[antisthenes]

Agreed on all points.

I'm a person that generally doesn't consume art, but if I did (let's say I was looking for artwork to hang at home), I would rather get 1 authentic hand-painted and hand-signed piece from a local artist than 10 digital AI-generated inkjet prints.

I wouldn't necessarily call it a luxury, more personal preference? Quality over quantity. There are some valid reasons to prefer one or the other, depending on circumstance.

[hammyhavoc]

Real art has intent, context and history that can't be replaced. It's everything that comes alongside a piece that makes it so interesting when you do actually buy a real piece of art, especially if you get to meet the artist.