This week I discuss pricing artwork for galleries. I suggest that the retail value of the artwork should be consistent no matter where the artwork is selling. I talk about how to think about the gallery commission and the split between the artist and the gallery, and how this can help to optimize the value of the artwork.
Have questions you would like me to answer in future sessions? Leave a comment below!
Jason, some of the galleries I sell my glass sculptures through ask me to tell them the wholesale price. Some then double that amount, some double and add 10% so they have room to negotiate and I’ve heard others (none of which I’m currently working with) take the wholesale price and increase it by 250%. In each of these cases, I can’t be responsible for the inconsistencies across venues.
I used to sell my work locally at 60% of gallery prices. Recently I changed my pricing to approximately match gallery prices … and just in time, too. I had a few people contact me after seeing my work in 3 of the galleries I work with. They commissioned pieces from me which I sold at gallery pricing. Had I quoted them the 60% I used to use, it would have undercut the galleries and would have been confusing to the client.
As an aside, I checked my agreements with the galleries to see if they required a percentage of the sale since the customer had been exposed to my work there. None of my agreements included that provision. In one case the gallery actually referred the client to me and refused any cut of the transaction (which I offered them.)
Your explanation sounded very clean and unambiguous, but in my experience, it’s more confusing and complex when you consider the factors outside the artist’s control.
Great answer!
in my several decades of experience as an artist and gallery operator many ameteur artists resent the gallery making any money. Professional artists know it takes at least as much time and expense to market/sell the art as it does to create it. Galleries EARN their commission by providing that service which costs the artist nothing and will earn them more money and free time as well. In the end a gallery will realise 22.5% the rest on the commission is cost of doing business. The artist marketing their own work would pay equal or greater % to realise in all likelihood less results in sales. The relationship is indeed a partenership where each party benefits. like any partenership communication is required to keep it operating smoothly.
Thanks Richard – you’re right, when an artist resents the gallery making 50% on the sale, it might help to consider, as you suggest, the gallery’s net on the sale is far less than that.
Although I knew what you said more or less, you definitely made it clearer and I apprecaite it more coming from you Jason, as you are a gallery owner. It is a give and take situation, or as you mentioned a partnership.
What you have explained, is likely when it is a brick and mortar gallery or venue and that is fair enough. 50% for both, yeah I can live with that, since like you mentioned, the gallery takes care of the logistics, promotion, packing, delivery, etc…
The qualms I have is with some online galleries which are rather unfair with the artists, I feel. I know of a few, that will take the 50% commission just for promoting you. I say just, it is a lot of work and money too.
However, all the rest of the responsabilty of the sale is heaped onto the artist after that, which to me is a very unbalanced ‘partnership’. In this case, it more of an exploitation to me.
For instance, I had once joined an online gallery where if a sale had to occur, they would be deemed as an agent, which wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. What I see wrong though, is the artist taking all the responsabilty (packing, aftersales, etc…) after the sale, with the onine gallery taking 50%, when they should be doing the work themsleves. After calculating everything though, because I have to pay 18% V.A.T. (E.U. Tax) on the entire sale, even the gallery commission, I would have ended with about 37% left in my hand from the entire sale, assuming all things go well, that is. One reason as mentioned is, I have to pick up all the tax here, apart from the other expences. This to me is very unbalanced, especially since the art has to be created by the artist, which is work mind you and take on the rest. With my 50% split, i would have been left with very little.
So, one does have to cautious when negotiating and it is great when all counterparts benefit from a sale (Collector, Gallery and Artist).
It is nice when things are understood and balanced out.
Jason, you have articulated the response to these questions so well and from my experience as a gallery owner you are spot on. Galleries are a business – we need to pay our mortgage just like everyone, so as much as we might love an artists work, it’s still a business. To stay in business work needs to sell. Some artists tend to overprice their work because it’s “painful” for them when they think about a gallery taking “half”. But as you point out, it’s an arrangement for both the creation and the selling to maximize the outcome for all concerned and continue to cultivate the prospects.
