The results of Artsy new “Women Artists Market Report” are in and they are quite shocking! While it is a well known fact that white male artists have been dominating the art market for quite some time, without data to back it up, it was hard to have a clear picture. According to Artsy newest market report, in 2022, ” of $11 billion worth of artwork that was sold at auction, male artists’ works made up $9.7 billion, while women artists’ works accounted for just over $1 billion: just 9.3% of the overall total”. Yes, 9.3%. And of the top 50 most expensive works sold at auction last year, zero were by women. For all the talk about gender equality, diversity and inclusion, the art world has a lot of catching up to do.
And some catching up they are doing. In 2021, women artists accounted only for 6% of the market. And “the total price of women artists’ works sold at auction has risen by 194% between 2012 and 2022, from $350.6 million to $1.03 billion”.
Conclusion: if you are looking for value and high return on investment, it is time to acquire art by women artists. There are many opportunities for savvy collectors and buyers to acquire art by overlooked and undervalued women artists.
As an art advisor, I have time and time again witnessed, that for the same caliber artwork, works by women artists are consistently cheaper. And that is true both on the primary and the secondary market
This post was published on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/estelle-fournier-art-consultant_the-state-of-the-market-for-women-artists-activity-7046514391952842754-m7Mr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
