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claudiamah
Posts:86
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| 04/12/2007 9:32 AM |
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| Although it is not clarified in a gallery’s contract, I understand that an artist, when selling framed/matted prints from their home, must match the commission price for which their work sells in their representative gallery. Please clarify these other situations regarding the print sales from home.
Situation #1: Should the commission difference, derived from the home sale, be reimbursed to the gallery, while their work is on-sale at the gallery?
Situation #2: If the same gallery, (which sells the a framed/matted print), refuses to sell the same print ,UNFRAMED, how does the artist, who is willing to sell the print from their home, price the print? Is it ethical for the artist to sell the print at an noncommissioned price? If the artist charges a commission price for the print, are the commission plus state tax given to the gallery?
Situation #3: If the gallery is only seasonally opened, and the artist’s works returned to the artist in the closed season, can the artist sell their work at any price they choose? |
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claudiamah
Posts:86
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| 04/24/2007 8:08 AM |
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| I'm surprise that I have not receive any responses to this "long" laundry list of questions. There must be other artists like myself who have run into these business situations and quandries. Please provide me with any feedback on any of the questions, for which you might have experience. If my questions are too confusing, please comment with a "Reply" at the top of my message. I try to rephrase it. Thank you, Claudia |
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jang
Posts:68
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| 04/26/2007 5:26 AM |
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Claudia, I've been watching this thread hoping for answers to your questions also. I'm new here & certainly don't know everyone, but it appears to me that most of the members here are amateur painters and may not exhibit in galleries or know the answers to your questions.
I've never exhibited in a gallery but I have also heard that it's usual to sell your work at the same price as a gallery charges. This is because if people think you'll sell cheaper than the gallery, they'll try to buy from you, the gallery will be undercut and will drop you as an artist. Unless the painting is on display at the gallery, I would not think you'd be obliged to pay the gallery commission on works you sell yourself. If the painting is on display, it would be best to send the prospective buyer to the gallery to purchase the painting - the same with any prints.
As for the rest of your questions, I can't help you. If you're involved with a gallery, it would be very wise to discuss these issues with them and even get a contract so there's no confusion. As far as the issue of framed and unframed prints, I would think that the unframed prints would be considered different than framed ones and since the gallery doesn't sell unframed prints, you would be free to sell them yourself. Again, discussing this with your gallery would be a very good idea. Perhaps a consultation with a lawyer specializing in the art business would also be a good idea especially if you can ask all your questions in one visit to keep costs down.
Please let us know what you find out and I wish you the best of luck with your sales. Maybe someone else will come along with better answers than I've been able to give. Have you tried an online search for answers? The web is amazing with all of the resources it contains.
jang |
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rcoomer
Posts:5
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| 04/26/2007 9:52 PM |
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I'll take a stab at this, 3 points. . .
1. It depends on your gallery and your contact. I know galleries that take a 40% commission if work is sold within 100 miles of their location, no matter who or how it is sold, even from your own home or studio. That answers all of your above questions if that is how your contract reads.
2. Do you value your relationship with your gallery? If so, discuss this with them now or before you sign the contract.
3. Never sell below the price of your gallery, otherwise they look bad and will probably drop you. Think of the extra money you make as payent for completing the sale, or hanging the show, or whatever you did to make the sale. Another reason not to lower your price is what happens when other customers find out you are discounting? Is your work now not worth as much now as when they bought it?
If you are in a compltely diferent area and market, you might consider it, NY vs Cincinnati, but with something like web sales available everywhere, you need to be consistant, or sell the work wholesae and then allow them to sell it at any price they choose. Just never sell your work for wholesale to anyone else other than another store or gallery
You have to abide by the rules/contract that you signed. If you want to stay with that gallery, you have to do what they asked even if there is no contract. If they ask too much, you can always go elsewhere.
If they only sell framed prints, it would be unethical to then offer it to their clientel unframed unless they were OK with that, and I would think they wouldn't be. It sounds like they make their money from the framing.
Sales tax is always collected by who does the sale, and eventually goes to the state. |
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Robert Coomer
Fine Art Cave, Rural, Nature Photography
http://www.robertcoomer.com
http://www.cobegallery.com
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claudiamah
Posts:86
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| 04/27/2007 7:30 AM |
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| Thank you Robert for responding and for your advice. I will talk to the three gallery managers. Since these are all small galleries, I'm not sure that they, themselves, are aware of these issues their artists face. |
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claudiamah
Posts:86
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| 04/27/2007 12:25 PM |
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| I found this through a Google search, "Art Gallery Contracts". Very helpful site: The New York Foundation for the Arts' (NYFA)
http://www.nyfa.org/archive_detail_q.asp?qid=68&fid=6&year=2000&s=Spring |
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Niebrugge
Posts:17
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| 07/23/2007 9:39 PM |
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| Wow, a lot of questions. After years of confusion, 'lost' art, damaged art, non-payment of commissions, etc. I solved the whole gallery/commission problem by selling outright to the galleries wholesale. If you keystone your sales (50% of retail) to the gallery, both of you should sell the art for the same retail price. This is fair to the public, to the gallery and to you. If you value your relationship with the gallery, and you are in close proximity to one another, you should encourage clients to purchase from the gallery. I sold from my home/studio regularly because I lived so far away from my galleries. I have built up a large client base who purchase directly from me, but many prefer to work direct with the galleries. It is a win-win for all of us.
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claudiamah
Posts:86
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| 07/25/2007 8:08 AM |
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| Thank you for your advice a description of your experiences working with galleries. Fortunately I have been working in a local gallery, and find the relationship advantageous for both of us. They are a local business making money, and I am a painter, concentrating on the creative process, rather than the money end. Win-win for both of us.
Claudia |
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bjdavey
Posts:37
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| 07/26/2007 3:00 AM |
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Daniel Grant, an author with numerous business books for artists has one specifically on this subject: The Artist-Gallery Partnership: A Practical Guide to Consigning Art. It's worth having on your bookshelf.
Since you are engaging galleries, I strongly suggest learning some negotiation skills. We all come by some instinctively honed by years of begging for the car on weekends or a bigger allowance. But that is informal, involves family and only goes far enough to get most of us on the losing side of a negotiation in business.
As an artist, all along your career, you are going to be continually faced with negotiation situations. Your printer, paper vendor, landlord, ad rep, art show sales rep, gallery owners and others are just some expamples. Most of them have a sliding scale on which they work. Meaning if you know how to fairly, firmly and politely move them to the end of that scale that best benefits you, you get to keep more money.There are a couple of good books I recommend: Getting to Yes and Guerrilla Negotiaing It would be time well spent to read one or both and pick up some negotiation skills that will enrich you throughout your life. |
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Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one - Albert Einstein |
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Niebrugge
Posts:17
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| 07/30/2007 3:14 PM |
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Very good advice.
Artists often want to defer to the gallery, or agent, or whatever because they are only wanting to "create" and prefer to leave the money making part of the business to the professionals. I advise any artist to learn all that they can about the business end of art. I have found that educating myself that I am a better business manager than most of the galleries. Galleries, museums and other art agencies often ask me for advice, this is a true "win-win".
Some galleries will make regular purchases of originals and prints as a way to make an investment in the artist and to provide monetary support for the creating process. That is a truly excellent partnership.
www.niebruggestudio.com
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lglemons
Posts:10
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