Remember, Van Gogh wasn't even discovered until after his death.
The current reward system is heavily weighted towards material whose value is instantly recognised. I would like to see a system that also recognises and rewards posts and information that is useful over time, but not necessarily viral (e.g. reference material and detailed how to guides). I would be interested to hear of the ideas being put forward for "ways to reward people for storing their intellectual property long term on Steem".