Original art is a piece of artwork that is authentic and done originally by an artist. That piece of artwork could be a painting, a sculpture or a performance work. A replica on the other hand is a piece of artwork that is a direct copy of a work of art that can’t easily be distinguished from the original piece. Replicas can be done by the same artist who did the original work or a different artist altogether. An artist for instance can reproduce an image of the original work of art that he/she made in a different medium and make it available in another form. It must be noted that even if it is the same artist that reproduces the same original artwork in different medium, then that work is a replicate.

So which holds more value than the other? Is it original or replica?

The reason why so many art lovers still buy original modern paintings is due to their belief that original art holds more value than replicas. Is this belief really true? Let’s find out. Basically if you take a look at any original artwork that is done by an artist, you will find that it has a higher intrinsic value than a reproduced work of art. People usually develop close bond with original pieces of artwork than they do with reproduced artwork in different mediums. An original piece of artwork is real, and is captivating to feel and look at. Of course you will easily understand what I’m talking about if you are an avid lover of art.

Now for the above reasons you will find that original pieces of artwork usually hold more value than reproduced works of art. An artist will therefore be able to earn more from an original work of art than he/she could ever earn from reproduced works. This does not mean that replicas are bad, it only means that they are not of high value as original artwork. When you buy an original piece of art from an artist, you support the artist more than when you purchase a replica from the same artist. An original piece will cost you more money for you to purchase but it will as well give the artist more money. This is an excellent way for art lovers to support artists for their impressive works of art. People who are in the art businesses can as also buy abstract original art for sale from art galleries. They may also later sell those pieces to high bidders who will be impressed with such pieces.

The bottom line

While original art holds more value than reproduction of originals, there are still some excellent replicas that art enthusiasts can go for. It all depends on your purpose of purchasing any given piece of artwork. If you prefer buying pieces of artwork because you love art and also to support artists, then you will definitely want to buy more original pieces than replicas from them. All the same there is no harm in buying replicas from artists.