Guest blogger: Alyson B. Stanfield, Art Biz Blog
Galleries have a lot of other artists in their stables.
You are not the only artist that the gallery is looking after. It is also nurturing the careers of many other artists.
It is rare that a gallery can tell an artist (honestly), “You are my #1 priority.”
On the other hand, you should always be your #1 priority.
You are your best salesperson.
Nobody cares about your success more than you. Nobody knows your art better than you.
Even if you find a gallery where your work will fit, you still have to sell yourself to the gallery. You could be spending this energy selling your work directly to interested buyers.
You still have to do a lot of self-promotion.
Contrary to popular opinion, galleries do not do all of the work for artists. You are expected to promote your art at the gallery as if it were your own space.
If the gallery’s commission is 50%, it’s hard to motivate yourself to do a lot of work for them.
Galleries usually earn 50% of the sale.
Notice that I didn’t say they “take” 50% of the sale. If a gallerist is doing his or her job, they are earning the commission. Moreover, galleries have high overhead costs that help them justify this high percentage.
Still, 50% is 50%. And sometimes it stings. If you can sell your art and keep 100% of the profits, do it!
Galleries are hopelessly behind the times with their marketing.
In the art world as a whole, galleries have been the slowest to adapt to a changing economy. They were slow to embrace email and have been much slower with social media.
If they aren’t careful, they may become the Blockbuster or Borders of the art world.
Heads Up!
Any of the following six situations could be a red flag when looking at gallery representation.
1. New galleries without an established list or connections.
This wouldn’t necessarily break a deal, but you do need to be cautious of gallerists who haven’t been in business. Ask a lot of questions and know what you’re getting into.
2. Bad location.
Locations without parking or mass transit access can mean the death of a gallery. Or they can mean nothing. If a gallerist has great connections, location might not matter as much.
3. Clueless people on the sales floor.
Do all salespeople understand how to talk to clients and close a sale? Do all salespeople know the artists and the selling points of each? If not, they have little business selling your art.
4. Staff members are bad communicators.
It’s not a good sign if a gallery’s staff isn’t telling you about events and opportunities. Ditto if they aren’t updating you on your sales. If they aren’t communicating well with you, they probably aren’t communicating well with collectors.
5. Difficult personalities.
If you don’t like the people who run the gallery, what are the chances that other people want to do business with them?
6. Out-of-date or ugly website.
When will galleries understand that their Web presence is the point of entry to many potential buyers? If a gallery’s site hasn’t been updated since last year’s exhibition, reconsider your involvement with them.
By the way, you should heed this warning for your own sites. Keep them updated!
Where Do You Stand?
The counter-argument to this post is
Why Artists Should Embrace Gallery Representation. It’s posted on the Art Biz Blog today.
Where do you stand with galleries? Do you embrace them? Or avoid them?
Guest blogger Alyson B. Stanfield is founder of ArtBizCoach.com, ArtBizBlog.com and author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.
Image credit: Cynthia Morris looks at Kathleen O’Brien‘s portfolio at a home show of Kathleen’s work.
I’ve been going mostly the self-representation route simply out of necessity: I haven’t found anyone else who sells as well as I do myself! I certainly wish this weren’t the case. I’d def. like someone else to do the sales for me. I’d gladly give 50% of the sale price for that luxury. :/
Julie: Even if you find someone to sell your work for you, you will still have to sell yourself to that person. So you have some valuable skills already that will help you when the right gallery or other representative comes along.
At my last Open Studio Exhibit I sold SEVEN paintings all by myself. I enjoy not only being an Artist but also Social Interaction with people. The only two times my Art was sold through Galleries were by MY COLLECTORS. None of the Galleries have promoted my Art the way I can on my own. I know what I am talking about as I have created the Art. I blog regularly about my Art. Send out NEWSLETTERS about my Art and the direction it is going, I engage with my Art Lovers on my facebook page, have lunches/dinners with my Collectors and get to know them personally and really do enjoy their company. The reason I create Art is to communicate with my audience. Imagine the joy I feel when people are eager to listen right in front of me to what I have to say. The exchange of thought that inspire me to create even more. I like being in charge and I rather have more Collectors who can afford my Art than a few through high end Art Galleries. Your book totally changed my life as an Artist. Thank you for an amazing blog post as now I know that I am better off by myself as an Artist and as a Business.
Roopa: I’m so happy to know my book has been helpful and that you are connecting with your collectors and, it seems, having a great time doing it.
Hi. I’m interested in reading your book.
Hey Roopa! I’m an artist and am trying to figure out how and where to start selling. When you said you had an open studio exhibit, where did you put on the exhibit? Do you own a gallery or did you have a stand outside or rent space somewhere? How did you advertise for people to come to your exhibit? I’d SO appreciate any tips!
