Buying an oil painting directly from the artist
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An oil painting is not something you buy in a hurry. It is a physical object that will live in your home for decades, costs about as much as a decent holiday, and carries no barcode. Questions naturally arise before the purchase: is the work genuine, is the price fair, what happens if the canvas is damaged in transit.
This piece is about how buying directly from an artist's studio works, what to check, and what to pay attention to.
Three routes to an original
An original painting can be bought three ways, and each has its own rules.
Gallery. The familiar route. The gallery handles selection, presentation and guarantees, and charges a commission for it — typically 30 to 50 percent of the price in Europe. You are paying for the intermediary and for the reassurance.
Auction. Here bidding sets the price and the auction house vouches for provenance. Worthwhile when a work is rare, risky when you do not know the market. On the secondary market a separate question arises: who owned the work before you, and is it authentic at all.
Directly from the artist. You speak with the author, see the work in the studio or in detailed photographs, and take the painting hand to hand. No commission — the price is the one the artist set. And the question of authenticity disappears, because the seller is the person who painted it.
Why authenticity is the central question
Forgeries are a real problem on the secondary market. The better known the name, the greater the temptation. A buyer acquiring a work at tenth hand is almost always left with uncertainty: an expert opinion costs money, takes time, and does not always give a clear answer.
Buying directly removes that uncertainty. The chain of ownership begins with you rather than stretching back through unknown hands. You see the artist sign the canvas and take the work from the place where it was made.
What comes with the purchase
Buying an original from the studio, you receive along with the canvas:
The artist's signature — on the front and on the stretcher bar at the back. The title and year are usually written there by hand as well.
A certificate of authenticity — a document with a photograph of the work, exact dimensions, medium, year, and its number in the artist's catalogue of works. This is the document you will need for insurance, resale or inheritance.
A catalogue number — a permanent identifier. Using it you can look the work up on the artist's website and confirm that the certificate matches the artist's own records.
What to check before paying
Before transferring money, it is worth running a short list.
Dimensions and medium. Make sure the stated size matches what you see. “Oil on canvas” and “oil on board” are different things with different longevity and different prices.
State of the varnish. A fresh oil painting is not varnished immediately — the paint must dry. The artist should say clearly whether the work is varnished, and if not, when it should be.
Framing. Clarify whether the stretcher is included, whether a frame is needed, and whether the work is ready to hang. Gallery-wrapped canvas and a framed painting are different budgets.
Handover terms. In person, collection, or shipping? Who pays for transport, and for what sum is the parcel insured?
Shipping abroad and customs
For buyers outside Poland, the logistics deserve attention.
Within the European Union a painting travels as an ordinary insured parcel, without customs formalities. Outside the EU — the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States — a customs declaration is required.
Original works of art usually fall under a reduced import duty rate: most jurisdictions treat an original painting differently from a manufactured good. In the UK, original artworks are subject to a reduced import VAT rate; in the United States, original paintings by a living artist are generally duty-free. Rules change, so confirm the current position before purchase.
The artist supplies the documents needed for the declaration: an invoice, a description of the work, and the certificate. Keep them together — the same set will be requested if you insure the painting or resell it later.
How a painting is packed and transported
Oil paintings require care in transit: the varnish layer is sensitive to pressure and temperature swings.
Correct packing looks like this: the canvas is first covered with a neutral material that will not stick to the paint, then a layer of rigid board holds the geometry, then bubble wrap, and on the outside a rigid box or wooden crate. For large formats a wooden frame is not optional.
The parcel is insured for the full value of the work. This is standard practice, and a seller who refuses to insure the shipment should give you pause.
What an original costs
The price of an oil painting depends on several things: the size of the canvas, the complexity of the composition, the time spent painting, and the artist's name.
As a rough guide for contemporary European painting of medium format — from several hundred to several thousand euros. A work of 100 × 140 cm by an artist with a thirty-year exhibition history will be priced differently from a 30 × 40 cm study by a beginner, and rightly so.
What matters more: buying directly, you pay the studio price. In a gallery the same work would cost noticeably more — precisely by the amount of the commission.
Can you see the work before buying
Yes, and that is the best case. A photograph conveys composition and colour but not the surface — how the paint sits, how thick the impasto is, how the canvas behaves under different light. Oil painting looks different in the morning and in the evening, under daylight and under warm light.
If you are in Warsaw or plan to visit, a studio visit settles every question at once. If not, ask for detailed photographs: the full view, several close-ups, a raking-light shot from the side, and the reverse with the stretcher.
Frequently asked questions
Can a work be returned if it does not suit?
When buying directly from an artist, return terms are agreed individually. This is not a shop with standard policies — but a reasonable artist wants the work to find the right owner rather than hang in an interior nobody likes.
Do I need an expert opinion if I buy from the artist?
No. Expert opinions are needed when the author is unavailable or unknown. A certificate from a living artist is the stronger document.
How do I care for the painting?
Avoid direct sunlight and sharp changes in humidity and temperature. Do not hang above a radiator or fireplace. Remove dust with a dry soft brush, never with water or a cloth.
How long does an oil painting last?
Under normal conditions, centuries. Oil on canvas has survived in museums since the fifteenth century. It is the most durable of painting techniques.
If a particular work interests you, write to me. I reply within a day: about the condition of the canvas, with additional photographs, and we can work out how best to arrange the handover.
