Should an acrylic painting cost less than an oil of the same size?

Yes: typically 25–35% less. Acrylic's lower materials cost, faster working time, and shorter canonical history all price below oil at every career stage. If you work in both, price them on separate bands.

How do I price a commissioned painting?

Use your standard base formula, then add 25–40% for commission work. The premium covers the constrained subject matter, the buyer's revision rights, and the fact that you can't resell a commissioned work if the buyer walks away. Always require a non-refundable deposit of 30–50% before starting.

Is it OK to price by inspiration rather than size?

No. Buyers will check your other works and notice if two similar canvases are priced very differently. Build the base price from size and medium, then use a small ±15% band to express how strongly a particular work performs. Never price two same-sized works in the same series more than 20% apart.

How to price a painting

By Marques Hardin, artist manager · Paris & Rome

Published 10 June 2026 · 5 min read

Paintings have the most established pricing conventions in the art market, which is good news: there's a method, and collectors expect you to know it. Here's how to price oil, acrylic, and mixed media canvases at every career stage.

The base rate per square inch

For paintings, the working unit is price per square inch (or per cm² in Europe). Indicative bands for emerging artists in 2026: oil € 1.50–€ 2.60 per sq in, acrylic € 1.10–€ 1.90 per sq in, mixed media € 1.30–€ 2.20 per sq in. Mid-career roughly 2.5× those rates, established roughly 5–8×. A 24 × 36 inch oil (864 sq in) at the mid-emerging band of € 2 prices around € 1,700.

Why oil prices higher than acrylic

Three reasons collectors pay more for oil at every career stage. Materials cost more and the medium is slower to work in, so the labour signal is stronger. Oil has 600 years of canonical reference; acrylic has 70. And oil ages and re-varnishes well over decades, which matters to buyers thinking about resale or estate value. None of this is fair. It just is.

Sizes that sell, sizes that stall

Three working bands sell most consistently for independent artists. Small (under 30 × 40 cm): accessible price point, often gifted, sells fast at fairs. Medium (50 × 70 to 80 × 100 cm): the dominant collector size, fits most living rooms, hits the € 1,500–€ 4,000 sweet spot for emerging. Large (over 100 × 140 cm): fewer buyers, but higher per-unit price; reserve for stronger works and serious collectors. Square formats price about 10% above rectangular at the same surface area, because they're harder to hang well and rarer.

What raises the number

Beyond the base formula, four signals legitimately raise a painting's price. A recent solo show. A museum or institutional acquisition. A series the collector knows is selling. And, quietly important, a documented price history showing the work appreciating over time. The Artelier Business platform stores all four as a single record per painting, which is what makes them defensible at the point of sale.

This guide is part of our pricing series. For the full method covering all four variables and the underlying formula, read the pillar guide: How to price your art →

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Frequently asked questions

For an emerging artist, € 1.50–€ 2.60 per square inch (€ 0.25–€ 0.40 per cm²) is the defensible band. A 24 × 36 inch oil prices roughly € 1,300–€ 2,250 at that stage. Mid-career rates run 2.5× those numbers; established rates 5–8×.