I feel fortunate that I’m not dealing with galleries with these red flags. For a long time I was selling my work only through myself or guild events (which is great because of the zero to low commission). In the past year I have had 2 galleries approach me directly which is little or no footwork for me, they have been estatic about meeting me in person and it gets my work visible to a broader audience. I am my own best salesman, but until I have my own space that people can wander into, I love having the gallery representation.
Jenny: I love hearing about your good experience with your galleries. As you can see from the first post on Art Biz Blog, they have a lot to offer an artist.
Excellent points, and I would like to add a few of my own Red Flags to your list:
*Galleries that won’t sign a fair consignment agreement;
*that don’t carry insurance to cover your art in the event of fire, accident, theft, etc. (yes, there are a few of these out there!)
*that want an EXCLUSIVE to extend beyond their town or local area (never agree to this)
*that don’t pay on time (have your consignment agreement say that 1-1/2% interest is charged for late payments, then bill them for that)
Maria: Excellent. Of course, there is so much more we could add here – to both sides. Sounds like, unfortunately, you might have experience with some of these.
Maria, I know a couple of artists who signed an exclusive agreement with a gallery in new York city. It worked well before the recession, but has limited their careers, as they can’t show at other galleries, sell on their own, or even participate in national events/shows at other galleries. It’s unfair.
Thanks for mentioning avoiding exclusive agreements. In my estimation, they only serve the gallery, not the artist.
This advice is way of base. Artists need to create art not sell it. How will an artist know how to price their work, when it should go up, have a client base that can sustain their body of work? Reputable galleries are worth the 50 % commission. Only amateur artists sell their own work.
A: I hope you will read the other side of this article, which is about embracing gallery representation. The link is above – at the end.
Bruneli
“Artists should just create art not sell it? “Wow. So middle men like you can be a parasite and keep artists ignorant of their real value? Galleries , critics or people like you aren’t blessed with some sort of value judgment on “talent”. All value is perceived. Artists are completely capable of selling, branding, marketing, and managing themselves. Most just don’t know anything about business. Its not rocket science. Its 6th grade math. And people like you are conjurers of myths and oppression. Alison and others here who are teaching and empowering artists are needed to abolish the lies people like you perpetrate.
I disagree with this comment. The idea that artists should only create work and not sell it is extremely naive. As someone who considers himself both an artist and an entrepreneur, I should have a handle on the business side of being an artist. That includes knowing how to price your artwork, when to raise prices, and how to build out your clientele. Relying on a gallery to handle all of the the business side of it for you is relinquishing control over your brand as an artist. Developing the business skills of how to sell and market yourself as an artist doesn’t make you an amateur, it gives you the tools to thrive as an artist-entrepreneur.
Please define what you mean by “amateur” artist? I know quite a few artists who make substantial money from selling their own art.
True. But what recourse do we have? I’m not an amateur. It’s scary not having a reputable career. But there is not always the option to do so.
Paying the gallery is the price for not running your own art business. If you run your own business then you are in charge of pricing, selling, etc but if you use a gallery then you only need to create your art and they will sell it for you. Their commission is the price you pay for their expertise. As an example; if you don’t do your own taxes you probably pay to have someone prepare them for you. You don’t want to learn the intricacies of the tax code (or don’t have the time) so you pay someone else to prepare them for you. A similar case could be made for any Service professional. If your car needs the oil changed who changes the oil? Yourself or the oil change place? If you don’t know what type of oil filter you need or the oil for your car then you have to pay someone that does. Seems simple enough to me. You decide what’s important to know and anything you don’t know you are going to have to pay someone else to do it.
I totally agree. The author of this article obviously has no real idea of the dynamics of many galleries. I treat all of my artists like gold, and each one is important to me. I take a keen interest and responsibility in their livelihood. There is an art to selling art, and just because you are an artist, does not make you good at selling it. There is a great deal of time and investment on the gallery’s part. The cost of running a gallery is tremendous, and a good gallery earns every penny of its commission. I hate to hear the author paint a picture that galleries are greedy, rude, incompetent enterprises. The public needs to trust the gallery owner, and their integrity as a dealer. Galleries are able to advance an artist’s career, in ways which they cannot do themselves. Social media is great, however is damaging in some respects to the mid tier gallery system. The relationship between how the artist and gallery work has changed over time, and there needs to be a level of effort and respect on each party to achieve a desired goal. This is the most irresponsible and misleading article to touch on the subject of artist and gallery representation.
I will tell you how we know how to price our work so it goes up! Like any other product on earth. If the demand is bigger that what we can produce, we increase slowly our prices! Is that simple! Great galleries want their artists to sell their work as many people as they can because the reputation of the artist is their reputation as well!
