Buying erotic art

One of the five pillars

Start here if you are still deciding. Three articles on what you are buying, what it costs, and how to tell a studio from a print farm.

14 articles under this pillar

What you are actually buyingWhere to buyPrice and valueWho buys thisBuying it for, or with, someone else

What you are actually buying

5 articles
A paint-stained studio table with oil paint, brushes in turpentine and a canvas standing edge-on behind it, the canvas at the back circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words this one actually exists, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artWhere to buy erotic art online without ending up on a print farm A wooden bench standing at viewing distance from a completely bare plaster wall, the bare wall the bench faces circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words would you sit down twice, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artErotic art or pornography? Where the line actually sits Marker drawing of four overlapping ovals labelled fine art nude, boudoir, erotic art and sensual, showing how the four terms overlap, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artBoudoir, erotic, fine art nude: what the words mean The back of a stretched canvas, its wooden keys and staples visible, the wooden keys and staples circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words this gives it away, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artIs it really hand-painted? How to check before you buy A small stack of uncoated printmaking sheets on an oak table with a graphite pencil across them, the pencil on the stack circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words worth what the signer is worth, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artWhat a certificate of authenticity is, and what it is not
All 5 in what you are actually buying →

Where to buy

3 articles
A paint-stained studio table with oil paint, brushes in turpentine and a canvas standing edge-on behind it, the canvas at the back circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words this one actually exists, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artWhere to buy erotic art online without ending up on a print farm An open studio door with a flat parcel wrapped in brown paper leaning beside it, the open doorway circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words nobody in between, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artBuying art direct from the artist: what changes A single nail left in a bare plaster wall, fresh dust below it, the nail circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words three days, then this, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artWhat happens after you click buy

Price and value

4 articles
A cardboard postal tube on a studio table with a stretched canvas standing edge-on behind it, the canvas beside the tube circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words two objects, not two prices, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artOriginal or signed print: which should you buy? A closed notebook with a pen across it on a studio table, a canvas standing edge-on behind, the closed notebook circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words a judgement, not a sum, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artWhat an original erotic oil painting costs, and why A living room with a dark honed stone wall along its length and a stone grey sofa, the empty stone wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words nobody knows, including me, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artDoes erotic art hold its value? Five stretched canvases of different sizes standing in a row, all turned face to the wall, the largest canvas in the row circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words this is the whole studio, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artAffordable original erotic art

Who buys this

3 articles
A single nail left in a bare plaster wall, fresh dust below it, the nail circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words mostly a first painting, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artWho actually buys erotic art? A contemporary bedroom in daylight, a low upholstered bed along one wall, the empty wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words start here, not with the picture, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artHow to choose one painting when you like several A flat cardboard shipping box leaning against a wall, still taped shut, the wrapped parcel circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words ready to hang, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artBuying your first original painting

Buying it for, or with, someone else

2 articles
A flat cardboard shipping box leaning against a wall, still taped shut, the flat shipping box circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words can they hang it, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artErotic art as a gift: how not to get it wrong A bright apartment living room with a slate blue sideboard and a dusty pink chair, the empty wall circled in open black marker, an arrow from the handwritten words two questions, not one, by Willem van der Krieken Buying erotic artChoosing erotic art together with your partner

Home › Notes from the studio › Buying erotic art

Buying a nude or erotic painting raises questions that buying a landscape never does. Not just what it costs and whether it is any good, but whether it is the sort of thing you can own without explaining yourself. These are the questions people actually ask me before they buy, each answered in full.

Four checks before you buy anywhere

This category has more print farms in it than most, because the images are easy to source and the buyers are often reluctant to ask questions. Four checks, none of which take long.

  • Is there a named maker with a place? A studio has an address, a body of work and a person who answers email. Willem van der Krieken paints in Boekel, Noord-Brabant. A shopfront with no maker behind it is a warehouse.
  • Does the listing say what the object is? “Original”, “print”, “edition” and “reproduction” are precise words and a serious seller uses them precisely. Here the originals are described as originals and the prints as prints, with the edition size stated.
  • Is the same image available in fifteen sizes? That is the signature of print-on-demand. An oil painting has one size, because it is an object rather than a file. What you can actually see in a listing photograph is set out in is it really hand-painted?
  • Does the seller explain shipping and returns before you ask? Everything here ships insured from the Netherlands, and catalogue works can be returned within 14 days of receipt, in their original packaging, with any loss in value deducted from the refund.

What changes when there is no gallery in between, including the one thing you give up, is in buying art direct from the artist.

Before you buy

What it costs, and what it keeps

Buying it for, or with, someone else

Where to buy

After you decide

Once it is yours

Questions people ask

What is the difference between erotic art and pornography?

Pornography is made to produce an effect and is finished the moment it has produced it. A painting is made to be looked at again. The practical difference is not how much skin is visible but how long the image keeps rewarding attention, which is why the question of where the line sits is answered by the work itself, not by a rating system.

How much does an original painting cost?

Originals in this studio run from €750 to €1,600. Each canvas carries its own price, set as the value of that one painting rather than calculated from its size. Signed prints of a number of the paintings are €35. Every original is one of one: when a canvas is sold, it is gone.

Are these paintings printed or hand-painted?

Every original is oil on canvas, painted by hand, one at a time. The signed prints are sold as prints and described as prints. They are reproductions of a painting that exists, not artwork generated to fill a catalogue.

Do I have to be a collector to buy one?

No. The usual route is that someone saw one specific painting, kept coming back to it, and eventually stopped talking themselves out of it. Nothing about that requires a collection to put it in.

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