Art doesn’t sell itself; it has to be sold.
— Jack White, renowned artist and author.
If you’ve ever wondered what kind of art sells best, you’re not alone. It’s a tough question, and anyone who claims there’s a simple answer is missing the bigger picture. The art market is complex, with original paintings, sculpture, mixed media, digital work, reproductions, and prints all finding their own audiences and price points. What sells in a Charleston gallery might not move on Etsy or at a Phoenix art festival.
Still, having a sense of the more extensive market, even if it’s not perfect, is valuable. It can help you see where your work fits, clarify your message, and decide where to put your energy. You don’t need to chase every trend, but knowing what’s out there can help you make better choices.
What Forty Years of Data Taught Me
I spent decades as an executive at Decor magazine, the leading trade publication for art galleries and picture frame shops during the poster and limited edition market’s long, dominant run. Every year, we surveyed our readers — gallery owners, framers, retailers — about their best-selling art. And every year, two categories topped the list: landscapes and florals.
That was a long time ago. Here’s what’s interesting: it’s still true.
Landscapes and florals have stayed at the top for a reason. They work in many settings and fit most décor styles. They’re easy to live with and don’t ask much of the viewer. There’s little risk of controversy. Abstract art commonly shares these qualities, which is why it continues to sell well throughout various markets and audiences.
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But just because these subjects are always in demand doesn’t mean they have to be dull. The artists who succeed here aren’t repeating what everyone else is doing. My longtime colleague Dick Harrison, who spent twenty years placing art with interior designers, used to talk about the ‘just noticeable difference.’ It’s a small shift in palette, composition, or concept that makes the work stand out without pushing buyers away. Most collectors can’t explain exactly what draws them in, but they know it when they see it.
Other subjects have also stood the test of time: seascapes and coastal scenes, pet portraits (especially custom work), wildlife with emotional impact, local and regional views, still lifes, and figure pieces. None of these is a sure bet, but each has its own loyal following.
Where to Research What’s Selling Now
Instead of guessing, pay attention to what buyers are actually choosing. Most of the sales data you’ll find is from prints and reproductions, since online retailers like Art.com, iCanvas, and Etsy have the numbers to share best-seller lists. This information is useful, but remember it reflects what sells in large quantities, not necessarily what works for artists selling originals.
For original art, the clues are less obvious but still there. Notice what galleries are actually selling, not just what they display. Follow artists you admire and see what they cite selling, which commissions they accept, and which subjects keep showing up in their new pieces. Saatchi Art is one of the few places where original work sells in volume, so browsing their best-sellers can give you a sense of what collectors are choosing at different price points.
It’s also helpful to pay attention to the home décor market, even if it’s not your main focus. Looking through catalogs and websites from places like Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, or ArtfulHome.com can show you what design-minded buyers are choosing. Trends at this level often point to where the wider market is heading. Color forecasts from Pantone and paint companies like Benjamin Moore influence interior design choices long before they show up in art sales. If a certain palette feels fresh, it is often because of this.
The point isn’t to shape your art around sales data. It’s to keep informed so you can make creative choices with a clear understanding of the landscape.
The Intelligence Is Everywhere
Digital channels today offer a wealth of informal market research. Watch what successful artists in your field are posting, and pay close attention to what they save and share. Notice which subjects spark real engagement from collectors, and which ones get a few polite likes. See what galleries highlight in their emails, and what interior designers are collecting from Pinterest boards.
The goal isn’t to copy what’s popular. It’s to build a clearer sense of what connects with buyers so that you can make thoughtful choices about your own art.
What Actually Matters Most
Here’s the truth: it matters less what sells in general than what your own buyers are looking for.
Selling art is a personal exchange. When someone buys your work, they’re choosing to live with it. It’s not just a transaction; it’s meaningful to both the artist and the collector. The artists who build lasting careers aren’t usually the ones who chase every trend. They’re the ones who create a recognizable body of work, find the people who connect with it, and keep in touch with those collectors over time.