I would say something different than “why artists should avoid gallery representation”, I would say that artists should go into gallery representation with eyes wide open and with positive expectations. The fact is that gallery representation is still a major avenue to marketing art and artists need to learn how to make it work for them rather than avoiding it.
You list a lot of helpful suggestions about what to look for that can be very useful. But also if an artist goes into a gallery arrangement with a lot of suspicions then perhaps they should not be doing it at all. I think an artist has to like the look of the gallery and also respect the gallery owner, director and staff for it to be a good relationship. And an artist needs to see themselves as entering into a joint relationship, not just turning the marketing over to someone else. I would also say that an artist is not always the best salesperson of their work, sometimes they are the worst. I know my wife can sell my work much better than myself any day. She has a detachment that helps her see what a potential buyer is looking for and appreciating in my work. Not that I am the worst, just that she is better at it. And this is what one might expect a gallery to provide.
But finally I would say that the real issue behind all this is the need of artists to know and implement ways to market their work (if selling is important). A gallery is one piece of the marketing puzzle. Selling on line is another. Seeking after collectors is another. And there are many more. In other words it is not sufficient for an artist to just go after galleries alone, a broader market strategy is needed. And finally I know of many artists who spend 4-5 hours a day on marketing and that is their key to success in sales along with knowing what and what not to spend time time on.
Points taken, Stan. It’s interesting you brought up your wife because I think a spouse is the only person who can sell the art as well as the artist. That kind of arrangement usually works out well and you’re lucky to have her on your side.
In 2009 I started painting abstracts. I entered two in the Nebraska State Fair and got the first and third place ribbons. Second place went to the big kahuna of abstracts here. Three years later she offered me an associateship in her gallery. Conditions: I could NEVER show my abstracts and I got the worst place in the gallery for my works! I am actually pleased I said no because my career was not in her best interest.
Carol: Oh, good heavens. I’m so glad you said No!
Stan’s comment aligned perfectly with what I have seen in the art market. Galleries do have their place and artists need to pick carefully and wisely where they put their time. The market on the Internet seems to gear itself to a fairly low money cap so where does one sell big oils, sculptures, etc? Coop galleries ( except in wealthy areas) also don’t attract that market. Maybe I am missing something, but I can ‘t see where else one could sell those pieces except in a gallery.
Directly to the people. You build your list and cultivate those relationships.
What if you live in a rural area where the population base is low income/not very interested or able to buy art. Where do you build your list EXCEPT online–which may have it’s income limits?
This is an interesting and illuminating perspective! Thank you for sharing. I suppose I neither embrace nor avoid galleries. I have a rule: Wait for them to reach out to you. I don’t waste time doing footwork or trying to sell myself to a gallery. I put that time into creating and selling my work on my own. I enjoy it far too much to let it fall solely into the hands of a gallery owner. That being said, I’m fortunate in that I have had several galleries contact me about representing my art. I’ve also been contacted about being included in a TV series and book. When all is said and done, you are always going to represent your work better than anyone else because it is a reflection of yourself.
Rachel – I know a number of artists who do very well selling their art online. Most people won’t spend on a large painting online when they first encounter an artist, but after developing a relationship with the artist and purchasing several smaller pieces. I have seen collectors then move to buying very large sculptures and paintings.
I think you might be responding to Kosoum Ginney with this comment.
But I’ll say that I agree with you, Cory. Cultivate those relationships.
I like this perspective, Rachel. You’re not really waiting for them, as you say. You’re doing the work on your own and you’ll entertain the offers as they come in.
I also think waiting around for a gallery to seek you out is not the most productive way. If you wait for them to make the first move you could wait a long time, maybe even a lifetime. A much more productive way is to begin by realizing the need to first do some research that can help identify the galleries you might want to be represented by. Those artists who I see that have most success are ones who realized this need, that identified and researched the galleries who they think their work will best fit, identified those that have attractive and well located spaces, and those who appear to be run by owners and staff that demonstrate a real interest in best serving both their artists as well as their client buyers. Then they prepare their presentation carefully and make a well planned approach.
Great topic! Like many readers, I’ve I’ve sought gallery representation — not because they actually sell more of my work than I do — but because I’ve believed it means more if a gallery sells it than if I do it on my own. More prestige, more money (?!), more validation that my work is legitimately good.
Today I realize this is pure myth. All of the things I’ve hoped to get from gallery representation and shows, I’ve been able to give myself. That said, I still sometimes suckered by invitations to show my work elsewhere.
