Buy the full study
Summary of our market study
The global art and antiques market is valued at $50 billion, down 22% on the previous year, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Auctions, which account for around 40% of this market, experienced a slowdown, while art dealers and galleries managed to maintain sales of $30.1 billion.
The United States, China and the United Kingdom dominate over 80% of the market. France retains a 6% share, representing a $2.8 billion market for art dealers and galleries.
The art photography sector, while representing a minor segment of the overall market, has seen an upward trend, with a significant increase in the prices of fine art photos.
The arrival of digital platforms like Instagram and online galleries (such as Artsper and KazoArt) has influenced the market, offering greater exposure and lower commission fees.
The French market, home to leading events such as "Paris Photo", is a hub for fine art photography, accounting for 12.5% of the global segment.
Independent chains of experts and auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's remain important players in the art photography trade in France.
Regulations on copyright protection and auction house authentication procedures favor the sale of art photographs, with legal scales setting bidding rates for buyers.
Trends and dynamics in demand for fine art photography
This particular sector represents only a small part of the photographic industry.
French buyers account for around 90% of the clientele.
Nearly two-thirds of photography sales are to domestic customers.
Social networks, and Instagram in particular, have increased the visibility and appeal of fine art photography, yet auctions and specialized galleries continue to play a dominant role in the sector.
In France, only 14% of the population claim to have ever visited a photography exhibition.
From an average auction price of around $5,000 in 1990 to some $10,200 in recent years, the rising value of fine art photography testifies to a growing appreciation of this art form and a willingness to invest in it.
Key players in the French art photography market
Auction houses
- Christie's
- Sotheby's
- Artcurial
- Piasa
- Millon
- Drouot
- Tajan
- Aguttes
Online galleries
- Artsper: Pioneer of the online art market
- ArtPhotoLimited: Platform specializing in original and reproduced fine art photography,
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
Inforamtion
- Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
- Format : Digital and PDF versions
- Last update :
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition of the market
- manufacture and sales of cameras,
- photo lab activities (printing, cutting, assembly, etc.)
- activities of professional photographic agencies
- activities related to the art market (galleries, auction houses, etc.)
The world art market is growing, driven in particular by ever more substantial auction sales, as is also the case in France. The art photography market is no exception to this trend. The price indices for art photography are also rising significantly, even if the amount of their sale is marginal compared to the sales prices of other types of works
France occupies an important place on the world market of art photography. Numerous events take place such as the "Paris Photo" event or the World Photography Fair and the Rencontres d'Arles. However, photography exhibitions are less popular than modern or contemporary art exhibitions and this is a real challenge for the market, even if the practice of amateur art photography and the diffusion of art photos are largely stimulated by the social network platform Instagram. Digital and digital technology are indeed disrupting the sector as much as they are creating new opportunities. The growth of online distribution of art photos (original or replicated) and digital art galleries are also proof of this
The COVID-19 crisis had a differentiated effect on the art sector in general. In fact, unlike museums, the various art galleries kept their doors open during the health crisis, which kept activity stable throughout the period.
1.2 The art photography market is growing
In ****, global art and antiques sales were valued at $**.* billion, down **% from the previous year and **% from ****. As mentioned above, art auctions account for about **% of this market, which means that the subjects of this study, art dealers and galleries, account for the remaining **% [***]. The market for art dealers and galleries ...
1.3 The art photography market in France
France is considered by many to be the cultural capital of the world. It may therefore be surprising that (***) France only holds about *% of the world's art market, in terms of value, making it the fourth largest market in the world [***]. The world's major art markets World, ****-****, in billions of ...
2 Analysis of the demand
2.1 Art photography represents a small share of the demand for photography
Art photography represents a small part of the photography sector. Indeed, in general, the customers of professional photographers are multiple. Their activity is both in BtoC and BtoB. Indeed, the clientele of photographers includes companies wishing to develop their communication, public commissions, press publishers, individuals, illustration agencies or press agencies
Breakdown ...
2.2 The place of art photography in the cultural practices of the French
In France, according to CREDOC e n ****, more than half of those surveyed had neither visited a museum nor explored a temporary exhibition. Occasional visitors, those who visited a museum or exhibition once or twice in a year, accounted for **% of respondents.
