CLEAR PRICE - How We Value Art
Imagine you found a painting you like.
The price is 4,000 €. But is that fair?
Too much?
A bargain?
In the traditional art world, there is no easy answer. You either know the artist's auction history — or you trust the seller's word. We wanted to change that.
So we built AN ALGORITHM that looks at a painting THE WAY AN EXPERT WOULD: the size, the medium, the technique, the condition. Then it looks at the artist — where their works are held, which exhibitions they have shown in, what recognition they have received. And it produces an independent reference price.
We call it CLEAR PRICE.
When you see it on a work in our catalogue, it means one simple thing: next to the asking price, you have an independent estimate of what that work could be worth. If the asking price is below the Clear Price — that is a signal worth paying attention to.
Not every work in our catalogue has an Clear Price yet — we are working through the collection. BUT WHERE YOU SEE IT, USE IT. It is there to help you decide with more than just instinct.
Let's take a real example
This is Landscape with a Lively River by Maurice Chabas — a French Impressionist painter whose works are held in the Orsay Museum and have been sold at Christie's and Sotheby's more than 20 times.
The asking price on Artmost: 9,000 €
The Clear Price: 14,800 €
THAT GAP IS NOT A MISTAKE.
It means the work is priced below what the algorithm considers its fair market value — based on the artist's museum presence, auction track record, and the size and technique of the work.
For a collector, that gap is information. It tells you something the price tag alone never could.
How is CLEAR Price calculated?
The algorithm works in two ways depending on the artist.
For well-known artists with auction and gallery sales history, the valuation draws on real market data — the same sources experienced collectors already use.
For emerging or mid-career artists where public sales data is limited or absent, we use a parametric approach: calculating value from objective factors.
Here is how it works — step by step:
About the Artwork Size, medium, technique, year of creation, condition. These are the physical factors that establish a baseline value.
About the Artist Museum collections, participation in major exhibitions, auction history, biennials, awards, art education. The more career data entered, the more precise the result.
RESULTS OF CALCULATION. Completeness Score The circular indicator shows how complete the data is. The more information provided, the more reliable the estimate. In the example shown, it reads 50% — because the artist fields were left blank.
Recommended Price The algorithm combines all factors and outputs a reference price — what the work could realistically be worth on the open market, independent of the seller's asking price.
Want to try it yourself?
The same algorithm is available as a free online calculator. Enter the details of any painting and get an independent valuation in minutes — whether you are a collector evaluating a purchase, or an artist trying to price your own work.
No registration required. Free to use.
