The painting above is in a
gallery and priced at $500. This includes a 3" gold frame, which brings
the size of the piece to 14x17". If you purchase the same painting
directly from me, in the same frame, the price will be $500.
“To Buy or Not to Buy from a Gallery” might be a better title for this
newsletter. The answer is, it doesn’t make any difference. A gallery is
essentially an art consignment shop. The gallery has not paid for the art.
Unless the gallery or the artist pulls the work, the artwork will be there
until it sells. When it does sell, the gallery will take a commission. Two of
my galleries take 50% commission, the rest take 40%, and the Arts Councils I’ve
dealt with [in North Carolina] take 30 or 35% commission.
This may sound steep. Why would an artist take that big a cut on their work? A
gallery is a business. It’s in the business of selling art, just like an artist
is in the business of making art. And so, if it’s a reputable gallery, it
probably has developed a relationship with a certain clientele. The gallery may
also be in a geographic location that is highly trafficked. Having art in a
gallery can bring exposure to an artist that the artist may otherwise not have.
So, if you approach an artist to buy direct, you may ask, shouldn’t I be able
to get this [artwork] for less? No, I say, turn your head around! Ask not what
you can do for your budget; ask what you can do for your artist. Yes, the
artist will make a higher profit; won’t this make you feel even better about
the purchase?
I am not writing this to discourage sales at galleries. I am writing
this to
diminish hopes that you’ll get it for less if you purchase artwork
directly from the artist. An artist who “cuts you a deal” is hurting
the very business that supports him/her. It’s called undercutting your
gallery. Anyone in the
retail/wholesale business knows how this works.
A “friend and family discount” of 10% is pretty much standard. So if
you are friend or family, don’t hesitate to remind me when it comes
time to make a purchase.
Speaking of friends, I hope you’ll share my newsletter with your
family and friends. Thank you for your interest in my art, and for
subscribing to my newsletter. What you’ve read above was the newsletter that went out yesterday to my email list. I invite everyone to subscribe. Sometimes the newsletter will be all about my art and/or current events; other times it will be my thoughts on art, or things I want to share with those perhaps less informed about the making and selling of art, but always, it will be about my stimulation of choice, which is Art. If you care to subscribe, just click here.
