<p>Art patronage is essential for sustainable artistic practice. Some artists in Nigeria, in a bid to make ends meet, commercialized their paintings through inappropriate channels. They create art primarily for financial gain at the detriment of the true nature of art, its intrinsic value, and artistic professionalism. Hence, this study examines the commercialization of paintings in Nigeria. This is with a view to assessing the reasons for painting commercialization and its channels in the art market. Data were collected through a direct field survey to generate visual, written, and oral data. Structured questionnaires were administered to interconnected stakeholders in the arts market. The study identified non-conventional channels of commercialization as part of the problem limiting the value of paintings in Nigeria. The agency (channel) through which paintings are mostly marketed were galleries and exhibitions (weighted mean score [WMS] = 2.6) rather than the open space or by the roadside. The study concluded that daily artistic aptitude development, relevant networking, and marketing of paintings through the right channel by painters will help create new markets and adapt to the dwindling economic challenges affecting artists’ livelihoods in Nigeria. This limits the production of cheap and low-quality paintings for a more sustainable and self-sufficient art market.</p>