In the “Cezanne to Picasso” exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago (March EUKs) there was some quoted dialogue between Ambroise Vollard, the art dealer, and Paul Gauguin, one of the artists whose work Vollard particularly liked.  It struck me as a powerful conversation about the origin of value and seemed relevant to conversations regarding our value and relative confidence. 

 

Vollard to Gauguin (fall 1899):

 

“In short I am willing to buy everything you do…If I dwell so insistently on the question of price, it is because your work is so different from what people are accustomed to that nobody will buy it.”

 

Gaugin’s response to Vollard (Jan. 1900):

 

“You say that if you dwell on the question of price it is because my work is so different from that of other painters that nobody wants it.  The statement is harsh…The truth is, it is the dealer who fixes the prices, if he knows his business, if he is really enthusiastic, and above all if the work is good.  Good painting always has a value.”