How Much Does an Original Abstract Painting Cost — and What Drives the Price?

TL;DR: How much does an original abstract painting cost? In my studio, ready-to-ship originals run roughly $1,850 to $9,850, and commissions are priced by size — medium (30–48") at $5,500, large (48–60") at $7,500, and extra-large (60"+) at $8,500 and up, with architectural pieces quoted higher. What drives the price is the size, the materials, the hours of layered hand-work, and the fact that an original exists exactly once. This is what an original abstract painting actually costs, and why.

Angela Simeone is a Nashville-based contemporary abstract painter whose boutique luxury wallpaper line is created from her own paintings and composed — through her artistic and editorial eye — into layered, original, chic patterns, printed on a single luxurious 20 oz vinyl that looks like raw silk with a glimmering sheen, sold direct and to the trade.

How much does an original abstract painting cost?

Most original abstract paintings from a working studio fall between a few thousand and the low five figures. Mine run about $1,850 to $9,850 for ready-to-ship originals — for example, Chroma Navy Grey Lilac Brown at $7,850 and Peach Rust Brown Yellow Blue at $7,800, up to a large-scale piece like Evergreen and Tan at $9,850. Commissioned work is priced by size rather than by guesswork, and shipping is a flat $250 anywhere in the continental U.S. You can see current pricing on every available piece in the paintings available now collection.

What drives the price of an original painting?

Four things, mostly: size, materials, time, and singularity. Size is the obvious one — a 60-inch canvas takes more material, more physical labor, and more wall-defining presence than a small study. Materials matter too: oil and mixed media on canvas, built up over weeks, is not the same cost structure as a print run. Time is the hidden driver — a surface that is layered, scraped back, and argued with until it settles holds dozens of hours that a viewer never sees. And singularity is the one that prints can't touch: an original is made once, by one hand, for one wall.

That last point is why price and value are not the same conversation.

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." — Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, Act III, 1892

Why does size change the price so much?

Because scale is both a material cost and a design decision. My commission pricing runs by size: medium work (30–48") at $5,500, large (48–60") at $7,500, and extra-large (60"+) at $8,500 and up. Architectural and multi-panel pieces are quoted individually, to roughly $22,000 and beyond, and there is no upper size limit — the largest works are built across stretched canvas tiles that reassemble seamlessly on site for lobbies and atriums. A larger painting also does more work in a room: it can anchor an entire wall, which is part of what you are paying for. Designers planning around scale can start with the commission process or, for big public spaces, the commercial and hospitality page.

What am I really paying for with an original?

You are paying for the hand and the time inside the surface. I work from a color story and let the canvas resolve as fluid secondary and tertiary outcomes — fear, anticipation, and decision-making layered into a finished work. That accumulation is the value, and it is why an original reads differently across a room than a flat reproduction ever can.

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." — Vincent van Gogh, letter to his brother Theo, 1882

"The pain passes, but the beauty remains." — Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painter

"Art is never finished, only abandoned." — Leonardo da Vinci

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." — Edgar Degas, painter

Do interior designers pay the same price?

Verified designers and firms receive 20% off retail, along with sizes, transparent-background images, forwardable tear sheets, and an artist who handles framing, delivery, and install. Tear sheets carry no prices by design, so they forward cleanly to a client. Trade terms are on the trade program page. If you want to understand the broader market before you buy, the editors at Artsy's Collecting 101 offer a useful, non-salesy primer on how original art is priced and bought.

Is an original worth it over a print?

Here is the honest, quotable version: a print is cheaper because it repeats, and an original costs more because it can't. You are not buying an image — you are buying the only object in the world that holds this exact surface, made by one hand, for your wall. For many collectors, that is precisely the value the price reflects.

FAQ

How much does a large original abstract painting cost? Large originals typically run into the high four or low five figures; my large commissions (48–60") start at $7,500 and ready-to-ship large-scale pieces reach about $9,850.

What makes one painting cost more than another? Size, materials, the hours of layered hand-work, and the artist's track record — plus the fact that an original exists only once.

Is shipping included? Shipping is a flat $250 anywhere in the continental U.S. Work ships rolled, is stretched fresh on arrival, and is hand-delivered ready to hang.

Do you offer trade pricing? Yes — verified designers and firms receive 20% off retail, with white-glove logistics handled by the studio.

If you are weighing a piece, browse original paintings available now with current prices, or start a commission at angelasimeone.com.

Sources: Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan (1892); Vincent van Gogh, letter to Theo van Gogh (1882, Van Gogh Museum Letter 274); Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Goodreads / Sotheby's); Leonardo da Vinci (widely attributed); Edgar Degas (widely attributed); Artsy, Collecting 101. Pricing per the Angela Simeone studio.