An example – the first batch of one artists work was priced reasonably and all work sold. The second batch of work by the same artist was double the price and none of it sold.
Most galleries have an agreement in writing about the expectations of % of commission, when paid, discounts and all of the details. I give a draft to the artist before I accept the work.
I don’t think people realize how much it costs to have a brick and mortar gallery and pay for staff, insurance, security, rent, utilities, computers, photographers, printers, marketing, networking every single month. It’s very expensive but we look at it as an ongoing investment in the artists / business – we hope the artists will come to see it that way too.
Thanks Debbie – exactly right!
Great answer Jason. You did leave out the fact that the gallery has to pay for the gallery space whether they own or rent, insurance, employees, etc. They also take care of shipping and perhaps hauling the work to the client and even hanging it even if it’s on a trial basis and then retrieving it. This is work and time that the artist doesn’t have to deal with. As you mentioned, the gallery has clients and a base that they’ve built over the years and tries to cater to those collectors. That is also why it’s important for the artist to be aware of whether or not their work will fit. It isn’t helpful for either party to be represented by a gallery that isn’t excited about your work.
I love and appreciate everything my galleries do as I prefer to paint. They deserve 50%!
Hi Janet, I just saw your paintings. They’re beautiful!
I like to think we earn it – great additional points. Thanks Janet!
Really helpful and clarifying! Thank you.
All of your comments are very clear and make sense if an artist is only working with one gallery, and when an artist is not actively trying to sell their work in other channels as well, such as on their own website or via several different galleries.
Some galleries don’t charge the same percentage as others – at least, I’ve been quoted a variety of percentages between 35% and 50% for galleries I’ve approached.
Are we to conclude, then, that it is not acceptable practice to sell through more than one gallery, or to sell through a gallery AND through our own website?
If we sell through a number of different galleries and they have varying percentage commissions for their work, how do we price the work fairly to all on our own web site?
I’m still confused — this seems to be a very complex issue, and while I don’t at all begrudge the gallery their commission given their overheads and efforts, I am not comfortable with the idea of only selling through one distribution channel, such as a single gallery. Nor am I getting a warm and cozy feeling from trying not to undercut anyone on my website while pricing work higher than some galleries are selling it for, and leaving a disparity that ultimately works against the higher priced, and presumably better situated or harder working galleries.
Is this an all-or-nothing sort of thing? Must we sell only through one gallery and match their prices on our websites, or is there some way of doing this fairly that I am just not seeing?
Jason frequently says in his videos and blogs that you should seek to be represented by more than one gallery, but limit that to one gallery in each region. I think he covers this in one of his recent posts. His book “”Starving” to Successful: The Fine Artist’s Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art” goes into it in more detail and is a great investment for any artist.
I may try to address this in a future video, but the short answer is simple. Charge the same no matter where you are displaying and selling your art. If the percentage varies from gallery to gallery your net will vary a bit from gallery to gallery. So what? The name of the game here is to get work selling regularly, and if some galleries generate a little more profit for you than others, consider it a bonus. You can and should show in a variety of venues, but the pricing your customers see should be consistent.
Thanks for the question Leah!
Leah…As a gallery owner for over 35 years in Palm Beach, Atlanta, and now Provincetown, allow me to express the gallery perspective to you. Art galleries are not out to cheat either the public, or the artist. They have a reputation to maintain, as a fair dealer, and in order to do that, they have to offer one artist’s work at the same value in which it is offered elsewhere. When you sit down with any gallery and sign an agreement, the value should be established on each work of art, as well as the lowest price that they can sell it for if discounted. If you personally make the decision to sell your work on social media, through your studio, or in some other venue at a lesser price than the gallery, then you are only shooting yourself in the foot. Your gallery will discover this in time, and you will more than likely be dropped from the gallery. The “artist and dealer” relationship is very much a relationship of trust, with the understanding that each party is not going to go behind the other’s back and break their agreement of fair partnership. Art galleries generally offer the artist greater exposure to an audience who is more receptive to purchasing at a higher price, than from most other venues. A good gallery owner should be able to recognize the value of a particular price of art, as it pertains to the current market. As an artist, you need to trust their knowledge, and allow them to do what they do best. Galleries are also able to promote and build an artist, which should be your objective as well. Professional artists understand this and are willing to take a little bit less at times with the understanding that the gallery is offering them something in return. Quit looking at your work as if it possess a base price without a commission. A commission of 50% is pretty standard world-wide for galleries. If a gallery is only taking 35%, then I would probably be looking closely at that gallery and asking myself “why?”
