Market Report

What we’re hearing from galleries and auction houses across the country

Louis M. Salerno
Owner, Questroyal Fine Art

Our focus is American 19th- and early 20th-century paintings. The astounding and unexplainable valuations of certain
21st-century work has diverted attention from the celebrated works of the 19th and 20th century, however, fine examples across all price ranges continue to interest experienced buyers as well as newcomers. The surge in interest in digital creations and radical contemporary works has actually caused many to seek comfort in an art that they can understand and relate to. In many instances, 21st-century creations are alienating to a population that is seeking the tangible, the real and the relatable. Lately, visitors enter the gallery and state, “we have come to see real art.”

The vast disparity in value between certain 21st- century works and the earlier paintings we offer substantiates remarkable opportunity. Artists whose works have remained in museum collections for centuries instills confidence in buyers who do not want to take the risk of acquiring works that may be part of a fading trend.

While most of our collectors are over 50, we have sold to an increasing number of younger buyers in the last few years. The pandemic is restricting visitors, but young and old alike are becoming more comfortable with acquiring paintings they review digitally.

We are seeing rising interest in visionary painters such as Ralph Albert Blakelock and Charles Burchfield. Smaller, more affordable works by top-tier Hudson River School painters such as Albert Bierstadt, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Sanford Robinson Gifford and John Frederick Kensett are also trading well. —

Questroyal Fine Art
903 Park Avenue, Third Floor
New York, NY 10075
www.questroyalfineart.com