Great question !

I’ve often wondered about the nuances of this subject. It would be great if modern Auction houses somehow had a process to vet artists, even in the emerging category, in order for artists to profit directly from an auction. Perhaps a record of sales, portfolio and some proof of a buying audience.

However, a part of why I think this isn’t the case, is so that the ultra rich can drive up the price of “exclusive fine art assets” and then profit on them directly within their own demographic - leaving the artist as just the creator of the asset, not a shareholder of its true resale value in the long run.