This video was very helpful, thank you!
I am wondering if you could help me with my pricing strategy. I am creating a website to sell the work of my late mother (1928-1994) who was tremendously accomplished and had critical success, but poor sales history for many and complicated reasons. I will also sell the beautiful work of my husband, who is a senior citizen, and does gorgeous Fine Art, and was never willing to go to market before. Since I will be selling without an intermediary, I believe I can set the prices for their work in a way that has internal consistency, and is in accord to comparable work (high quality and sophisticated) on the market here in New York. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance! Be safe and be well.
Dear Mr. Horejs,
I am hoping you can address this is some way.
Be safe and be well.
Warmly,
Lee
I find it difficult to have a consistent price.More specifically, I am told to include my packing and shipping costs.Other times, to keep them apart from the asked price.
What is your opinion?
Martine , Montreal, Canada
This only matters if you are among the few artists represented by galleries the numbers of which have diminished over time. What percent of artists are represented by galleries and according to what measure do they admit or reject other than pure marketing. Which is fine of course from a business standpoint. I don’t see anything wrong with galleries charging what they do. It’s hard to sell art generally and pay all the assciated brick and mortar costs. I also don’t have a problem giving someone a lower price if I know them personally or just need to reduce inventory. On the other hand my website reflects retail price and don’t think it is a good idea to do otherwise. Hard to get the real price or value no matter what, and people seem to believe galleries always carry the best art and therefore command a higher price. Marketing 101 and not necessarily true. Galleries carry art which they believe is the most popular or desired based on current trends. Not necessarily artistic merit, which is in the eye of the beholder, other than the effect of the art world as to what is considered worthy overall. Their opinion. If I was represented by galleries which supported me I wouldn’t want to compete with them as it wouldn’t be to my benefit. Otherwise why would I care. So what percentage of all artists are we talking about overall. Silly sort of rant. But artist need to do what they must, while bearing a lot of unrealised costs in the process of trying to be ‘noticed ‘. No need to resent galleries for making money with percentages, but rather their status as gatekeepers. Still. God bless Jason and his cohorts for doing it at all. Supporting art. I imagine a lot of artists are just trying to keep their head above water. Can you imagine all the classical artists jumping through all the hoops one is expected to today.
The big difference in my sale price of art in gallery vs out of gallery is that much of my art that I sell on line or in person is unframed. If I am in a show, unless the canvas is wrapped I need to frame it. That will add to the price of the bare artwork. Often I am asked to suggest a frame for the piece.
Excellent. This gives a very simple view which most of us struggle with and I found this video very helpful in thinking about the value of my work differently. We have no Galleries near where I live and few within 100 miles. Closest large cities are over 6 hours drive, so pricing of artwork is largely related to shows, and personal sales, so gallery representation is largely not an issue. Thanks for the insight.
I’m an artist and gallery owner. We charge 25% commission and we pay taxes. The artist price their paintings accordingly. It works very well and it’s consistent.
In my experience, artwork should have a universal price no matter where it is sold. The artist needs to look at it like there are two employees needing to be compensated for the work of selling a piece of art; the artist who makes it and the marketer who sells it. In a gallery setting, the artist gets paid for their job of making art and the gallery gets paid for their job of marketing the art. In the occasion the artist does both of those jobs, then they get the pay for both of those jobs. But the price of the work doesn’t change.