Why two similar-looking abstract paintings can have very different prices
Two abstract paintings that look alike can differ in price because the image is only one of several variables. Size, materials and labour, the artist's career stage, the sales channel and the documentation that comes with the work are the criteria worth asking about, and most of them cannot be judged from a photograph.
The picture is only one part of the price
A painting can be read as an object, a body of work and a transaction, not only as an image. Two canvases can share a palette and a gesture and still differ on each of those three axes. That is why a visual match between two works is a weak guide to what either should cost.
Many of the questions that bear on the number are hard to see online: the physical dimensions, what the surface is made of, how much work it holds, who is selling it, and what the buyer receives alongside the canvas. The sections below take these in turn, as criteria to check and questions to put to the seller.
Size, materials and labour
Size is the most legible criterion. Ask how the dimensions relate to the material, studio time, shipping and framing involved, and how much wall the work occupies. The catalogue at Perfeito Studio shows a contrast inside a single series: Echo of Silence (Matter & Silence, 2025, sculpted texture on canvas, 50 x 70 cm) is listed at BRL 2,400, while Silent Interval (Matter & Silence, 2026, mixed media with acrylic on canvas, 120 x 160 cm) is listed at BRL 7,900. Both are quiet, restrained compositions; they are not the same object.
Materials and method are the next question. A flat acrylic field, a sculpted relief built up in layers of texture paste, and a surface carrying gold leaf are different ways of working, even when a photograph flattens them into similar images. Ask the seller what the surface is made of and how it was built, and read the medium line on the label as part of the information you are paying for.
Career stage and the sales channel
The artist's trajectory is a second criterion. Buyers commonly ask about exhibition history, gallery representation and prior sales, because these give reference points for the price being asked. Ask what the seller can document about them. A difference here is a difference in context, not in quality: an earlier-stage artist may offer fewer reference points to check, and a longer record may offer more.
The channel is another question to put. The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2025 tracks dealer sales and auction sales as separate channels, and in 2024 they moved differently: dealer sales fell 6% to $34.1 billion, while public auction sales fell 25% to $19.0 billion. When you see a price in one channel and another price elsewhere, ask what each includes, such as commission, resale context and documentation. For the wider picture, see how Brazilian emerging artists are priced.
Documentation, shipping and what is included
Two prices can differ because the purchases do not contain the same things. Ask whether the price includes a signed certificate of authenticity, an invoice or receipt, a written transfer of ownership and image rights, a technical record, care guidance and professional packaging, and whether shipping and import duties are separate. A lower figure that excludes these may not be the same offer as a higher figure that includes them.
At Perfeito Studio, each acquisition is direct from the artist and comes with the signed certificate carrying the full technical record and Archive ID, an invoice or official receipt, the acquisition agreement, an artist dossier, care guidance and professional packaging. Shipping and any import duties are paid by the buyer, so they sit outside the listed price.
How to compare two works fairly
Put the two works side by side as a short table: dimensions, medium, year, edition or unique, who is selling, what is included, and what shipping and duties will add. Convert to a price per square metre only as a rough orientation, since it ignores material and labour. Then ask the seller the same questions about both. If you are weighing two artists, compare prices between two artists walks through that process, and tell whether a painting is fairly priced covers the questions a buyer can check without specialist knowledge.
This does not predict how a work will be valued later. It only makes sure you are comparing like with like today. You can browse the full catalogue, with the technical record for each work, in the gallery.
From the studio
From the studio
Because I trained as an architect, I tend to read a painting first as a thing that occupies a wall, and the catalogue reflects it. Silent Interval and Echo of Silence belong to the same series and share a restraint, yet one is 120 x 160 cm and the other 50 x 70 cm, and they behave very differently in a room. When a buyer asks why two works that look related are priced differently, I start with the tape measure and the surface, and only then with the image. In my experience at the studio, with the horizontal canvas of Amber Strata, the layers of ochre and umber are what a photograph compresses most.
Frequently asked
Why do similar paintings cost different amounts?
Appearance is only one input. Useful criteria to ask about are the dimensions, the materials, the labour built into the surface, the artist's career stage, the channel through which the work is sold and the documentation included. Few of these can be judged from a photograph. Two works can share a palette and composition and still differ on several of those points, so compare them on those terms rather than on how they look.
Does the artist's career matter?
It is one criterion among several. Buyers often ask about exhibition history, representation and prior sales, because these give reference points for the price being asked. A good question for the seller is what of this can be documented. An artist earlier in a trajectory may offer fewer reference points than one with a long record. That is a difference in context rather than in quality, and no price should be read as a promise about future value.
Does the sales channel change price?
It can, so it is worth asking. Galleries, auction houses and direct sales from the artist can carry different costs, commissions and conditions. The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report 2025 treats dealer and auction sales as separate channels, and they moved differently in 2024. When you compare two prices, ask what each channel adds, such as commission, documentation, shipping and any duties.
What about materials and size?
Both are worth checking. Ask how a larger canvas relates to the material, studio time and packing involved. Ask whether a sculpted relief or a surface with gold leaf involves different work from a flat acrylic field, and what the seller can tell you about it. Read the medium and dimensions on the label, and be cautious when two works are described only by their look, since a photograph flattens these differences.
How do I compare fairly?
List dimensions, medium, year, whether the work is unique, who is selling, what is included in the price and what shipping and duties will add. Ask the seller the same questions about each work. A price per square metre can give rough orientation but ignores materials and labour. The aim is to compare like with like today, not to predict value later.
Comparing two works and want the full technical record?
Ask about dimensions, medium, documentation and shipping for any work in the catalogue, directly with the artist.
Sources
- Art Basel and UBS — 2026-10-12
- Perfeito Studio (internal catalogue) — 2026-10-12
- Perfeito Studio (internal) — 2026-10-12
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