Is my painting valuable?

Most paintings found in homes sell for modest sums, but every week some bring thousands because nobody checked. These seven signs, in order, tell you whether yours deserves a closer look.

Of the 201,185 oil and acrylic paintings sold at auction since 2021 in the ArtSell database, half brought between $425 and $6,520, the median was $1,463, and 28% sold for under $500.

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What these works sell for

Oil and acrylic paintings

$1,463

median · middle half $425–$6,520 · 201,185 sales since 2021

Watercolors

$478

median · middle half $144–$1,989 · 45,576 sales since 2021

Recent examples

Håkon Bleken, “Uten tittel”: $2,640 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Axel Ender, “Uten tittel”: $1,689 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Even Ulving, “Uten tittel”: $1,267 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Madeleine Pyk, “Sjörövare”: $528 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Xan Krohn, “Bøverkinnhalsen”: $507 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)

1. It's painted, not printed

Tilt the surface toward a window. Real brushstrokes catch the light and the paint has raised edges. A flat, perfectly even surface or a dot pattern under a magnifier means a print or a canvas transfer, which usually has little resale value.

2. It's signed by a name with an auction record

A legible signature is the single biggest clue. Search the name on ArtSell: an artist with dozens of recorded sales has a real market, and you can see what works like yours brought.

How to find and read a signature → · Search auction prices by artist →

3. The back tells a story

Gallery, framer or exhibition labels
Inscriptions with a title, date or address
Old auction lot numbers or stock numbers in chalk or pencil
Canvas maker stamps, which can help date the work

4. The medium and size fit the artist's best work

For most artists, oils on canvas bring more than works on paper, and mid-to-large works more than small sketches. Compare like with like by medium and size.

Compare works like yours by medium and size →

5. Condition is sound

Tears, flaking paint, heavy yellowed varnish and old overpaint all lower prices. Don't attempt to clean it: specialists price restoration in, and a bad clean can't be undone.

6. The subject is typical of the artist

Buyers pay most for an artist's signature subjects: the coastal scene from a marine painter, the street scene from a city painter. Atypical subjects usually bring less.

7. You know where it came from

A receipt from a gallery, a family letter, or a record of who owned it before (provenance) supports both attribution and price.

Not sure? Send a photo of your painting for a free auction 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 $4,410) · 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.