What Decides the Price of a Painting? What's a reference value attached to an artist?

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What decides the price of a painting? It sounds like a simple question, yet the answer lies at the intersection of art, economics, reputation and experience. I have just been given an official quote by Artmajeur and the art expert Akoun, and this is for me a real milestone in my artistic adventure. The joy this brings me is immeasurable, since I have always wanted to showcase my art and my country abroad. So, what's a reference value attached to an artist?

What is a quote?

A quote, or "côte" in French, is not the price of a single painting. It is a reference value attached to an artist, calculated for a standard format so that works can be compared fairly across a whole market. In the art world, that reference format is the 15P, measuring 65 by 50 centimetres. When someone says an artist is "quoted at" a certain figure, they mean this benchmark, the market's shorthand for where the artist sits. The actual selling price of any given canvas will move around that benchmark depending on size, subject, year, and demand. The quote is the compass.

Who are Artmajeur and Akoun?

Two names sit behind the way my work has been valued, and they work hand in hand. Artmajeur is a reputable online art gallery where I already show my art. Founded in France and now presenting artists from around 200 countries in several languages, it connects painters directly with collectors worldwide. Akoun is the reference that gives an artist's work a certified market value. Its database, "La Côte des Peintres", has recorded the sale prices of tens of thousands of painters since 1985, and it is consulted worldwide by experts, galleries, auction houses, insurers, and collectors. Through its partnership with Akoun, Artmajeur offers to certify an artist's official value, established by the Akoun team in collaboration with an auctioneer and then published in the Akoun databases and reference books. To appear there is to hold a value that the wider market recognises, rather than a figure I have set for myself.

How a quote is decided, and on what criteria

A quote is not invented. It is built from evidence. To be evaluated, an artist submits proof of real sales: copies of invoices, receipts, or cheques from private and public transactions. The artist also documents a career, meaning exhibitions and how often they take place, press coverage, awards and distinctions, and an explanation of the technique itself. In my case, that file documented my art journey from my first solo show at Galerie Max Boullé in Rose-Hill in 1996, through three decades of serious painting. I talked about the unique Zafer style I've developed since 2003 and that it's a new, original artistic language. Once the file is complete, a committee reviews it. This committee brings together an auctioneer, a dealer, a collector, and other experts, and it meets regularly to assign a value. The certificate that follows is valid for two years and can be renewed, so the quote can rise as an artist's career grows. Reputation, in other words, is measured, not assumed.

Why does a quote matter?

Here is the part collectors care about most, even if they rarely say it out loud. A quote is not only a selling tool. It protects the person who buys. Auctioneers, insurers, brokers, notaries, and museum specialists all lean on established quotes to value works. If a collector one day wishes to resell a painting of mine, an independent reference tells them what it is reasonably worth, so the price is not a matter of guesswork or goodwill. If they want to insure it, the insurer needs that same reference to set a premium, and to settle fairly if a work is damaged or lost. A painting without a recognised quote is harder to resell and harder to protect. A quote is what turns a personal purchase into an asset that others in the market can read with confidence.

My quote

On the international Art market, my 15P-size painting, measuring 65cm by 50cm, has been valued at 2,100 euros (MUR 115,000 on the 19th of August 2026). This is my benchmark, and from this, I can calculate the prices for all the different canvas sizes I use. I am now listed in the Akoun database (www.akoun.com) and will be featured in the printed edition of "La Côte des Peintres" 2027.

Artist value certification

A benchmark for the artist I want to become

One day I would like to be an international artist, shown well beyond Mauritius. A quote is how that ambition becomes something I can measure. It sets me against painters across the world, and gives me an honest way to see where I stand and how far I still have to travel. It also keeps me grounded, because a quote has to be earned through sales, exhibitions, and years of work, and cannot be wished into being. For now, I keep painting beauty and joy here in Curepipe, making my style evolve through trial and error (mainly error) and keeping creating an original language that reflects my island and my heart.