Frequency of visits to exhibitions / museums in France France, ...
2.3 The impact of social networks on the development of the art photography market
Instagram has established itself as an essential tool for traditional actors in the art sector (***), as recalled in **** by the Huffington Post
But Instagram also plays a key role in the diffusion of the practice of art photography and in the emergence of new talents (***).
3 Market structure
3.1 The dominance of auction companies in the sector
The art photography market in France has its own structure and players a limited number of collectors and the intervention of art market agencies such as auction companies . Indeed, photography is the subject of expertise and annual auctions in prestigious firms such as Christie's or Sotheby's . The works are stored and ...
3.2 Independent experts are another major sales channel
According to the The Echos one of the major sales channels for works of art photography in France are the independent experts who sell from private agreement in exchange for a commission . The experts take care of to authenticate and photography and find a buyer . Some buyers prefer this method of ...
3.3 Les évolutions macroéconomiques du marché de la photographie
Si la photographie se porte bien et rencontre un succès croissant, les photographes rencontrent de nombreuses difficultés financières depuis plusieurs années. Plusieurs raisons concourent à ces difficultés, parmi lesquelles la principale est l'arrivée du numérique et la profusion d'images.
En effet, l'arrivée du numérique ...
4 Analysis of the offer
4.1 The price of art photographs has been rising steadily since the early 2000s
According to the Art Market Insight , the average price of an auctioned photograph was to **,***€ in **** against ** ***€ for a painting The price index has increased by **% between **** and ****, after reaching a peak in **** for art photography from the same source.
Evolution of the art photography price index between **** and ****
Source: ****
As ...
4.2 The development of actors selling art photos online
From many players are positioning themselves on the sale of original or replicated art photos online such as Artsper which lists and sells art photos from the world's leading art galleries, but also ArtPhotoLimited or KazoArt which is an online contemporary art gallery. However, the function of the Internet is still ...
4.3 La photographie d'art, une offre spécifique parmi d'autres
La description des activités photographiques par l'Insee fournit un aperçu des types d'offres proposées sur le marché. :
la production photographique réalisée à titre commercial ou privé : photographies d'identité, photographies de classe, de mariage, photographies publicitaires, d'édition, de mode, à des fins immobilières ou touristiques, photographie aérienne, ...
4.4 Les photographies d'art les plus chères
Les photographes dont les clichés dépassent de façon régulière le million de dollars aux enchères se comptent sur les doigts la main. Il y a l'Allemand Andreas Gursky, l'Américain Richard Prince et sa compatriote Cindy Sherman, ainsi que le duo britannique Gilbert & George. Ces ...
5 Regulation
5.1 Regulations governing the sale of art photographs
According to the the Union of Professional Photographers , the copyright is a derivative of the literary and artistic property aimed at protecting the author in his creative and distribution process . Since the *st er on July ****, copyright was codified and allowed the art photographer to benefit from it.
Similarly, each auction ...
6 Positioning of the actors
6.1 Segmentation
Major auction companies in France:
Christie's Sotheby's Artcurial Piasa Millon Drouot Tajan Aguttes
Online art photography sales galleries
Artsper ArtPhotoLimited KazoArt Catawaki
- Christie’s
- Sotheby’s
- Piasa
- Millon & associés
- Drouot L’Hotel
- Tajan
- Aguttes
- Artsper
- ArtPhotoLimited
- KazoArt
- Catawiki
- Art Photo Limited (Myposter group)
- Smart Photo
- GAD collection
- La Galerie Rouge
- Almendra
- Artphotoby - Sophie Leiser Galerie
- Galerie Lumière des Roses
- Galerie Vu'
- La Galerie de l'Instant
- Lumas
- Yellowkorner
- Getty Images
List of charts presented in this market study
- Ventes mondiales des marchands et des galeries d'art
- Marché de l'art - Répartition des parts de marché, en valeur
- Les principaux marchés mondiaux d'art
- Chiffre d'affaires du marché des concessionnaires et des galeries d'art
- Évolution du marché de la photographie d'art
All our studies are available online in PDF format
Take a look at an example of our research on another market!
