend an inordinate amount of time explaining to my customers why there was a difference in the price I was selling certain pieces for when compared to other pieces.

 

It will help you understand the variations of a seller’s pricing when you appreciate that the initial price that was paid for the piece can be very different every time, and for whatever reason(s) the artist(s) chose.


What you will also see reflected in the pricing of Aboriginal Art on the various websites from which you can purchase will include:

  • a reasonable portion of the oncosts of designing, building, maintaining and hosting the website;

  • possibly a fair and reasonable amount allocated to cultural significance and the artist’s reputation;

  • possibly a fair and reasonable amount allocated to ‘market weight’ and ‘value’;

  • cost-recovery in relation to the freight (and possible stretching) costs the seller invested in bringing the work (from Central Australia and/or Arnhem Land) to their physical location;

  • cost-recovery in relation to insurance costs while the piece(s) was(were) in transit;

  • completing due diligence in relation to Certificates of Authenticity, stories and Artist profiles; and

  • a profit margin.


In terms of the ‘profit margin’, this is where we land in a very particular and conflicted space. I will write more about this topic in my next post because Laura’s question was about the difference in pricing on different websites, not the difference between ‘profit’ and ‘profiteering’.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post, and if you have a question you would like me to answer, I look forward to receiving your email at theindigenousartbook@gmail.com

 

Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Publishing Curator of The Indigenous Art Book. He is based in Darwin, Australia. The Traditional Owners of Darwin and the surrounding region are the Larrakia (Saltwater) people. Larrakia country runs far beyond the municipal boundaries of Darwin, covering the area from the Cox Peninsula in the west to the Adelaide River in the east.

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By Geoffrey Williams, Founder and Publishing Curator, The Indigenous Art Book


Founded by Jane Lewis in 2008 on Wadawurrung land in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, Raintree Art welcomes national and international visitors to their popular Australian Aboriginal Art gallery, retail and event space, and also operates as an online gallery and shop that is popular with customers from all over Australia and the world.

 

The name ‘Raintree Art’ has a fascinating history within the Australian Aboriginal Art Movement. In 1986, the late Aunty Shirley Collins (26 August 1938–19 July 2022) established her own Raintree Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery that would be recognised as the first Indigenous-owned and operated Aboriginal Art Gallery in the Northern Territory. As well as being a fastidious keeper of the sacred and ancient details and stories shared in the paintings she acquired for her gallery, Shirley Collins forged a ground-breaking and transcendent international pathway for Indigenous Art and fashion.

 

‘I first met Aunty Shirley in 2001 when I was living in Darwin selling postcards,’ Jane recalls. ‘Over the years, Shirley and I became good friends, and I ended up working with her in 2005 until her gallery closed. I was pregnant when I finished with Shirley, and just before my son turned two, my partner and I decided to move to Ballarat to be closer to family. Shirley wanted to know what I would be doing with my time. I suggested that would be a lady of leisure and she wasn’t amused! Before I knew it, Shirley was collecting Australian Aboriginal Art in Darwin, and I was selling it on the internet.’



Jane Lewis (left) and Aunty Shirley Collins pictured in 2014 at the opening of Jane’s ‘Raintree Art’ in Ballarat.

Image courtesy of Raintree Art. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.

 

‘In 2008, Shirley gifted me the name Raintree Art and her logo to continue her dream of an Aboriginal Art gallery, and she continued to work with me in an advisory role until she sadly passed away in 2022. As my son has grown, so has Raintree Art. What began as a part time job has become an all-consuming passion for me, and we are now open six days a week and send our beautiful paintings and giftware to their new homes.’

 

Q&A with Jane Lewis


What do you enjoy the most about owning and operating your Aboriginal Art Gallery?

It’s a very peaceful space to work in, and the people you meet are wonderful.


What is the most challenging aspect of owning and operating your Aboriginal Art Gallery?

It can be challenging at times because people can have misconceptions about how the industry works.

 

What advice would you give someone who was considering beginning their own collection of Australian Aboriginal Art?

Buy what you like, and don’t worry what anyone else thinks.


Family Swimming by the Sea by Deidre Burgoyne Rosier. Painted in 2024. Acrylic on canvas. 126cm x 67cm.

Image courtesy of Raintree Art. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.

 

If you were able to choose a favourite painting that is for sale in your gallery, what would it be and why?

My current favourite piece is this beautiful painting by Deidre Burgoyne Rosier called ‘Family Swimming by the Sea’. You can see the ocean move. I just love it! It reminds me of summer as a kid down the beach.




Raintree Art, 64 School Lane, Cambrian Hill, Victoria Australia

 

The fascinating life story of Aunty Shirley Collins – Shirley Collins: My Country, My Life by Shirley Collins with Deborah Bisa and Matthew Stephen – is available from Raintree Art here: https://raintreeart.com.au/products/shirley-collins-my-country-my-life-pre-order

 

Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Publishing Curator of The Indigenous Art Book. He is based in Darwin, Australia. The Traditional Owners of Darwin and the surrounding region are the Larrakia (Saltwater) people. Larrakia country runs far beyond the municipal boundaries of Darwin, covering the area from the Cox Peninsula in the west to the Adelaide River in the east.