When I’ve succumbed, I’ve seen my efforts undermined not only by all of the things other contributors here have mentioned, but also the most subtle and/or thoughtless actions of the gallery. In one case I turned up for an opening to find my 3 best pieces stuck in the back room. (When I asked the person who hung the show to point out the piece she liked best, her choice was the smallest and least expressive piece — it was clear to me she didn’t understand or even like my work.) One gallery owner where I show a certain body of work repeatedly tells me I shouldn’t expect to make a living selling my art. (In the face of the fact I am making a living selling my art and so is she!)
Even through the recession I have steadily been improving my work, building my art business, and inviting collectors to value my work with good, albeit modest, results. A surprise to me, my most consistent sales have been on the higher end — larger, more expensive paintings (the ones I love to paint) rather than smaller works (that I imagined people could afford).
Part of building my business has been to create my own studio/gallery space where I can welcome people to see my work. My collectors and I enjoy meeting one another. I love sharing my art-making environment and answering questions about my process.
Today I am looking carefully at the part of me that looks to galleries for validation of my art. Whatever my ego might gain from any prestige or exposure associated with a gallery show seems lost in the soul-satisfaction that comes of midwifing my art from start to finish, including sending the work to a new home with a collector I know.
Today I’m all about that kind of fulfillment. I trust that what I might sacrifice in terms of public recognition will either be compensated by my own marketing efforts, by the appreciation of those who purchase the work from me, or by some other means that I have yet to learn about. And, perhaps, the realization hat no external validation at all is required in the making of Art will be enough to feed this non-starving artist.
Brick and mortar gallereys are outdated. Very few are actually legit, profitable or have any clue how to market or sell. Artists should never “look” for “representation”. Make your own name, and when you have one the galleries will come to ( or as they like to believe, “discover”) you.
Galleries have high costs and extrememly small margins. If you think that is a great business model, where you can afford to mark your work up 100%. Go for it. Just dont sign any kind of exclusive contract. If anything work with a gallerey that has ALOT of exposure. And most of all treat galleries just like vendors. Thats really what they are. Storefronts. Never sell on consignment.
Artists have to stop looking at galleries as some sort of end all be all. They are just stores that sell artwork.
Yes and isn’t that sad? That is not the only job of the gallery. Their job is to actually discover new artists that are not fully mature yet and nurture them. If they would also put the work they would make more money but of course they rather grab an artist that already took eight to ten years or more to develop without any help. Galleries suppose to be guiding artists and see their potential and exploit it so they can bloom their talents. It is incredibly sad to visit galleries where they have no clue how to help any artist that is not already good or that has not dead how to find their own voice. On top of that they want artists to respect them and to be highly creative when they have no respect for beginners and they do not want to invest a minute on teaching anything to them. They will have more artists that would succeed at making great art and they could make as much money as the music industry if they would also help for real those who have talent and need just someone with more wisdom to believe in them. Until then we artist will still struggle and taking long time to understand the art world and galleries will struggle as well finding artist who can impress the public.
Ellie: I really appreciate your soul-centered response. You have obviously been thinking about this and it appears to have been a difficult decision for you. I’m glad you have followed your heart.
Someone recently reminded of this post and thought I’d update my comments in lieu of more informal research I’ve done on the subject.
The only gallery where I currently show my work is about 25 miles from my Studio & Gallery in Frankfort, MI. I’ve kept work there for several reasons: 1. It’s strategically located about 1/4 mile from the entrance to a National Park (Sleeping Bear Dunes) and halfway between my town and a popular art destination (Glen Arbor). 2. I have had a good experience with the owner. (She’s also an artist but in a different medium so no conflict of interest.) She’s been impeccable with her word and her record-keeping. 3. I wanted a “control group” to compare how well my work sells with someone else representing it.
Last year I sold upwards of 50 paintings and of those only 1 was sold in the gallery. Same work, same price point. While not a scientific study by any means, I remain convinced that the best person to represent my work is me.
I also tried this winter setting up a proxy sales situation in my Studio in Vieques, PR. When spending more months there each year than I currently do, I sold very well. When I began staying there less, I put the work in one of the 2 local galleries where I had some of the problems noted in my original post on this site. Now, with no work in galleries, I asked a friend, who has previously shown my work in MI, to offer Open Studios to sell my work. She is a very effective promoter but she has not been successful in selling my paintings this season. Again, since I have done the same online and print publicity for her, the only missing ingredient seems to be me.
I’ve confirmed that for the sort of art I’m making, a relationship with me is part of a package a collector of my work wants. Since I value relating with collectors it’s a win-win. Not sure what to with all those Caribbean paintings in my studio down in Vieques, however. But, for now at least, I’m liking winters in MI enough to let them sit for awhile.
The single biggest reason to avoid galleries (philosophically; there’re always occasional exceptions) is that THEY have the customer, not you!
