Selling original watercolours: positioning, pricing and target clientele

01Watercolour in art history: a medium of masters

Watercolour has never been a minor art. Albrecht Durer produced naturalist watercolours in the sixteenth century whose precision and technical virtuosity surpass many oil paintings by his contemporaries. His Young Hare, painted in 1502, is held at the Albertina in Vienna and remains one of the most reproduced works in Western art. William Turner pushed the medium to its expressive limits in the nineteenth century, producing watercolours of atmospheric power that anticipated abstraction by fifty years. Tate Britain holds thousands of his watercolours, and exhibitions dedicated to them attract considerable crowds.

In the twentieth century, Paul Klee made watercolour a major tool of formal research. His abstract compositions on paper, executed in watercolour, entered the world's greatest museums and command considerable prices at auction. Winslow Homer, in America, elevated watercolour to the rank of major medium with his maritime and tropical scenes. More recently, German artist Gerhard Richter has produced abstract watercolours that trade at several tens of thousands of euros. Contemporary watercolourist Emma Hartvig, based in Copenhagen, sells large-format abstract works that rival oils in terms of presence and visual impact.

When a potential buyer tells you that watercolour is nice but not real painting, you have five centuries of art history to respond with. The problem is not the medium. The problem is market education, and it is your job to provide it.

02Why watercolour is undervalued and how to benefit from it

The undervaluation of watercolour on the market rests on three factors. The first is the confusion between support and medium. Paper is perceived as less noble than canvas, less durable, more fragile. This perception is partly founded: a poorly framed watercolour exposed to direct light can indeed deteriorate. But a correctly framed watercolour under UV-protective glass with an acid-free mount retains its brilliance for centuries. Turner's watercolours are two hundred years old and their colours are intact.

The second factor is material cost. A sheet of watercolour paper, even Arches 300 gsm, costs infinitely less than a linen canvas stretched on a frame. This material reality pulls prices down in buyers' minds, who unconsciously associate material cost with the work's value. This is a logical error you must combat through your discourse and presentation.

The third factor is the abundance of low-quality decorative watercolours on online marketplaces. Thousands of floral watercolours, tourist landscapes and generic portraits sell at derisory prices, pulling the market down for the entire medium. Your strategy is to differentiate yourself radically from this supply through the quality of your work, your presentation and your discourse.

03Positioning your watercolour as a contemporary artwork

The first lever is format. A watercolour of fifteen by twenty centimetres will always be perceived as a sketch, an exercise, a study. A watercolour of sixty by eighty centimetres or more is a work that commands attention. British artist Anish Kapoor has produced large watercolours whose scale and impact rival his sculptures. Large format is not an obligation, but it is a market signal: it tells the buyer that this watercolour is not a side project, it is the main work.

The second lever is framing. Museum-quality framing, sober and professional, transforms the perception of the work. The frame should not draw attention to itself but signal to the viewer that they are facing a work that deserves to be protected and presented with care. The investment in quality framing is directly profitable: a framed watercolour sells significantly more than an unframed one, and much more easily.

The third lever is vocabulary. Speak of painting on paper rather than watercolour if the word feels too loaded. American artist Jennifer Bartlett always presented her works on paper as paintings, without hierarchical distinction from her works on canvas. The vocabulary you use in your descriptions, communications and labels shapes the perception of your work.

04Building your price grid

Your price grid for watercolour should reflect your positioning. If you choose to position yourself in the contemporary art segment rather than the decorative, your prices must be consistent with that choice. A large-format watercolour by an artist who has exhibited, who has a track record, who produces original and mature work, should not sell below five hundred euros and can easily reach several thousand.

The grid should account for size, obviously, but also for the complexity of the work. A watercolour that required three days of layered work, with multiple glazes and gouache highlights, does not command the same rate as a wash completed in an hour. Spanish artist Miquel Barcelo, whose watercolours reach six-figure prices, works on paper with a density and complexity that justify those rates.

Remember to include framing costs in your pricing considerations. Either you frame the work and integrate the cost into the selling price, or you sell the work unframed but inform the buyer of the framing budget to plan for. The first option is generally preferable because it eliminates friction: the buyer leaves with an object ready to hang.

05Your target clientele and where to find them

Watercolour has a natural clientele that you should identify and cultivate. Collectors of works on paper form a distinct market segment, often more discreet but extremely loyal. These collectors appreciate the subtlety of the medium, its luminosity, the direct relationship between the artist's gesture and the paper surface. Fairs dedicated to works on paper, such as Drawing Now in Paris or Works on Paper Fair in London, are venues where this clientele concentrates.

Interior designers constitute another strong segment. Watercolour, through its luminosity and delicacy, integrates easily into contemporary interiors where oil on canvas would sometimes feel too heavy. The lightness of the medium is an advantage, not a handicap, in a context where contemporary living spaces favour clarity and openness.

Beginning collectors represent a third strategic segment. Watercolour, because it is often offered at entry prices below those of oils, is an ideal initiation medium for first-time buyers. If you can guide these buyers through their first purchase, you can build a long-term relationship that will evolve with your career.

06Artedusa and the visibility of your work

The online presentation of your watercolours is crucial. High-quality photographs taken in natural light that convey the transparency and luminosity of the medium make all the difference. A watercolour photographed with a phone under yellow apartment lighting loses eighty per cent of its impact. Invest in photography, it is the first visual contact between your work and your potential buyer.

Artedusa gives you access to an audience of collectors and informed enthusiasts who come to the platform with the intention of purchasing. Your next watercolour deserves to be seen by the right people. Discover artedusa.com.