Auction vs. gallery vs. online: where should you sell your art?

There's no single best place to sell art. The right choice depends on the artist, the value and how quickly you want to be paid. Here is how the three main routes compare.

Of the 206,696 oil and acrylic paintings sold at auction since 2021 in the ArtSell database, half brought between $425 and $6,500, the median was $1,469, and 28% sold for under $500.

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What these works sell for

Oil and acrylic paintings

$1,469

median · middle half $425–$6,500 · 206,696 sales since 2021

Prints

$652

median · middle half $230–$2,250 · 115,670 sales since 2021

Recent examples

Walter Osborne, “In the Market Place of Bruges”: $84,113 (Morgan O'Driscoll, Oct 20, 2026)
Paul Henry, “Achill Cottages”: $74,019 (Morgan O'Driscoll, Oct 20, 2026)
Paul Henry, “The Shower”: $67,290 (Morgan O'Driscoll, Oct 20, 2026)
Evie Hone, “Abstract Composition”: $58,318 (Morgan O'Driscoll, Oct 20, 2026)
Donald Teskey, “West Road”: $40,374 (Morgan O'Driscoll, Oct 20, 2026)

Auction

Best for: works by artists with an auction record, estates, and anything where competitive bidding can lift the price
Costs: a seller's commission on the hammer price (often around 10% to 25%, negotiable for higher-value works) plus agreed fees
Timing: usually 6 to 12 weeks to the sale, then about a month to payment
Plus: public, transparent price; buyers already follow the artist. Minus: no guaranteed price unless a reserve is agreed

How selling at auction works →

Gallery or dealer

Best for: living or currently fashionable artists the gallery already represents or deals in
Costs: consignment commissions are often higher than auction (commonly 30% to 50%), or the dealer buys outright at a discount
Timing: can be immediate (outright purchase) or open-ended (consignment until it sells)
Plus: private, sometimes quick. Minus: few galleries take work by artists they don't handle

Online marketplaces

Best for: decorative works, lower-value prints and pieces without a strong auction record
Costs: listing and selling fees, payment fees, plus your time photographing, answering buyers and shipping
Timing: anywhere from days to never
Plus: you set the price. Minus: you carry the risk of fraud, damage in shipping and returns

How to choose

Start by looking up the artist. If there are recent auction results for works like yours, auction is usually the benchmark, and a free estimate tells you what to expect before you commit to any route.

Look up recorded auction prices → · Where to sell art: more options →

Find out what auction would bring first: free estimate. A specialist looks at every request and answers within 72 hours. Free, with no obligation to sell.

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Artists whose oil and acrylic paintings sell most often

George Weissbort (median $89) · Emerson Woelffer (median $1,638) · Lowell Nesbitt (median $875) · Graham Knuttel (median $3,139) · Richard Rogers (median $190) · Damien Hirst (median $4,375) · A. Y. Jackson (median $21,610) · George Sherwood Hunter (median $162)

Figures are recorded auction results (price including buyer’s premium where published, converted to USD) in the ArtSell database for the last five years, refreshed twice a day. They describe past sales, not a valuation of any particular work.