This means that unless the gallery forks over the name and contact info of the client – and very, very few do because they feel they’ll be cut out of the next transaction – you as the artist loses the vital ability to keep in touch with that client!
FAR too many artists have the notion that “all I need is to get into galleries” and they’ll somehow be on Easy Street, but this just isn’t so! Galleries want you to be relatively established already so they can take advantage of YOUR client list and they have very little desire to kick start an artist’s career from scratch…which begs the question: if you’re already established with a nice track record of sales, why give up 50% of sales?
Then there’s the whole phenomenon of placement in the gallery, paid vs consignment (here’s a tip – don’t!), and of the constant coddling of the relationship with each and every gallery you deal with. I contend – and I’ve been a full time artist since 1996 without gallery representation – that the amount of effort it takes to maintain gallery representation just isn’t worth it.
Lots of artists may disagree with me, but I say that in the vast majority of situations, artists are far better to put the time and effort into getting clients yourselves.
Owen: As the preacher who promotes list-building for artists, I can’t believe I forgot this very important point. Yes, if you sell through galleries, you won’t get the names of your buyers. That’s a big downside.
Some of it may have to do with fear that artists will undersell them. (Some of those fears are well founded. I’ve heard horror stories from gallerists whose artists have undermined them.)
HOWEVER, and this is important – thus the all caps – like artists (or at least like artists should), galleries have privacy policies. Their relationships with their collectors depends on discretion and privacy. I think it’s important to remember that when negotiating a contract with a gallery. I do think artists should ask for names and contact info of collectors, but they need to be sensitive to the privacy policies of the gallery.
Hi, I find this post a little sweeping and general. Yes self promotion is great and we artist should all learn how to do it properly but if you intend to be a serious contender in the art world I feel gallery representation and exhibitions hosted and marketed by reputable galleries are of extreme importance. Most established galleries have good long term relationships that benefit both artist and gallery. The %50 thing is not by any stretch a standard percentage. The most important thing is background research when looking for representation so I think your red flag suggestions are spot on.
Hi llael – thanks for commenting. You said, “if you intend to be a serious contender in the art world” then you need to be in a gallery. What does this mean? Do you mean if you want to be taken seriously by the famous critics and wealthy collectors, or do you mean if you want to make a living as an artist? If the you mean the former, then I’d agree with you. If you mean the latter, I’d say there are hundreds of artists who making a living from their art without any “art world” credibility.
Ilael: I find that argument valid as well, which is why I wrote the second post (linked to at the end of this post). I hope you’ll read it.
I fully support the galleries that I have been with, most notably, Lando Gallery in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have been with this gallery some seven years and have had great success. Long gone are the days of Rauschenberg et all where the studio visits resulted in buys and representation. My gallery works hard behind the scenes for everything from sales to grant applications and placing of work in public venues, something I am not prepared to do. I paint. They take care of everything else to promote my art. They are well worth the 50%. Next time you buy anything retail, understand that the mark up is upwards of 100%. You would not ask your lawyer or doctor for a deal. Cost overhead to house, insure and celebrate your art is done by qualified individuals who know the market and have the connections. Be sure to investigate the history of your gallery before signing on and have a contract that has been written up by a qualified lawyer..
One thing that always troubled me is that galleries are not buying inventory. They are given it, free, with hopes they can earn income by its representation.
Today, most companies have COGS from either buying products to resell, or making their own products for resale, both which cost them capital and they STILL have all the overhead of marketing and selling the product.
I’m not established enough to warrant consideration for Gallery representation. But I don’t think the value proposition is high enough. 50% is too high a commission. You have to sell twice as much to earn the same income from one sale on your own.
That commission rate is higher than many organizations pay their professional sales people…most pay 30% flat commission, or a base plus smaller rate of commission.
There are those people who don’t like to sell, don’t have the skills. I do like to sell and have the time. So i’m not sure for all artists that Galleries offer a value proposition that works.
I do thing galleries are being left behind. As you point out, their websites are usually atrocious. I don’t know how many times I’ve visited an artist friend’s website who says he’s represented by XYZ Gallery. You visit their site, and you can’t even find the name in the directory, a bio, or works online on some of the gallery sites.
So I think it has to come down to looking at if it is a win/win situation. Is the gallery WORKING for you? Are they EARNING that 50% commission and representing you? Or are they making it seem like they are doing you a favor by even considering giving you wall space, leaving it up to you to provide supplemental marketing, etc.?
The art market is changing significantly. Art in the hills. Self-representation, offline and online. Independent artist galleries.
I’m glad you had the courage to point out your list. All too often I think there’s fear of critically thinking about the issues you raise about gallery representation, as if one will get black listed for wanting to ensure a fair business exchange with a gallery.
I found this really poignant, the points you make.
