How to Make Money Out of Art

Painters seem to be like rock stars: they are worth more once dead. Be it Picasso, Matisse or Monet, all their works skyrocketed in value once the respective painters passed away. Throughout their lifetimes a lot of painters, especially those of the classical eras (Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Romanticism, etc.) struggled to make ends meet. However, there is a rare exception amongst them, namely Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky.

Of Armenian descent, Aivazovsky was born in the Crimean town of Feodosiya in 1817. Aivazovsky’s stellar career started off early as his talent earned him a sponsorship to the Simferopol gymnasium No.1 and later the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, from which he graduated with a gold medal in 1837. In addition, Aivazovsky’s rise came at the time of a flourishing Russian cultural scene with the likes of Pushkin, Gogol or Lermontov appearing on the stage.

Aivazovsky’s monumental depictions of the sea not only earned him the prestigious gold medal at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts but also the privilege of taking a prolonged course of his choice at the expense of the Academy. Having mastered the art of capturing the fierce and brute force of the sea, Aivazovsky decided to join the Russian navy, which designated Aivazovsky as the personal marine painter of the Black Sea fleet, a unique title held by Aivazovksy until his death.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg in 1840, Aivazovsky quickly became friendly with, amongst others, Nikolai Gogol and Alexander Ivanov. His epic and sublime works would go on to attract international attention, his pictures appearing regularly in Italian exhibitions. Even Pope Gregory XVI purchased his picture “Chaos” and had it hung in the Vatican, and “rival” marine painters such as the English marine painter, Joseph Mallord William Turner, had to admit the genius of Aivazovsky. Turner even dedicated a rhymed paen to Aivazovsky's “Bay of Naples” picture.

What followed were European tours, international fame and big earnings for Aivazovsky, with a finished repertoire of over 6000 works. The funds he acquired throughout his successful career as an artist enabled him to open an art school and gallery in his hometown of Feodosiya, while still living the cosmopolitan lifestyle many of his fellow painters aspired to, traveling to Egypt, New York, Venice, Washington and Niagara Falls, amongst others. Today Aivazovsky’s art continues to reel in large amounts at auctions and draw in amazed crowds worldwide. The brilliance of the Crimean painter has not lessened with age.