Demystifying Art... With Sports Analogies

Yeah, we get it. Art can be a mysterious world for many. How is it possible that artworks that look like they were created by a 5 year old can sell for millions upon millions of dollars?

Look, we aren't going to pretend we can explain all the intricacies of how art is valued or which artists to invest in now before they hit it big. But we do want to prove that art is for everyone -- even original art, which is often associated with wealth and high society.

And the way we're going to do that is by explaining the world of art with... sports. No, seriously, we were just as surprised at the similarities and we promise that we're not going to go super deep into sports either.

Now, since we're a Canadian shop, we're going to use ice hockey references, but you can really substitute in whichever sport you're most familiar with, whether that's tennis, baseball, underwater basket weaving, or whatever.

Let's start by talking about the artists, which in our sports analogy are the athletes. There are artists (athletes) that are household names like Picasso (Wayne Gretzky), Dali (Sidney Crosby), and Banksy (Connor McDavid). These artists (athletes) command top dollar for their artistry (their feats of athleticism) and associated collectible artworks (memorabilia) like limited edition prints (limited edition hockey cards) and especially original one-off works (signed championship pucks), with substantiated provenance (proof of authenticity).

Beyond these individuals, there are millions of artists (athletes) that are not household names but who practice their artistry (athleticism) at local or regional levels (minor or national leagues) and could still paint (puck handle) with more skill and creative flair than any average person attempting the same feats, e.g., artists like Ed Bartram (Fabian Joseph). They also have artworks (memorabilia) but because they are not household names, most of these artworks (memorabilia) do not have a lot of value beyond someone simply liking the look of them, the stories associated with them, or the memories they evoke to the viewer.

Even more commonly, there are generic and mass produced artworks (jerseys), a few made to fool collectors into thinking they are worth something (counterfeits) and most others simply created to take advantage of a moment in time like a decor trend (hot streak). These are generally not very interesting because there is no "heart" or story inherent in them and on top of that, they are poorly made.

All of that is to say that Gallery Brocante specializes in finding original artworks and limited edition prints from artists that are not household names, but the quality and the uniqueness of the piece remain high, and we trust that our customers will find value of their own to attribute to these pieces.