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I'm curious where you get your numbers. AFAIK the 50% is pretty standard but "mid-high level galleries" both sell a lot of work for more then 5-10K, and sell a
by biztos 9y ago
I'm curious where you get your numbers.
AFAIK the 50% is pretty standard but "mid-high level galleries" both sell a lot of work for more then 5-10K, and sell a lot of work outside the exhibitions.
I know a couple moderately successful painters and they are selling bigger pieces for well north of 10K and have a lot of collector interest, i.e. it's a conversation between the galleries and the artist about what gets reserved for a show and what might go to a collector as soon as it's dry.
That's not to say they're getting rich, but I think they're doing better than your example suggests.
[Edit] Also in case it's not obvious to folks w/o art-world experience, the gallery usually does a LOT for their 50%. Basically they take over the "business development" work -- all the schmoozing, the selling, the legitimizing. At least the good ones do. It's not just paying for the wine and hanging the art. Many even help arrange studio space and pay a stipend (against your share of future sales) if you need that to stay focused on the work.
- trop 9y ago> the gallery usually does a LOT for their 50%. Basically they take over the "business development" work -- all the schmoozing, the selling, the legitimizing. This, of course, varies. An interesting/tricky part is that the gallery acts simultaneously as a manager, agent, and distributor of the artist's work. Imagine if Brad Pitt worked with the same company to handle his day-to-day affairs, negotiate his fees, and then sell the resulting movies. Not saying it's a conflict of interest, but it is an oddity of the art market.
- biztos 9y agoVery true. Not only is there some conflict of interest built in, but unscrupulous gallerists can and do take advantage of the relatively weak position of emerging artists. Funny you should mention Brad Pitt... https://news.artnet.com/art-world/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-art-662564 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/angelina-jolie-brad-pitt-a...