Canadian versus American Art: What Pays Off and Why

This study investigates the relationship between the market value of artand the nationality of the painter. A sample of modern and contemporaryCanadian and American paintings is analyzed using non-parametric testsand a hedonic regression model. The results show a significantrelationship between aesthetic painting characteristics, such as subjectmatter, and market valuation. In general, the price of Canadian art iswell below that of American art. Even after adjusting for paintingcharacteristics, Canadian paintings appear to be less expensive still.It is believed that Canadian painters looked at the Northern landscapeto define a national identity, thus playing to a limited audience, theonly that could relate to the beauty of the Canadian scenery. Thisprogrammatic approach could explain some of the aforementioneddifferences in market valuation.