Thomas Kinkade - Collectable or Dust Collector

Can a person get diabetes from looking at too many 'sugary' paintings? Let's hope not. One of the schmaltsiest painters is Thomas Kinkade, whose cute little cottages with lights aglow from inside, have been turned into a one man industry.

Thomas Kinkade calls himself "the painter of light." One writer Joan Didion described Kinkade's over bright houses as being "lit, to lurid effect, as if the interior of the structure may be on fire." Whether a country retreat, or a Victorian house in the suburbs, Kinkade's paintings look like Christmas card illustrations Viewers never have to struggle to understand what the graphic image communicates. There is a feeling of a comfortable home. That's all. If you can supply the happy memories, or future hopes of domestic contentment the picture is complete. Who wouldn't be happy with such thoughts?

This feeling of happiness has been transformed by Kinkade into a profitable company. Vincent Van Gough could only sell a few paintings while he was alive; a hundred years after his death his 'Sunflowers' has been sold for $100,000,000. Thomas Kinkade took a shortcut to riches when he began to mass produce his works as high priced prints. He set up a company, was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and had 350 retail outlets across the US to peddle his wares. Many people bought expensive reproductions and prints hoping the works would increase in value. What fun to look at graphic representations of cute houses while thinking that one can sell the painting and buy a real house.

It was like magic. Thomas Kinkade became a multi-millionaire. He was the darling of 'home shopping' networks on tv as his works sold widely. In the 90's people bought with confidence and believed the hype that the pictures were not only pleasing, but could be sold for more than they were purchased for. But when the internet became more widespread and people could sell things independently with online auction sites the 'value' of Thomas Kinkade works plummeted. The stock in his company was originally $110 a share. But as the glut of sugary scenes overwhelmed the market and prices dropped the value of Kinkade Co. shares dropped 80%. One investment collectable specialist said, "They sell beautiful Kinkade prints in galleries and on cruise ships, but the frames are worth more than the prints."

Thomas Kinkade will probably not cut off his ear and end up in a 'nut house' like Vincent Van Gough, but one hundred years from now his paintings will probably not be selling for much more than they are now. As time went on more people valued Vincent Van Gough's paintings and the value went up. As time passes people get tired of Thomas Kinkade's trite work and the value goes down. Art collectors should invest with the knowledge that only one person stands to profit off a Thomas Kinkade painting: Thomas Kinkade.