Latest news
Drouot.com emancipates itself from the auction house - 18/03/2024
Proceeds auctioned to Internet users in 2023: 344 million euros, representing a 3.5-fold increase in 4 years.
- Online sales in 2023: - 1,400 auctions.
- - Number of registered bidders 290,000.
- - Goods sold : 204,000 lots.
Customer base:
- - average age of Drouot.com account holders 45.
- - Share of professional buyers down from 31% to 23%, in favor of private buyers.
- - 58% of buyers come from France, with strong representation from the USA, UK and Belgium.
Expansion of the platform:
- - 785 homes for sale by 2023, representing a two-fold increase in 4 years.
- - One in three sales by a foreign player.
- - 170 European houses, excluding France and Belgium, conducted 1,800 sales in 2023.
- - Nearly 60 houses operating outside the European Union, from around ten countries.
Competition:
- - Interenchères saw its live and online art sales increase by 5%, totaling 248 million euros.
- - Drouot.com faces several international competitors, including Lot-Tissimo in Germany and The Saleroom in England.
Getty launches its own artificial intelligence image generator - 26/09/2023
- Getty Images competes with image generators such as Midjourney and DALL-E.
- Getty Images relies on generative AI trained on its own image base, not on billions of images extracted from the web like its competitors.
- Getty's image database does not contain photos of celebrities or brands.
- Getty Images has around 830,000 customers. Getty promises an AI that masters the legal rules of each country and totally eliminates legal risks.
Drouot: Vesper Invest becomes a shareholder - 10/07/2023
- Drouot: 110 auctioneers shareholders, 70 auction houses
- Vesper Investissement takes a 30% stake in Drouot
- Drouot Patrimoine takes over Drouot Digital, La Gazette Drouot, Drouot Logistique, Drouot Immobilier and the auction house with the largest number of rooms in the world (15)
- Drouot valuation: 20.4 million euros
- Groupe Drouot achieved total sales of 338 million euros for the half-year, up 14% on 2022.
New YellowKorner galleries. - 27/10/2022
- Number of galleries worldwide: 150 galleries
- Presence in nearly 30 countries
- Two new galleries recently opened: La Réunion (France) and St Germain-en-Laye (Île-de-France)
- Over 300 artists and their creations presented in limited editions
- Gallery architect and designer: Gérard Barrau
- Profile sought for future partners: entrepreneur, manager, commercial and customer focus, passion for sales and art photography
- Average time to open a YellowKorner gallery: 6 months
Guillaume CANNAT: "Stars" at GADCOLLECTION - 17/06/2022
- Exhibition Guillaume CANNAT "La tête dans les Étoiles" from June 8 to July 21, 2022.
- 9 photographs presented for the first time at Galerie GADCOLLECTION.
- Guillaume CANNAT is a French photographer, born in 1962.
Guillaume CANNAT: "Stars" at GADCOLLECTION - 17/06/2022
- Dates of Guillaume Cannat's exhibition: June 8 to July 21, 2022.
- Number of photographs in the exhibition: 9.
- Year of birth of Guillaume Cannat: 1962.
- Number of years Guillaume Cannat has been observing the sky: 40 years.
- GADCOLLECTION gallery address: 4 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe.
Companies quoted in this study
This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :
Choosing this study means :
Access to more than 35 hours of work
Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.
Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced
Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.
Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.
Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data
Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).
To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)
Guaranteed support after your purchase
A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676
A digital format designed for our users
Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.
Our offers :
The art photography market | France
- What are the figures on the size and growth of the market?
- What is driving the growth of the market and its evolution?
- What is the positioning of companies in the value chain?
- Data from several dozen databases
Pack 5 études (-15%) France
- 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
- Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
- Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)
Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.
Our customer references
They have consulted our studies
Discover the opinions (+500)
Malcolm Vincent
Astoria Finance
Gregoire de Castelnau
Stags Participations
Timothé Huignard
PWC
Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff
BCG
Aymeric Granet
Publicis Consultant
interviews & case studies
All interviews and case studies (45)
