Why is it that the Best Art by Men vastly Out-Prices Art by Women?

Question

According to an article in todays Independent newspaper:

Women artists face prejudice and discrimination, with their works selling for a fraction of the price of their male counterparts, one of the world's leading art dealers claimed yesterday.

Iwan Wirth, who represents the French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, whose giant spider, Maman, became a landmark outside Tate Modern in London last year, said the huge gap in prices between the likes of Lucian Freud and Bourgeois was "a constant source of disappointment".

Sales in London last week generated a fresh round of head-spinning prices: a Freud for £11.8m and a Jeff Koons sculpture for £13m. By comparison, the South African-born artist Marlene Dumas became the most expensive living woman artist at auction on Tuesday when her work The Visitor sold for £3.2m at Sotheby's.

"It's a constant source of disappointment to see the discrepancy in prices between outstanding female artists and their male counterparts," Mr Wirth said.

Answer 1

It has a long history.

In the 1800s women werent admitted to art shcools & when they were, tuition was doubled. Women who became artists usually had fathers who were artists, so they could be trained & use his supplies. Women were forbidden to paint nudes.

It is no surprise we have not reached equality in this area, esp since we have not reached it in so many other areas.

if a group has been underrepresented for 200 years, how long does it take for them to catch up? apparently, it takes a while (and varies depending on the field).

Now the irony of all this is that the nudes of women painted by men probably get high prices (and probably represent high numbers in regard to how many paintings have nude women). so we're depicted, but it doenst benefit us, esp since our depiction is not from our own paintbrushes (ex. the symbolists depicted women as femme fatale, women, at that time, depicted themselves in domestic spheres -huge differences, yet more males were able to depict the female, thereby often silencing them)

someday it will improve. it is getting better.

Answer 2

I don't think sexism plays a role in this, but rather a propensity for certain skills.  I had a friend who owned a small art gallery, and annually she would have fund raisers for various organizations. Artists would donate random works of art, unsigned, and the highest bids  would always go towards works of art created by men.  I think it is just one of those things in which men tend to excel...no harm in that.

Edit: For a more extensive explanation see Sling Blade's answer above.  ^

Answer 3

There is more demand to see naked women than men. J/K That is an excellent point that I had not considered before. No real answer here just an A-ha. Sorry, and thanks.

Answer 4

The capitalist system of supply and demand.  No need to explain how that system works; you know what's going on.  I think, and no offense intended (as you know), that you were going for the question "Why is demand greater for works by male artists than works by female artists?"

If some of the above answers were totally correct, there would be higher prices for women's artwork simply because there is less of it -- see gasoline for an example of that theory, lol.

Have a great night!

Answer 5

"Women artists face prejudice and discrimination, with their works selling for a fraction of the price of their male counterparts, one of the world's leading art dealers claimed yesterday."

Art prices work the same way any other market dictates. If demand is high, prices go up. Maybe if female collectors bought more female art, the prices would go up. But female collectors are savvy. They will not buy art just because of the s*x of the artist, they want to make smart investments as well.

Answer 6

I think in a few more decades, this will turn around.  It shouldn't be any surprise that in patriarchal societies, men succeed on the shoulders of the women they suppress.  But as women come out from under that oppression, which is occurring, they'll even out not only the art marketplace, but other fields traditionally < and that's an important dynamic > held by males.  

Change is not an event - it's a process.

Answer 7

whatever it is: doesn't mean that women make lousier art..

Answer 8

Probably prejudice, why do women's blouses cost more to dry clean than men's shirts?  Are there any examples of women artists that are more commercially succesful that use only a first initial for their first name rather than their whole name?  Just curious.