ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career Review

It's all very well to write a book for artists, but if you are working for galleries, you may have a bias.

This bias is actually a Huge problem...

In the art world, when an artist gives a work to a gallery on consignment, the gallery is not putting any cash into the artist's hands...

Traditionally, this meant a ONE THIRD COMMISSION to the gallery if the work sold...

No cash outlay for any commodity on the open market, only gives a fraction of what a retailer might get if they bought the commodity wholesale...

In fact, if a product is bought at a wholesale price, the retailer has tremendous powers to mark up the price- this is how the art market has become such a wild ride...

Now, back to the book...The book talks about 50%...But the authors have not the age or perspective or wisdom in business to understand the ethic of 50%...

50% is the wholesale price of the art work...At a 50% discount to the gallery, the gallery should be BUYING the work outright...

No other product sells for half price unless it has been purchased wholesale...

Those that know art & the art market know that one third was standard. They know that 50% without cash down is exploitative...They know that young artists don't know any of this...

Galleries have been getting away with this scam for the past decade because since 9/11, artists have been desperate to accept any offers, no matter how ridiculous, many idiots actually paying to show...

Is it right to take money from an artist to pay for their own show? No. But people do it.

Is it right to get a half off price from an artist without any cash payment? No, but people do it...

This is a flaw in this book. A fatal flaw.

Do the authors know this is a flaw?

Possibly. But their bias is For the gallery, not for the artist, so they will argue in defense of the practice, saying everyone is doing it.

I do not read books to know what everyone is doing. I read to learn. To be taught.

I am disappointed that the authors do not know the rules. The real rules. Not the ones made up in the past ten years.

If any artists are listening, please know this, ONE THIRD IS THE TRADITIONAL COMMISSION YOU GIVE FOR ON CONSIGNMENT ART WORKS TO A GALLERY....

50% is only if they buy the work from your studio to re-sell...

If they don't give you cash in hand, they don't get 50 percent. That is wholesale.

Once they buy it from you wholesale they can mark it up as they please.

But for Gosh sakes, don't give more than a third to a gallery if they don't buy the work from you...It is highway robbery. Ask an old person, they will set you straight if you don't believe me...

& beware of books for artists written by galleries...(though there were some good parts to this book- the commission thing sort of kills it)...sorry...
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