Thanks, Robert. You’re right that there is a world of difference between a good gallery and a so-so or not-good gallery. It’s our job to do the homework before entering into a new business relationship.
Great read! Thank you for this exploration into the depths of Art Galleries! lmao! Very good points across the board, self promotion is a lot of work, but well worth it as you stated here. Thanks!
I was struck by Cory’s response to being taken seriously in the art world. To me the art world is galleries, museums, critics, collectors, art historians, and just plain serious art followers and buyers, those who go regularly to the Venice Biennale and Art Basil. Being taken seriously as an artist is about creating a body of work that gets the attention and praise of people in this art world.
Now there are artists who, on one end of the spectrum, are following that gallery route, searching out shows and museums to show there work so that they can grow a reputation and get attention and get invited into high end shows and sell more work at high prices. But as Cory says there are those artists, maybe many more, who are making a good living off sales of their work and never really get much involved in the gallery or museum world.
Listening to an online webinar the other day one of the participants mentioned an artist who is making many thousands of dollars from sales of her paintings, primarily through people seeking her out, from her web site, word of mouth, etc. She has no galleries representing her. So being curious I looked at her web site and found she did mainly landscapes. many from Italy and Greece. They were well done and pleasant enough but not unusual, and I could imagine her work not getting much attention in the art world. But then if she is selling well why should she really care?
A number of years back I had an artist friend say to me when discussing where I was going in my work “so what would you like your legacy to be? What do you want to be remembered for as an artist? That got me thinking in another direction. Life is really short and do you want to make a mark as an artist or just make a good living? I find that a really intriguing question for which I have no really good answer. But if I would like to be remembered for my art then maybe I have to pay attention to galleries and the art world. If making a good living and living a good life is more important then perhaps I don’t.
I guess it all comes down to, as always, knowing what you really want.
Great points here Stan. It really comes down to what you want your life to be like, doesn’t it?
That said, I think that there is a burgeoning movement of innovative, original artists who choose not to go the gallery route. Hazel Dooney is a good example of someone who eschews the art world, but makes a great living and whose work sells for large sums of money on the secondary market. I’ve seen more and more artists recently who create their own followings, and then receive attention from galleries.
Stan
I think you made a good point, but you have one concept wrong. The “art world” (galleries and museums) are not gatekeepers. They dont determine if you are legit or not. If you are making good money, have a strong following, and your work comtinues to go up in value the “art world” will do business with you too. Artists have to stop making these so called institutions and businesses a “goal”. If your art is in a well known gallerey or musem, it is a RESULT of your sucess. So start making, selling, and marketing your work. If enough people recognize you will find yourself in more than those two places.
Btw, museums are in the business of exhibitińg “rarities”. Meaning, some exhibits are there becuase you cant see it anywhere else. Not becuase its Worth anything necesarily. Lol
Actually, you are incorrect; museums do not exhibit’rarities’, but exhibit work that has cultural importance and national significance. Work who’s impact will continue to be significant in years and generations to come. This is why being shown in a museum carrys so much weight to an artist’s career. It’s like writing a best seller vs writing that is recognized as an important literary achievement. The latter doesn’t always garner monetary gain either. My husband is an artist with international recognition. His work is in several important museums and in important collections. Much writing and scholarly attention has been given to his work. They teach about his work in universities. We are not rich. I think there is a choice between art as a commercial activity, or making art with a very different goal. Public shows and museums do not sell art. In this case the dialogue that the art inspires is the goal.
Cory, in your comment about artists who eschew the art world and do not go the gallery route you mention Hazel Dooney, the Austrialian artist. Looking at her bio and list of exhibitions I see that she started exhibiting in galleries back in 1997, and has had many shows in museums and galleries since then. Perhaps she keeps her distance from them but she does seem to realize that in the art world one does have to deal with galleries and museums to show one’s work and establish a reputation.
And Odbrush, the art world (galleries and museums) might not be considered “the gatekeepers” but if you want to make a place for yourself in that art world you do have to deal with them at some point, for better or worse. I also cannot figure out what “success” could mean in this context outside of galleries and museums and recognition by “art world”. Many artists have success at selling in all kinds of venues but not all of these also gain and enjoy a reputation in the art world.
Stan
I agree.ofcourse artists will deal with galleries and museums. Nithing wrong with galleries. I just think the point being made is that they are not the gatekeepes anymore, nor should artists pursue them exclusively. They are just one piece to the puzzel. Remmember, galleries that sell art are just storefronts. Nothing magical or special about them. Their margins are so thin, that the industry has created this facade and myth that art is exclusive and scarce. Nonsense! Scarcity is the worst business model to follow when you are starting out. Limited, exclusive, and “collectables” are a savy strategy when your art is highly collected and in extreme demand.
