Many artists are so focused on obtaining gallery representation that they overlook other potentially more profitable, and (dare I say) easier channels.
Perhaps they have good reason. Take, for example, art consultants.
While galleries are highly-visible on many street corners so that one can just walk into them, few artists know enough about art consultants to either find them or know how to effectively work with them.
Unlike galleries, art consultants are not “open to the public.” They don’t display art, and they don’t advertise to the general public. So why should you want to work with them?
Well, they offer several distinct advantages—one of which is that they don’t display art to the public. When you work with art consultants, you don’t need to spend your hard earned money on framing your art then shipping it across the country just to see if someone may or may not eventually buy it.
Speaking from my own experience, I know that there are specific paintings I could have sold if only I had them in my studio when certain collectors came over. But the art was off premise, sometimes at a gallery, and the sale that could have happened didn’t. The gallery that had the painting didn’t necessarily sell it, either.
This is not meant as a criticism of the gallery system. . . galleries typically sell to individuals, and individuals often need to stand in front of an artwork to fall in love with it and hopefully buy it—it’s a system that works, especially when selling one-on-one.
Unlike galleries, however, art consultants typically sell art to organizations or businesses. Hotels, medical centers, companies, etc. Organizations are far more likely than individuals to buy from seeing it in a photograph, which means that artists only need to ship their artwork when it has already sold.
For you as an artist, it means you can work with many more art consultants at a time than you could with galleries. It also means you can far more easily work with art consultants long distance, than you can with out of town galleries.
Another huge advantage that art consultants offer is the possibility of multiple artwork purchases at the same time (or, multiple giclee purchases). When a new commercial or business building is being constructed, the art consultant in charge of the project is often looking to place hundreds of artworks at a time.
(I am currently speaking with an art consulting company looking to place 1,600 artworks. It is not unusual to sell many artworks at a time. In fact what is unusual is to sell just one work at a time.)
Unlike shipping art to galleries and worrying about the inevitable frame damage that occurs over time (or worse), shipping art to art consultants is relatively speaking worry-free. That’s because art consultants typically take care of framing on their end. Not only does this save money for you, but it also simplifies shipping.
The one downside to art consultants is that they are NOT easy to find. They spend their time chasing and competing for the big projects, rather than looking for artists. And, many who call themselves “art consultants” do other things as well.
To save you time and effort locating the right art consultants, download my eBook, Getting Your Art into Corporate Collections. In it I share my Rolodex and guide you through the process so that you are equipped with the necessary knowledge to:
• Sell your art with no consignment
• Sell your art nationally
• Sell multiples of your art at one time
Download today your copy today, and enjoy the benefits of working with art consultants!
For more from Liron Sissman, please visit www.ArtistAdvisory.com.
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