Rankings of best-selling artists

What are rankings of best-selling artists?

They are reference tables ordering artists by their results on the market — a ranking of the five hundred best-selling artists, for instance. From such a list you can read roughly where an artist stands within the market. It serves as a rough map of the terrain.

How does such a ranking work?

Artists are ordered by a chosen measure, most often the sales they have achieved at auction, and given a position. A higher place suggests a stronger or more sought-after position on the market. At a glance the table shows who currently leads among traded names.

Why does it matter to a collector?

Because a ranking offers a quick map of who is established on the market and around whom the greatest interest revolves. It is a good starting point when you are only just finding your bearings in a segment. It helps place a particular name in the wider context of the market.

What should you watch out for?

The position alone does not tell you everything. A high place may be driven by a few record sales and need not say anything about the quality of an artist's whole output. A ranking also measures what sells, not necessarily what is most valuable artistically. Take it as an indication, then, not as a final verdict on an artist's worth.

— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club