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Do You NEED A Gallery To Represent You???
The problems associated with going it alone are that you have no third parties pitching your art to museums, major collectors, corporations, and other groups or individuals that you can't easily access on your own. This is particularly difficult for most artists as the motivation is to create art not market it. Most artists find marketing their own art next to impossible and very time consuming, thus the prospect of possible artist representation could be a beginning solution.
Establishing a resale or secondary market for your art is also difficult because public sales venues like resale galleries and auction houses don't know who you are. Keep in mind, however, that many artists make good incomes outside of the mainstream and are quite happy living with none of the fancy perks.
If you decide to go with the galleries, you have to make one major sacrifice-- share your profits. Dealers get paid for services rendered, normally 40-60% of retail gallery prices, which means that you're either going to have to substantially raise your selling prices or, more likely, keep them about where they are now and subtract a gallery commission whenever something sells. Artist representation is not such a large outlay of profit, however, you are being guided through your own marketing process. Even your collectors may have to buy through whatever galleries represent you, depending on your contractual arrangements. You'll be trading a percentage of your current gross income for potential future fame, fortune, and a robust secondary market for your art. If you decide to pursue artist representation the pro side of this choice vs gallery representation is more for the emerging artist which gives the artist a chance to build a visible reputation and opportunity to self expand whereas in the gallery arena, basically a gallery 'owns' you - there are benefits to both. As far as compensation for artist representation, it is either based on a stipend (based on sales) or the majority of artist representatives charge a monthly fee for services.
(Continued Next Column)
Gallery Representation - continued
Also be prepared to lose a certain amount of your autonomy because you'll be entering into a world structured not so much by you, but rather by whomever you contract with to sell your art. If you try to lay down the law or insist on continuing to operate entirely on your own terms, you'll stand little or no chance of getting gallery representation. For the first time in your career, someone else will be telling you what you may or may not do. If you can live with the above compromises, then gallery representation may work for you.
Getting shows at established galleries won't be easy. You have to start out pretty much as a beginner and make a good case for yourself and your art. You'll also have some explaining to do when dealers ask why you've avoided doing business with them for so long. The last thing dealers want is to enter into relationships with artists, only to have them fall apart a short time later. They'll want to feel relatively confident that if initial shows do well, good, solid, long-term working arrangements will evolve.
Your big advantage over less successful artists or artists who are just starting out is that you come to dealers with a pre-established collector base. Art dealers like knowing that when they have shows, they're going to sell art and make money. Make sure to present them with a list of people and institutions, both public and private, who own your art. The more high-profile names you've sold to, the greater your chances of getting shows. An impressive client list is a great ally. Gallery representation will more than likely enhance your resume, increase your visibility in the art community, and provide you with greater financial security in the future. As long as you're willing to accept a temporary pay-cut and let art dealers have a certain amount of control over your career, you'll stand a much better chance of succeeding in the long run. Galleries love to handle artists who sell.
Ultimately choosing representation is only a decision that you can make.
(Interpreted from articles by Marni Muir, US based Gallerist and Artist Rep.)
No One Is Original…Right?
Okay, so nobody creates completely in a void and anything "new" is by necessity built on what has been done or experienced before.
Where creativity, or "originality," comes in is when an artist is able to put his or her own individual stamp on the work. A new interpretation of sorts. To take what's been done, and add to it. Perhaps we should consider our artistic endeavors a step further along in an existing tradition.
IN-BOX:
Next week new art work from Claudio Braier to be featured.
Did you know......that you can add being featured on MOCA Virtual Museum's "Mary's Page" to your art resume and BIO?
:::This Week's Recommended Reading:::
Selected Essays of John Berger (Paperback), by John Berger
Do it yourself
Quote:
“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.”
This page posted 3 August 2009
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