In the past , I have always worked well with galleries, and I LIKE dealing with them, as I’ve enjoyed a great relationship. But, three of those good galleries closed last year, and I find myself without representation for the first time in 20 years. I am surviving by some on line sales, teaching, some giclees in local venues, and studio sales. I want to find some new galleries, but the “good” ones are not even interested. I agree that many really need to change their way of getting, and more importantly keeping collectors. Thank you for a thoughtful post.
Christine: Do you think that artists selling online and in other venues has hurt galleries?
Thank you for this!! I am always saying these same things to my clients and start to feel like I must be the only one who realizes this stuff. Galleries aren’t evil, but there are certainly drawbacks and danger zones. You have to be aware of both the positives and the negatives and not get caught up in the excitement that a gallery is actually interested in your work.
Ha ha ha ha ha… in my 40 yrs in the art business the only [day to day] artists who don’t want gallery representation are those who cannot get it! Not one commentator on this thread would say NO THANKS if – say – Pace or Marlborough called to say ‘join us tomorrow’. There is nothing wrong with DIY making and selling but, the fact is, its all a bit amateurish and only rarely do the artists make a good job of it. It’s never been tougher but – quite frankly – there is too much ‘art’ and certainly too many ‘artists’ around today. Probably 20-30% live of their art and the rest have other means of support for their fantasy of being ‘an artist’.
There’s elements of truth in your comment, but I for one would politely decline an offer from these two galleries. Sure, everyone who’s ever made a clay ashtray seems to think they’re an artist now, (a different topic), and very few artists go a good job of marketing, but that’s the point of blogs like this: to help them get better!
Alyson,
You peaked my interest about selling artwork online. I have been painting a lot time off and on and now that I am retired I can devote more time painting. I need help getting started selling my artwork. Actually, I would like a coach and I can take it from there. I read the comments and someone mentioned that you have a book. I would be interested but I want more than general steps to get started. I live in a small area in Florida and I am finding it difficult to know where to start. I could probably paint pet portraits everyday but I do love to paint landscapes. I need help getting started!
Thanks
Sharon Bray
Sharon: Thank you for your comment. I teach a lot about selling art online, but I also believe that you must have a marketing foundation in place before the online thing works. I know Cory has a class for online sales specifically. You might see if you think my Bootcamp might be helpful. http://artbizbootcamp.com
Please let me know if I can be of further help. Feel free to email me alyson@artbizcoach.com
Thanks for these useful tips! I have been a self employed artist and graphic designer for just over a year and have debated about getting my work into galleries (I have encountered all of your red flags!). So far I am kept very busy with commissions and recently set up an etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/ErikaPearce?ref=l2-shopheader-name which has been successful already. If I find the right kind of relationship with a gallery I would love to see how it goes. Till then, I am happy marketing myself and getting a lot of new clients simply by word of mouth.
Ps: you are very right about the marketing!
thanks again,
Erika
Erika: I’m glad you found my post helpful. Congratulations on your new storefront and spirit!
Selling without gallery representation seems to be more successful for those who make art that is easily comprehended by the general public, mainly because those sorts of buyers are buying only to please themselves, decorate homes or businesses, etc. The successful self representing artists that I know of are all generally painters of contemporary or classic realism which is a type of painting easily comprehended and generally aesthetically pleasing.
Artists who create outside of this arena generally fare better with gallery rep, partly because more challenging or sophisticated art is mostly lost on the general art buying public. This also applies to art that is aesthetically pleasing but doesn’t appeal to conventional taste. This is where galleries are valuable because they can educate buyers and attract buyers who have more refined (or bizarre) tastes. Buyers in these galleries are sometimes looking for more than just a pretty piece of art and galleries can give them that in addition to an investment that may appreciate.
There is also a difference between establishment galleries and decor galleries. The former are generally what I described in the previous paragraph, and the later carry work that generally appeals to the sorts of buyers in the first paragraph…buyers looking for straightforward aesthetic art.
There are and were many artists whose work would be virtually meaningless without the benefit of establishment galleries because they do not appeal to the average person’s artistic sensibilities, for example de Kooning, Kline, cecily brown. There are many Matisse’s that would not be considered art of an sort if they were seen in a garage sale….but now I’m digressing.
I’ve got a slightly different perspective because I do not yet have a large base of people familiar with my art. I am trying to market myself online and set up a good online presence, but sometimes foot traffic is also necessary just to help me get my foot in the door, so to speak, with a wider base. I recently got several of my paintings and prints up in a gallery. And the work is selling, and to a different customer base than the ones I am reaching online. I am happy to give up a commission in order to get the exposure, and the reality is that I know what the rental rates for that space are and based on sales, commission rates, etc., the gallery owner is making a small profit but not an outrageous amount. My goal however is to be able to “outgrow” the gallery – when I get to the point where I have a large enough collector base, I can move on. That is just my perspective, however, and based on my finding a gallery space that does seem to be working for me.
