No Two Alike: Why Collectors Choose an Original Over a Print

TL;DR — Collectors choose an original painting over a print because an original exists exactly once. One hand, one canvas, one stretch of time produce a surface that resolves a single time and never repeats — so the work hangs in exactly one room in the world. A print arrives by the hundred and reproduces the image; an original cannot be reproduced at all, which is the whole reason to own one.

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.

Why do collectors buy an original painting instead of a print?

Because an original is the only one of its kind. A print is an image made to be repeated; an original is an object that happened once. When you own the original, you own the actual surface a person built and argued with over weeks — and the only wall in the world that holds it is yours. That singularity is what a perfect reproduction can never deliver, no matter how good the ink.

“When they put a work of art in their home and look at it, it's like a dream come true. They get a certain kind of energy from it.”

Laura Rathe, American gallerist

What does owning the only one actually give you?

A direct relationship with the work and the person who made it. Collectors describe living with an original as a daily encounter, not décor — the painting changes with the light, rewards a second look, and carries the record of how it was made. It is the difference between possessing an image and possessing the thing itself.

“Collectors become obsessive and then addicted. You become addicted to art and you can't live without it.”

Eli Broad, American art collector and founder of The Broad

“You can either buy clothes or buy pictures.”

Gertrude Stein, American writer and modern-art collector

Is an original worth more than a print?

In every sense that lasts, yes. Scarcity is real — there is one, not an edition — and so is the worked surface, the provenance, and the connection to the artist. Designers and collectors place originals precisely because the singular object anchors a room with something no neighbor can also own. See current work in original paintings available now, or start a one-of-one through the commission process.

“The gallery exists because of the potential for deep emotional connection, beyond what we can express through words.”

Peggy Leboeuf, gallerist

How should a first-time collector start?

Slowly, and from response rather than matching. Buy the piece you react to, sized and colored for the light it will live in — not a work chosen to coordinate with a sofa. One original you love does more for a room than a wall of safe choices. Designers can request colorways and scale through the trade program; larger placements live in art for hospitality and commercial projects.

“Empty walls are better than bad art. We all want our spaces to be perfect overnight, but collecting a home's worth of art takes a lot of time.”

Michael Bargo, American interior designer

Frequently asked questions

Why is an original painting better than a print?

An original exists exactly once and carries a real, hand-worked surface; a print reproduces the image in an edition. Owning the original means owning the only one in the world and the single room it hangs in.

Do original paintings hold their value better than prints?

Generally, yes. Originals are singular objects with provenance and scarcity, while prints are produced in multiples, so an original tends to retain meaning and value in ways an open edition does not.

How do I choose my first original painting?

Choose a piece you genuinely respond to, then size and color it for the light it will live in — rather than picking work that merely matches your furniture. Patience beats filling the wall quickly.

Can I commission an original instead of buying available work?

Yes. Angela Simeone paints commissions to scale, painting two options simultaneously so collectors can choose, with delivery typically about four weeks depending on the studio schedule.

Further reading: collecting guidance from Artsy and how living artists build collections at The Broad.

Find the only one — or commission it — at angelasimeone.com.