Statement Originals Over $1,000

Original paintings priced over $1,000: the largest and most developed work in the gallery, each one hand-painted, signed, and the only one of its kind.

What do you get above $1,000 that you do not get below it?

Above $1,000 you are mostly buying scale and finish: canvases from about 120 cm up to 180 cm and beyond, more often oil on linen than acrylic on cotton, and work an artist has taken weeks rather than days to resolve. The difference in the room is not subtle. A 150 cm painting is the only object on its wall and it sets the tone for everything under it, which is why these pieces end up in living rooms, entrances and boardrooms rather than hallways. You are also buying access to an artist's most ambitious work. Studies and smaller canvases are where a painter tests an idea; the large piece is where the idea is finished, and there are fewer of them.

Riding Through Dreams: Original Oil on Canvas by Phaedra | VanArtHub, an original painting in the Above $1000 collection
Riding Through Dreams: Original Oil on Canvas by Phaedra | VanArtHub · $1,084.00

Do original paintings over $1,000 hold their value?

Some do, many hold roughly what you paid, and no honest gallery will promise you a return. Anyone who guarantees appreciation on a painting is selling a financial product they cannot deliver. What can be said accurately is which factors influence the answer, and how much of each one you control.

FactorEffect on what the piece is worth laterHow certain
The artist's record of sales and exhibitionsCan raise value, sometimes considerablyUncertain, it depends on a career neither of us controls
ConditionDamage, fading and sun bleaching reduce value permanentlyCertain, and mostly in your hands
DocumentationA piece with its Certificate of Authenticity and original invoice sells on far more easilyReliable
Fashion in style and paletteCan move either direction over a decadeUnpredictable
Being an original rather than a printPrints have essentially no resale market; originals have oneReliable
A written promise of appreciation from a sellerNone, and treat it as a warning signCertain
Store credit through our Lifetime Trade-BackYou can convert the piece back into credit with us at any timeCertain, for as long as we are trading

Our position is simple. Buy the painting because you want to look at it for twenty years. Treat any increase in value as a bonus you did not pay for.

How long does a painting in this range take to make?

Weeks, and sometimes several months for layered oil work, because the physical process cannot be compressed. Oil dries far more slowly than acrylic, so a painter building depth through glazes has to wait for each layer to set before the next goes on, and a large canvas has a lot of surface to cover per layer. Add the drawing stage, the underpainting, the waiting, and the varnish, which itself needs the paint film to cure. This is the honest reason a commission at this size takes the time it takes, and why we will not quote you three weeks for a piece that needs three months. It is also part of what separates a $2,000 painting from a $500 one at the same dimensions: the same wall covered with far more work and far more decisions.

Why 12?: Original Oil on Canvas by Melina Ghaemi | VanArtHub, an original painting in the Above $1000 collection
Why 12?: Original Oil on Canvas by Melina Ghaemi | VanArtHub · $8,000.00

What protects you if you spend $2,000 and change your mind?

Three things, and we would rather you use them than sit on a decision for a month. Shipping to you is free and fully insured, so a damaged corner in transit becomes our problem and our claim, not yours. Once it arrives you have 14 days to live with the painting, see it in morning light and under lamps, and send it back for a full refund with the return shipping paid by us. After that window the Lifetime Trade-Back stays open indefinitely: return any piece in good condition, whenever your home or taste changes, and we credit it toward something else. The full policy wording is on our buy with confidence page. If you would like help deciding before any of that applies, our art advisory service will look at your room and say what we would hang, and browsing large statement paintings alongside luxury wall art is the fastest way to see what this budget covers at different scales.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see a painting over $1,000 in person before I buy it?

Yes, we hold private viewings by appointment at our Vancouver studio. Work at this level is the work we most want you to see in person, because scale and brush texture do not read properly on a phone screen. If you are too far away, the 14-day home trial does the same job. Live with it, and if it is wrong we pay the return shipping.

Why does this group start at $1,000 instead of something lower?

The floor sits at about $1,000 because these are the large canvases, roughly 70 to 150 cm wide, and they take an artist weeks of studio time. Most pieces here land near $1,300, and the top of the range reaches about $28,000 for the rarest work. If your budget is under $1,000, our other collections start around $72 and still hold original signed work.

Can I buy one of these large paintings before it is finished?

Yes, some large works are listed while the artist is still painting them, and you can follow the progress or send an offer before it is done. Look under /collections/watch-art-being-made, where the in progress pieces sit. Buying early gives you first claim on a canvas that is one of a kind, but you accept that the finish date is not fixed.

What is the most common mistake people make at this price?

The most common mistake is buying for the sofa instead of for the wall. People pick a piece that matches a cushion colour, then find the canvas is far too small once it is hung, because a 150 cm painting looks modest in a studio and enormous in a hallway. Measure the wall first, then choose. Colour is the easiest thing to live with and size is the hardest.

How do you decide a painting is good enough to list at this price?

We list a piece over $1,000 only when the artist has a body of work behind it, not one lucky canvas. We look at whether the surface holds up close, whether the composition still works from across a room, and whether the artist can explain the choices they made. If a painting only works in a photograph, we pass on it.

What is the smallest painting in this over $1,000 group?

The smallest pieces here are around 70 by 80 cm, so nothing in this group is a small work. Sizes run up to roughly 150 cm wide and 152 cm tall. If you need something under 70 cm for a narrow wall or a hallway, look at our other collections instead, where original signed work starts at much smaller sizes and lower prices.

What do you get in an original painting over $1,000?

Scale and finish, mainly. Expect canvases from about 120 cm upward, more often oil on linen than acrylic on cotton, and work resolved over weeks rather than days. You are also buying an artist's most developed pieces rather than smaller studies, and there are far fewer of those to go around.

Do paintings over $1,000 increase in value?

Some do, many hold roughly what you paid, and a promise of profit is not something we will make. Value depends on the artist's later career, the condition you keep the work in, and documentation. Treat appreciation as a bonus rather than a reason to buy, and be careful with any seller who guarantees it.

Why does a large oil painting take weeks or months to finish?

Oil dries much more slowly than acrylic, so each glaze or layer has to set before the next can go on, and a large canvas has a lot of surface per layer. Add the underdrawing, the underpainting, the waiting, and the final varnish, which needs the paint film to cure first.

Can I try a painting over $1,000 in my home before committing?

Yes. Every piece comes with a 14-day home trial. Hang it, live with it through daylight and evening light, and if it is wrong, we refund you in full and pay the return shipping. Shipping to you is free and fully insured as well, so the trial costs you nothing.

What is the Lifetime Trade-Back?

It lets you return any painting you bought from us, in good condition, at any point in the future, for store credit toward another work. There is no deadline. It exists because homes and taste change, and because a one of a kind original should not become a problem when your walls do.

How do you ship and insure a painting worth several thousand dollars?

It travels in a purpose-built box from our Vancouver studio, fully insured for its full value, at no cost to you. Plan on 3 to 7 business days inside Canada and 5 to 10 to the United States, with the largest works at the longer end. Damage in transit is our claim to file, not yours.

How should I care for an expensive oil painting?

Keep it off walls with hours of direct sun, since ultraviolet light fades pigment permanently. Avoid spots above radiators, fireplaces and humidifiers. Dust with a dry soft brush only, never a damp cloth, and never any household or glass cleaner. Keep the Certificate of Authenticity and invoice together somewhere safe.

When should you not spend over $1,000 on a painting?

When you are early in figuring out your own taste, when the wall is small or barely seen, or when you are in a short-term rental and moving soon. In those cases two mid-size originals teach you more and risk less. The large piece will still be a good idea in two years.