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By Geoffrey Williams, Founder and Publishing Curator, The Indigenous Art Book

 

The questions I am often asked are related to the ‘value’ of particular pieces within the Australian Aboriginal Art Movement. ‘How much is it?’ … ‘Will the value appreciate over time?’ … ‘How are the prices determined?’ … and so on.

 

My understanding of the ‘value’ of anything is that it is entirely subjective and intensely personal. I’m sure we’ve all seen paintings that have sold for millions of dollars and thought instantly that we wouldn’t have paid ten cents for them! And that, of course, is where the ‘experts’ from the mythical ‘Art World’ may judge us for having an alternative opinion to their ‘expert’ views on the value of, well, pretty much anything.

 

The self-perpetuating industry that is ‘The Art World’, relies on our ignorance and lack of ‘means’, to lock most of us out of a world of beauty, creativity and meaning, in which our participation as audience, admirers and potentially owners, is actually the ‘end game’. Ironically, their purpose often seems to involve excluding us from owning pieces of art, by often inflating prices and the notion of ‘artistic significance’, to generate what is known as ‘market value’. The myth of ‘market value’ is a fascinating one. It goes like this: someone paid 44 million dollars for this painting, so someone else is going to pay at least that for another by the same artist, or hopefully more. And on and on it goes – based on pretty much nothing.

 

For me, the true value of anything nests within our physiological responses to it – mind, heart and soul. The price is often secondary, or if one has ‘means’, irrelevant. The ‘value’ is in your personal, often immediate and intense love of a piece … where it will live in your home … how often you will have the opportunity to admire it … how you felt when you first saw it … not to mention the simple fact that you haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since you did.

 

One of the particularly abstract aspects of what determines ‘market value’ is the troublesome trend to expect the value an artist’s work to increase after they have died. Known as ‘The Death Effect’, the passing of an artist can see the value of their work rise in value, ‘… but in truth, it’s a rarity unless they are already a celebrated figure in living times – and in the case of most artists, it is likely that their death will have little impact on selling prices or value.’[1]

 

It is also important to be wary of market-driven anticipated surges in demand following an artist’s death. ‘The value of your collection will naturally increase if the artist is already in demand and their pieces are limited. And if they’ve died suddenly or prematurely then you [may] also likely see a quick spike in value. But don’t be fooled. Spikes can be based on profiteering, greed, panic, ignorance and impulse, and may not reflect where the true value finally settles. Also be mindful of an artist’s work flooding the market after death. If you’re lucky enough to own art by a famous artist and can see the potential to make money on your investment, you could find yourself as one of many collectors looking to turn a profit. But if everyone wants to sell and nobody wants to buy, then the market can bottom-out rapidly.’[2]


The value of Australian Aboriginal Art can vary widely and is influenced by several factors that are all important considerations if you are contemplating starting (or adding to) your Aboriginal Art Collection.


Aboriginal Art carries deep cultural meanings and connections to the Dreamtime, Country, spirituality, and storytelling, and a piece’s cultural significance will certainly go a long way towards defining its intrinsic value – not just on behalf of the Artist, but also the work’s place in the Australian Aboriginal Art Movement. Works by well-known artists often command higher prices, but emerging artists (particularly family members) may also gain significant value if they continue painting long enough to build their reputations throughout the Movement.


Provenance (as we discussed at length in an earlier blog post) is the history of ownership and documentation of an artwork's authenticity, and unquestionably strong provenance plays a crucial role in its value. Artworks with clear and detailed provenance are often typically valued higher amongst collectors.


The medium – materials used (e.g., canvas, bark, textiles) – and the size of the piece can also affect its value, especially among collectors who have a passion for particular artists, styles, stories and technique. Paintings on bark, and painted in natural ochres from Arnhem Land, can command high prices due to the rarity, cultural significance, and a collector’s passion for the paintings from this part of the world. Similarly, dot paintings from the desert regions can have the same effect on buyers for whom this style and technique is their true passion. And while there is no pre-determinant for which of the primary styles and techniques a collector might prefer, their preference for one over the other is often profound and, again, mostly entirely subjective.


Untitled by Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Painted in 1995. Acrylic on canvas. 95cm x 84cm. Image courtesy of The Bedford Collection and The Indigenous Art Book. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.


The contemporary art market’s fascination with Australian Aboriginal Art fluctuates wildly, and as value is often determined by market demand, these tricky and unpredictable circumstances can often impact on a work’s value in positive and negative ways. One spectacularly positive example of what can only be described as a ‘peak’ was 23 May 2007, when Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s 1994 painting Earth’s Creation sold at auction for AUD$1,056,000. The sale set a record for an Australian female artist – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – from the continent. In 2017, Earth's Creation sold again at auction, but this time for AUD$2,100,000, breaking its own record.


While monetary value is certainly important, for me it is the cultural, spiritual, emotional, and ethical dimensions of Aboriginal Art that often holds equal or greater significance for collectors and lovers of Australian Aboriginal Art – in Australia and around the World.


References

2.     NFU Mutual. (ND). Op. cit.

 

Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Publishing Curator of The Indigenous Art Book. He is based in Darwin, Australia. The Traditional Owners of Darwin and the surrounding region are the Larrakia (Saltwater) people. Larrakia country runs far beyond the municipal boundaries of Darwin, covering the area from the Cox Peninsula in the west to the Adelaide River in the east. This blog post should not be interpreted as financial and/or investment advice. It is written for educational and knowledge-sharing purposes only.

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