It is almost impossible to sell if one is an introvert artist with the need for fokus on the artistic work. No talent for sales and promotion (and anyway sales and promotions takes to much time and energi from the work with art)
I am one of many … the result is 1000 of artworks never seen by others. I just wish The Gallerys were open to submissions from unknown artist.
Another heads up for artists looking for gallery rep – you may be very surprised to know that the overwhelming majority of art galleries don’t know good art from bad art…forget them discerning average from good from great from masterpieces. This is because of the relationship between education, curators, and collectors. Galleries depend on the educational pedigree of the artist as the first step in their risk analysis. 93-97% of artists represented in galleries have a post secondary art degree.
I was one of those artists who thought he would break into the gallery system based on talent and quality art…the truth is very disillusioning. Without an art degree It was like playing the lottery.
This is why I believe artists should connect directly with the public and leave the gatekeepers to the collectors that need a curator to justify to them why artist X is worth buying.
After documenting a street artist for over a year and acting as his art manger, I’ve learned how galleries can often hold keys to power-housing artist around. If a artist is extremely popular in a major art district. A strong hand gallery owner and or artist can create rules. Galleries like this can create limitations in there area from the contacts they hold, and from the seeds they plant. They can oppress the weak with power creating a difficult situation an for growth, all it takes with bad mouthing lies. These situation make others skeptical because they don’t want problems conducting business themselves. This is something one has to ask if they want to support. My advice to an artist create a studio that’s exclusive to your own art. Hiring a sales partner would likely prove wise with training. If buying art there’s only one reason to shop at a gallery in my opinion and that’s because shopping for a specific artist. We must be careful who we support, things are not always what they seem. Also, ask experience artist how often art disappears in art galleries. There’s a lot to be concerned with. I would never consider buying at a gallery unless it was for for a specific artist. I hope this helps.
I personally struggle with this question. On the one hand, large online galleries, as well as brick and mortar galleries, take a cut out of your sales, and you as the artist, tend to get lost in the mix. You are just a drop in the bucket for them. On the other hand, I am no marketing genius and a rather poor salesman, as it turns out. I have read the books, the articles, etc. and implemented marketing strategies, but they are very time consuming and feel like a shot in the dark. Someone needs to figure out how to connect dynamic marketing people with artists in mutually profitable relationships. That connection would be worth its weight in gold.
I’ve had some unfortunate situations with galleries and it’s not worth it. Broken paintings, shading down checks. I would much rather put that energy into building direct relationships with my collectors. For so long I thought I needed a gallery to validate me, but enough hard lessons. I sell directly to my collectors. It’s a slow building process, but I like meeting and knowing the people that like my work enough to enjoy it everyday. You don’t get that with galleries. I used to hate selling my art. But I realized your merely helping them get what they already want.
I neither agree or disagree with whether should an artist get gallery representation or not. It depends on what an artist wants in his or her career, whose gallery an artist is in, what type of gallery one is in and there are different types (commerical, artist’s run galleries, educational galleries, museums and other institutions, vanity galleries. (artists should avoid those types of galleries) etc. I think what many artists do not understand the art market to find out who their market is. And more importantly artists today have more options to get their work out there and sell it. And there are pitfalls with all of them. One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of artists make is not seriously thinking about what they want out of they want out of their career. And sometimes an artist’s s career goals can change. Also, certain galleries, art festivals etc. can bring you other opportunities. No matter how and where an artist sells his or her work , he or she has to be involved in their own career.
The representation of the art gallery totally depends on which environment they get to present their art. And the artist always waits for the right time and right place to present their art.
I am 26, working for a gallery, and represent sculptors as well as painters. Most of this is bogus. Everything intertwines… and galleries are slow because a lot of the time the artists are even slower. For example, I am working on a $450,000 project in Downey California. Do you as an artist know engineers, crane operators, or a good foundry? Let alone know how to budget, keep track of, and contact what was mentioned before as well as city council, architects, or designers??? Maybe this is an article for people selling $200-$500 art..? Also my gallery only takes 30% from our artists… Everyone should seek out a healthy mix of both, multiple gallery representations, and legitimate efficient communication.
I am grateful that you brought up how galleries don’t do all the work for artists. I think a ton of people assume that they can make it big as long as they find an art gallery that will show off their work. I agree that in reality, they should spend more time self-promoting and selling pieces.
Good galleries are really worth the commission. The artist’s job is to make art and galleries do their job by fetching the rightful owner of that art and thast how it works. One creates and the other sells.