Artist Gallery Relationship

Seeking exhibition and representation in established galleries has its benefits. But for many artists getting representation
is difficult and not always desireable. This depends a great deal on the artist’s personality and what they want from any
gallery relationship.

Aside from the exposure of shows and sales efforts made by a gallery representing any artist – galleries also have connections with museums, corporate collectors and other buying groups or individuals. Additionally, gallery affiliation can establish your secondary market identity and consequently stabilize your pricing and public identity.

Galleries ordinarily take a commission, usually a percent of the sale price in the neighborhood of 50%. Another feature of a gallery relationship to be reckoned with is determining how your current customer collectors will be able to buy. Will all sales have to go through the gallery or will there be some other arrangement?

As a gallery artist there is some loss of autonomy as well. Any relationship demands some compromise, so you should try to know what these compromises will be early on in the communication with your prospective gallery. The tone and rules of the relationship need to be well understood by both the artist and the gallery.

Galleries want to feel confident that they are entering into a relatively stable partnership so they will have time to promote and manage the artist’s work. Neither the artist nor the gallery benefits from an unstable or short term relationship, so there is a need for some time and attention to check out the expectations of both parties in the early stages of the relationship.

Some galleries may want to know that the artist’s prices and collectors bring something to their gallery as well. Other galleries like the idea of discovering an artist as a relative unknown, and then essentially laying out a path, setting prices, and showing the artist’s work to their own clients.

There is a spectrum of galleries with different pricing and various levels of clientele. Finding the one that particularly suits a given artist takes time. But a good fit of artist and gallery can be very beneficial to both parties. Gallery representation would ideally enhance the artist’s identity, pricing and sales.

Giselle Borzov

Selling Art to Corporate Collections

Corporate collecting has changed over the last 30 years. Large corporations are still acquiring art but less so in recent years. Large corporations also tend to be more specialized in their selection process for both contemporary and older art.

For mid-size and smaller corporations collections may vary from contemporary to modern works but seldom include major works of any real age. There are collections that specialize in antiques, older folk art, and regional historic pieces but these too are limited in number.

For contemporary artists the real market appears to exist predominantly in small to medium sized corporations. These
businesses want and need decor of some notoriety. Many of these businesses realize that there are works available at good prices by local and regional artists if not nationally recognized artists.

Appealing to these corporate collectors is the ideal beginning to sales in the corporate collecting art world. Finding the
companies that collect is not a hard thing to accomplish. Most corporate collections are well publicized and displayed as a matter of course for projecting an image and creation of marketing opportunities.

There are many corps that collect according to the tastes of the CEO, this is especially prevalent in small corps. These
CEOs may take advice from various company or art consulting individuals but still make all the decisions ultimately as to
what genre, media, or even particular pieces are acquired.

I know one CEO whose business involves the sale of maritime equipment. The corp and CEO own many maritime antiques and then decorate with old and new art related to the sea and ocean going vessels. Other CEOs may collect Folk Art from their home state, or collect artists from their alma mater, or only one genre or medium.

To find out what is collected by any small or medium sized corporation you will need to find out who exactly is the contact person for the corps art collection or who is the buyer. Once that is accomplished you will need to make inquiry as to what is collected, offer to show your work, and generally establish a rapport.

If you have good marketing sense or showmanship skills you may be able to coax an otherwise reticent buyer into some form of marketing scheme. These schemes could involve inviting the press to an installation or award, involving the sale with a charitable concern, or publicizing the sensational aspects of the work or installation.

Don’t be put off by disinterest of one of the buyers or CEOs just keep developing new conacts. You will meet with every possible type of reception from complete disinterest, to endlessly formal communications, to prejudices about your work or even your personal image. The answer to all of this negotiating and subsequent posturing is to be positive, flexible but resolved in your own personal goals, style and principles.

Giselle Borzov