That’s really the heart of it: make work people can recognize, find your audience, and stay in touch with them. Market knowledge can help you with the first step, but it’s the second and third that build a career.
Focus on finding your own group of collectors, followers, and supporters who really connect with your work. A few hundred loyal buyers will do more for your career than trying to please everyone ever could. Being specific and authentic always wins over trying to be everything to everyone.
In the end, the art that sells best is the art that connects with the right people. Your role is to create work worth discovering and to make it easy for those people to find you.
Do your comments apply whichever side of the pond one is located?
Yes, in general.
Hi Barney. Thanks so very much for all these links. I haven’t looked at most of them. Not only will it be educational, but fun too. I do enjoy seeing what is selling out there. I don’t mind changing what I do a bit – maybe it amounts to tweaking. For instance, sales of my traditional work has begun to lag – probably because I paint like a thousand other artists, so I’m creating a body of work (same subjects I already do), but brighter color with more design. I think it’ll appeal to someone who has modern decor in their home.
The important thing is that I’m having more fun than ever creating these new works. I’m getting positive feedback from them – even from folks who have collected my past work. I find it interesting that my collectors like my newer style even more than my old one… in fact, I’m downright surprised. Who would have thought?
Anyway, I’ll look up some of these links. Thanks again! Your past work experience is really helping us artists.
Hi Lori, You’re welcome. I trust you’ll find some useful tidbits amongst the links I posted. It’s great news to know you are having fun making art. And, getting great feedback has to make it that much sweeter!
Hi Barney,
There is a difference between “trendy” and “comfortable”art appealing to two different sorts of buyers. As an art rep for 20 years I sold to both kinds of buyers. About 85% of my customers were Interior Designers, Decorators and Architects. This is a huge market many artists overlook if their sole quest is for the “100 Collectors that can Bulletproof” a career. They bought art from me over and over again for years. Sometimes a single piece, sometimes several, often a score of pieces and occasionally hundreds, depending on the project they were working on. I sold more “comfortable” art by far. By comfortable I mean art that wears well; art the owner will look at and enjoy daily for years, and sometimes pass on to children who grow up with, and grow to love a special piece.
That doesn’t mean artists shouldn’t be aware of trends, particularly color trends, as many of your links above show. You’ve noted that florals and landscapes are ever popular. These “wear well,” but don’t think for a second we are talking about”ho-hum” images. My best selling artists painted those subjects time and again, but my top sellers painted with a “just noticeable difference” in style, palette, or conception that set their images apart. My buyers may not have been able to verbalize what the JND was, but they recognized it immediately and wrote checks to acquire it.
“Trendy” art is sometimes purchased to impress friends or business associates, to build a body of work that may become collectible and increase in value, or satisfy a buyer’s particular taste for the unusual. All are valid reasons to purchase – including “comfortable” art. I dealt with a number of “cutting edge” designers who recognized what was about to be “hot” before it came to a boil. They recognized “trendy” and led hundreds of other designers into trends that became comfortable over time.
You and I have collaborated on HOW TO SELL ART TO INTERIOR DESIGNERS. For many, it has become a manual for making money without abandoning “serious” art. There are a few “nose-in- the-air artists” who denigrate “decorative”and “comfortable” as less than worthwhile. Some may even believe “marketing” is beneath them. A few may have reached their ivory towers, but most starve a little each day in their garrets. Your blog, books and Art Marketing Mastery are keys to success any artist willing to invest a few dollars, time and attention can turn.
Dick, what can I say? You are a marvel and an inspiration. Thanks for your support and generosity over the years!
Thanks Barney! Your guidance to find prospects and stay in touch with them is a real winner.
With the electronic tools we have available today, there is no reason not to do this.
