This post is in reaction to a specific gallery's reaction to some of the work I'm selling online.I don't want to rehash the old debate as to which is better, but I want to share my personal experiences since I've experienced both sides of the fence.
Firstly I want to say that after 5 months of working online, I love it.Being in the driver's seat is priceless. I also enjoy the ability to personally connect with the buyer, whereas in the gallery there is absolutely no contact with the artist only a salesperson.Seeing who and where the artwork is sold is a great feeling.
Many uninformed people will argue that selling art online devalues it. The truth of the matter is that artists make on average only 15-30% of a gallery list price. A friend of mine recently sold a piece for $2000.00, he received only $400.00 for it. $400 dollars is on par with much of the good work being sold online. By removing the middle man the artist still receives what he would have from the gallery,and the collector can buy a piece without a 700% markup.
Retaliation from a gallery is also common. A gallery may lower an artists prices or put them in a clearance section to keep artists in line. Sometimes they just won't push your work at all.At the New York art expo 2009 there was a seminar on how galleries could counter artists selling their work online.Maybe they should learn how to grow and change with the direction of art instead.
In the end there will always be artists and there will always be people that love art. What's changing is how the art is sold.
Monday, May 11, 2009
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