A marketing study published in the journal Psychology & Marketing suggests that men and women judge art on very different terms, reports the Huffington Post. Namely, that dudes tend to care way more about the artist's personal brand.

Michigan State University researchers asked 518 people to analyse two paintings by fictional artists and read fictional biographies. Some bios described the artist as established and "authentic", while others painted the artist as a newcomer. Subjects were then asked if they liked the artist and if they were interested in purchasing the work.

While both men and women responded favourably to an artist that was described as more established, the study also found that men tended to appreciate the painting based more on the artist's biography and brand. Women were found to take into account the actual artistic merit of the work.  

"Women are more willing to go through a complicated process of actually evaluating the artwork," study co-author Dr. Stephanie Mangus said, "whereas men may say, 'This guy's a great artist, so I'll buy his art.'"

This makes some sense; art purchases are investments, so buying a work by an unknown artist represents more of a risk. But there's something to be said for the idea that women seem better able to cut out the commercial noise surrounding artists and actually evaluate the art itself. 

What do you think – are women better at actually appreciating art? Or are men just more ruthless when it comes to the importance of branding? 

(h/t ARTnews)