I also agree that we need inspiration and mentors to learn from, and if we’re lucky, someone like you or Maria B. to help us to become promoters of our work. If we are fortunate and steadfast, we will master our craft and grow in confidence to become self promoters. Some of us will take 10,000 hours of practice to get there. Others will arrive sooner. If we are wise, we will follow in the steps of those we admire and find our unique way to express what our audience likes and wants to purchase. Thank you for your support and guidance!
Thanks Steve for your comments. All the best!
I don’t think there’s anything at all with wanting to create art that sells, and the idea that someone would think that’s “wrong” for some reason just seems silly to me. I mean, if someone likes your art so much they want to PAY YOU MONEY just so they can have it for themselves, then that must mean it’s pretty good, right? So essentially when you say you want to make art that sells, you’re saying that you want to create good art, and who can argue with that?
That’s my take on it anyway.
Thank you for your comment, Stacy. I could not agree more. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.
10 REASONS TO SELL TO INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Aside from patrons and collectors who seek to find and support artists, art is most often a one-time purchase to fill an immediate need, such as complementing a design or filling an empty wall space.” That is why cultivating relationships with Interior Designers is a smart move while you work to build a loyal collector base. Here’s why:
1. There are many more Interior Designers than galleries, As Barney has noted at the beginning of this blog post “and more art is sold through IDs than through all the galleries combined.
2. IDs will buy over and over from sources they come to know and trust.
3. In many cases, ID’s will purchase more than a single piece of art if they find images that complement one another and fit spaces within the project they are working on.
4. Most often IDs MUST purchase art in order to complete a project before they can get paid for their work.
5. You do not have to have a “name” or “reputation” to sell to a designer. If the art fits the design scheme and budget for the project at the time they need it, they WILL buy.
6. Designers love to work with artists who will do art to their color, size and budget. If you offer POD images of your art printed to their specs, you have a great sales tool and you can sell the same image many times.
7. Your one-of-a-kind original will be valued more highly by many potential buyers because it has been “editioned” as prints at a lower price.
8. ID’s belong to professional organizations such as ASID and will recommend your work to others if they like your work.
9. You don't need to frame your work to sell to IDs. In fact, it may kill a sale. The ID will usually want to custom frame with proper mat and frame style and often works with a framer they use often. They won't want to eat the cost of your frame and neither will you. IDs are used to seeing art "in the raw" – color splashes or thumbtack holes around a watercolor. Canvas, acrylic or giclee prints rolled up for convenience in carrying. Cuts your costs!
10. If you have established a consistent sales record with IDs, it will help you when you approach a gallery to carry your art or approach a potential collector. As Barney also noted in his post, it takes money to collect art. These are the people who have the dollars to hire professional help when they decorate their homes. Have you read How To Sell Art To Interior Designers – the book Barney and I co-authored? That’s a word to the wise.
Thanks for the info
As an Art Rep I carried artwork by an excellent artist whose work was shown in a number of major museums. He not only had a sense of what would sell but a sense of humor. The message on his answering machine said: Hi, this is Larry Stark,, famous artist. I can match any sofa..
Thanks for your insightful experienced observation. How can you not like someone who is both humorous and confident enough to make such a statement?
My favorite part of this article is that you should have enthusiasm instead of other things when making art. My aunt mentioned to me the other night that she wants to buy a 20th-century painting that she will add to her collection, and she asked if I had any idea what would be the best option to consider. Thanks to this instructive article, I'll be sure to tell her that we can consult fine art for sale service as they can provide more information about their paintings.
Thankyou so much for a wonderful, supportive and practical article. Gave me a lot of confidence.
Hi Bernie,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled to hear that you found the article supportive and practical. It’s wonderful to know that it gave you confidence. Keep believing in your art and your journey. 😊
Best regards, Barney
Invaluable information. Thank you.
Hi Charles, I’m so glad you found the information valuable! That’s exactly what I hope to achieve – providing practical insights that artists can actually use. Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions about art marketing.
Hi Charles, I’m so glad you found the information valuable! That’s exactly what I hope to achieve – providing practical insights that artists can actually use. Feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions about the art market.