Art price list: how galleries and studios present prices, with a real example in BRL
An art price list is an itemised table with one row per work: title, year, medium, dimensions and price, plus a work code and an availability status. The figure shown is the retail price the buyer is asked to pay, in one stated currency. The example below lists three 100 x 100 cm paintings, priced in Brazilian reais.
What each line of a price list carries
A price list is a stripped-down catalogue record. Published guidance on artwork labels, which feed most price lists, names the same short set of fields. The year is the year the work was completed. The size is the outer dimension of the support, not the frame unless the frame is part of the work, and it is read height first, then width, then depth when there is one. The medium is written at a level of detail the artist chooses, such as "oil on linen". The price sits last and is left blank when the work is not for sale (The Practical Art World).
A list that is more than a label usually adds two columns: a work code that identifies each painting without ambiguity, and a status, so the reader can see which rows are still available. At Perfeito Studio the work code is the Archive ID printed on each work's page, for instance AP-TAE-2026-006 for Patina Field, and the studio's page for each work states medium, dimensions, year and price.
The studio gives dimensions in centimetres with the inch equivalent beside them, as in 100 x 100 cm (39.4 x 39.4 in). Because the label convention above reads height first, on a vertical or horizontal canvas it is worth checking which figure is the height. On a square canvas the question does not arise, which is one reason the example below uses three of them.
A real price list: three paintings at one scale
The three works below are all 100 x 100 cm and all from 2026, so size and year are held constant and the rows can be compared at a glance. Every figure is the price printed on the work's own page, in Brazilian reais (BRL).
| Work | Archive ID | Series | Medium | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patina Field | AP-TAE-2026-006 | Terra & Ether | Acrylic on canvas | 100 x 100 cm (39.4 x 39.4 in) | R$ 5,200 |
| Amethyst Ground | AP-TAE-2026-005 | Terra & Ether | Mixed media with acrylic on canvas | 100 x 100 cm (39.4 x 39.4 in) | R$ 5,200 |
| Prism Garden | AP-LMR-2026-006 | Luminous Rebirth | Acrylic on canvas | 100 x 100 cm (39.4 x 39.4 in) | R$ 5,500 |
Two features of this list are worth reading. Patina Field and Amethyst Ground carry different medium lines and the same figure, while Prism Garden has the same medium line as Patina Field and a figure R$ 300 higher. A price list shows the number and the facts beside it; it does not, by itself, explain the gap. Artlogic, a gallery-software company, makes the matching point from the seller's side: consistency does not mean comparable works cost exactly the same, but a seller "should be able to explain why prices differ" (Artlogic). When two rows differ, the useful move is to ask the seller about the difference.
Retail or net: what the listed figure means
On a gallery's list, the figure is normally the retail price. One pricing glossary defines it as "the display price and the price that the public sees", and separates it from the wholesale price paid by a dealer who buys volume (Art Business Info). In the primary market, Artlogic notes that the gallery's commission is a substantial part of that retail price, and that a roughly 50/50 split is commonly cited but "is not an industry law" (Artlogic).
So the question for a reader of any list is which of the two they are looking at: the artist's own figure, or one that already contains a dealer's share. The same Artlogic piece recommends keeping one reliable pricing record rather than separate versions for each channel, because a work can otherwise appear at one price online and another at a fair.
The three rows above are sold direct from the artist, so each figure is the price of the painting itself. It covers the original painting with its signed Certificate of Authenticity, a fiscal invoice or official receipt, the acquisition agreement, the artist dossier, care guidance and professional packaging. The studio does not quote secondary-market values.
Currency and what sits outside the number
A price needs a currency and a scope. The label guidance cited above shows a price format but does not mandate a currency, so the burden falls on the list: write the currency next to every figure, and say what the figure includes. Perfeito Studio states all prices in Brazilian reais. Buyers outside Brazil settle by international bank transfer in US dollars, and any conversion of the reais figure into another currency is approximate and depends on the day. This page gives no converted number for that reason.
Three things sit outside the listed figure. Shipping is quoted per destination and paid by the buyer. Import duties or taxes in the destination country are also paid by the buyer. Transit insurance is available. Within Brazil, the studio also offers Pix with a 10% discount, and card instalments are available. The shipping page has the detail: shipping and delivery.
For whoever is acquiring: reading a row against a wall
A row of numbers says nothing about the wall, so measure before you decide. A 100 x 100 cm canvas is one metre on each side. In the visualisations on this page it hangs above a bench; for any work, compare its width with the furniture beneath it, and check that you can stand back far enough to see the whole surface.
Light matters as well: the surface of Patina Field carries raised white ridges and a visible canvas weave, so look at the close photographs and not only the full view. The studio sends additional detail photographs and video of a specific work on request. Documents that accompany each acquisition are listed above and carry the Archive ID, with a QR code on the certificate that points to the work's official page. For weight and mounting details, ask the studio for the information on the specific work.
The complete list of works, with the same fields for each, is on the gallery page.
From the studio
From the studio: a price list read as a plan
I trained as an architect, so I read a list the way I read a drawing schedule: each row has to give the dimensions, the material and the identifier, or it cannot be checked. Patina Field and Amethyst Ground are both Terra & Ether, both 2026, both 100 x 100 cm. Patina Field is acrylic on canvas and Amethyst Ground is mixed media with acrylic, and the surfaces are different to the eye, with Amethyst Ground carrying small raised marks of deep red and black. The list gives the medium line so that difference is stated, and the work's page carries the close photographs for anyone who wants to see it.
Frequently asked
What information belongs on a gallery price list?
At minimum: title, artist, year, medium, dimensions and price, usually with a work code and a status such as available or sold. Label guidance gives the year as the completion year and the size as the outer dimensions of the support, height first. The price is left blank for works that are not for sale. A stated currency and a note on what the price includes make the list usable.
Are prices on a price list retail or net?
A gallery list normally shows the retail price, the figure the public sees. The artist's share, often cited as about half in the primary market but not fixed, is not shown. When a work is sold directly by the artist, the listed figure is the price of the work itself. If it is unclear which you are reading, ask the seller.
Should an emerging artist's prices be consistent across channels?
Published gallery guidance recommends one pricing record rather than a separate version for each channel, so that a work does not appear at one price online and another at a fair. Consistency does not mean every comparable work costs the same, but the seller should be able to explain why prices differ.
In which currency should an international price list be shown?
In the currency the seller actually quotes, written next to each figure, with a note on how a buyer abroad pays. Perfeito Studio quotes in Brazilian reais; buyers outside Brazil pay by international bank transfer in US dollars. Any conversion is approximate, so a list should not present it as the official price.
Why can two paintings of the same size have different prices?
A list shows the figure and the facts next to it, such as medium, series and year, but it rarely states the reasoning. On the studio's list, Patina Field and Amethyst Ground are both R$ 5,200 and Prism Garden is R$ 5,500, all at 100 x 100 cm. The right step is to ask the seller what accounts for the difference.
Ask for the full record of a work
Request the details of the work you are weighing, close-up photographs and a shipping quote to your destination.
Sources
- The Practical Art World — 2026-10-28
- Artlogic — 2026-10-28
- Art Business Info — 2026-10-28
- Perfeito Studio (src/data/studio-facts.json) — 2026-10-28
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