I have
known this artist for many years but this was my first
encounter with him in more than 12 months. During this
time I had seen no shows or reviews of his work. What
had changed? Had he given up art? Had he won the lottery
or married an heiress or made a killing in the stock
market? We each took a glass of champagne and drifted
off to a corner where we could catch up. Yes, there had
been a change. And for him it was art consultants.
"I've had one of the
best years I've ever had just because of working with
art consultants," he told me. He'd given up working
with galleries, which was why I had not heard about his
art career over the last year, and his work was going
exclusively to art consultants.
What are art consultants,
or, as they are sometimes known, art reps or private art
dealers? They are essentially people who sell art but
who do not have a gallery. They're middlemen or women
who make connections between artists and buyers. And the
buyers are very often large-scale buyers. There are
hundreds of art consultants throughout the United
States, and they handle every kind of art imaginable:
from photography to sculpture to paintings to craft.
Art consultants are a
curious breed. They're a mix of agent, private dealer,
gallery dealer, interior designer, curator, and
traveling salesman-- all thrown into one. But what they
all have in common is that they sell art, sometimes a
lot of it. And you've probably never heard of most of
them. They don't advertise nationally; they don't have
shows of artists' work; and they certainly don't go to
gallery openings.
What they are doing is
selling art to a variety of clients, such as hospitals,
hotels, corporations, restaurants, resorts, and any
other business or home that has bare walls and a
suitable budget. They work with both corporate and
private clients and usually handle a wide-range of art
styles.
Any artist who has worked
with art consultants can tell you that many of them are
demanding, pushy, persistent, and annoying. But the good
ones are worth a thousand times over whatever fortitude
it takes to deal with them. Finding the ones who are
active is the secret to making money with them.
The best way to find
active art consultants is by getting a tip from artists
who know them firsthand. If you don't know any
successful artists, think about attending an art expo
and speaking with some of the exhibiting artists there,
or even just researching trade publications such as the
Art in America Gallery Guide or the Artist's &
Graphic Designer's Market--a handy resource book which
list consultants under "art reps." Do as much
research as possible before you contact the consultant:
be sure that they show work of a similar price range and
style to your own, and that they work professionally. If
possible, visit their web site and look at their client
list.
After you have assembled
your list of appropriate art consultants, start
contacting them. This should be a straightforward, but
friendly, call: introduce yourself and offer to send
them work.
Listen carefully to their
description of how they want to receive your work, and
be sure to tailor your portfolio specifically to their
requests. After sending out your packets, make sure to
follow up within a week to confirm receipt. If they have
not had a chance to review your work, schedule a time to
call again. If they're interested, be prepared to ask
them about commission splits, shipping, insurance,
payment schedules, and discounts.
Will art consultants
change your life? Maybe. Like my artist friend who
suddenly looked so prosperous, you might also find your
career revitalized by a talented art consultant. But
finding an art consultant isn't easy. Before you can
even go on the market for one you need to make sure that
you are prepared not just for the search, but for the
possibility of becoming a client. You need to have an
updated portfolio and relevant pricing; you need to be
steadily producing in case they receive a large project.
Successful art consultants place dozens of pieces of art
a month, so they want artists who are energetic, if not
driven, and who are capable of producing an extremely
large amount of good work.
Many emerging artists
find pricing especially tricky. If you are essentially
an unknown artist, your prices should be reasonable,
usually under $1,000. You can expect the art consultant
to double your price when he or she presents it to the
client, but you must also have a firm idea of what your
bottom line price is since art consultants are notorious
for giving hefty discounts to their clients. Commissions
vary anywhere from 10 percent to 60 percent-- be sure to
confirm the commission before signing on the dotted
line.
As with galleries,
finding the right art consultant--who thinks you're the
right artist--is no small feat. Your work has to have
broad appeal, your prices have to be competitive, and
you must be well organized and professional when dealing
with this little-known faction of the art world. But
when you connect with the art consultants who respond to
your work, the sales will happen. So start searching.
Geoffrey Gorman, a
former gallery director, attended the Maryland Institute
of Art and the Boston Museum School. Five years ago he
founded GG+A, an artist career development firm that
works with artists individually and through workshops.
This article was
originally created for TheArtBiz.com. It appears on NYFA
Interactive courtesy of the Abigail
Rebecca Cohen Library.
