tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post2357805669141860287..comments2023-06-13T08:29:39.914+00:00Comments on MAKING A MARK: Artist and Gallery: the risk/reward equationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-16467765751708706412007-07-30T16:33:00.000+00:002007-07-30T16:33:00.000+00:00Thanks Elio for some very thought-provoking and he...Thanks Elio for some very thought-provoking and helpful comments.Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-29978167651683913972007-07-30T16:28:00.000+00:002007-07-30T16:28:00.000+00:00It is a risk but sometimes you need to take great ...It is a risk but sometimes you need to take great risks to achieve greater gains. <BR/><BR/>Choosing the right path to success is always a dimly lit path with many choices and crossroads. <BR/><BR/>In the end, we all choose what makes us comfortable. <BR/><BR/>As always Katherine I enjoy reading your blog and thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts.Eliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04715601415331945417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-36912064278365311392007-07-30T07:00:00.000+00:002007-07-30T07:00:00.000+00:00With that sort of arrangement, another way of look...With that sort of arrangement, another way of looking at it is that if you don't generate sales which are equivalent to the advance then at least you don't have to <BR/>(1) repay the finance as money - as happens to musicians would have to do re record contracts advances<BR/>(2) or make life very difficult for yourself in terms of getting a second book deal as would happen to authorsMaking A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-55702631496821698482007-07-30T00:48:00.000+00:002007-07-30T00:48:00.000+00:00I may go into detail more on this in a later post ...I may go into detail more on this in a later post but for now my two cents. I think many artists miss the big picture with what galleries can offer. Galleries are no different then movie studios, record labels, and other. They all get their cut. It is not about that ONE show and losing 70%. It is about the exposure that one show will bring you. <BR/>Sure any collector would prefer to buy direct because he believes that he is getting a better deal. But what price do you pay as an artist. The only resource an artist cannot get back is TIME. Having dinner, lunch, and delivering paintings to collectors takes time. Time you could be creating and/or getting better. <BR/>Here is an excerpt from the Pollack movie I thought was interesting.<BR/>-Peggy will give you a stipend of $ a month.<BR/><BR/>-"If at year's end the artist does not sell equivalent to the advance...<BR/>-plus one-third commission, he will make up the difference in paintings."<BR/><BR/>-In other words, my dears...if you don't sell $ worth, Peggy owns all the -work. So sell.<BR/><BR/>Now I don’t know if Pollock was actually in this situation but here is an example of how important a gallery can be. The gallery paid his expenses till the show and receives an additional one-third commission of what sold.<BR/><BR/>Many artists might balk at the idea that if the paintings don’t sell they now belong to the gallery owner for her expenses.<BR/><BR/>Another way to look at it is for X period of time you can be alone to paint. The single greatest benefit of an artist/gallery relationship is that the artist can paint. For this, I would gladly give them their share.Eliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04715601415331945417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-70469146328442088912007-07-27T17:38:00.000+00:002007-07-27T17:38:00.000+00:00Great stuff - thanks Martin - I'm off to have a re...Great stuff - thanks Martin - I'm off to have a read! It's looking rather like I'll be blogging about this judging by the Table of contentsMaking A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-76886260122099469622007-07-27T17:24:00.000+00:002007-07-27T17:24:00.000+00:00Hi Katherine,believe it or not I found the url:on ...Hi Katherine,<BR/>believe it or not I found the url:<BR/><A HREF="http://www.newaudiences.org.uk/resource.php?id=486" REL="nofollow">on newaudiences.org.uk</A><BR/>On the right side of the page you can download the chapters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-2012041977747116222007-07-27T08:28:00.000+00:002007-07-27T08:28:00.000+00:00Martin - Can you quote the source for the research...Martin - Can you quote the source for the research in the UK so we can read more about this?Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-52814430678071932822007-07-27T08:09:00.000+00:002007-07-27T08:09:00.000+00:00There is no justification of a 30/70 split in favo...There is no justification of a 30/70 split in favour for the gallery no matter how long the mailing list or how expensive their location is. Also public places are charging artists for exhibiting, whereas in the "old days" galleries, private and public, would pay an exhibition fee. <BR/>Very sound market research in the UK has found out that collectors by far prefer to buy directly from the artist, on second place are public exhibits and only then with a lot of distance private galleries follow. The least preference has internet yet, but the combination of the last and first is the area where artists may find their way in future. <BR/><BR/>MartinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-6843051062821405422007-07-26T15:25:00.000+00:002007-07-26T15:25:00.000+00:00Great post, as always, and wonderful ink drawing. ...Great post, as always, and wonderful ink drawing. The dahlias are waltzing on the paper, and your description of the single bud in a bottle was great inspiration to try this with a number of things. I agree with Robyn, I hope you do a whole series of dahlias. Looking forward to the next post...belindadelpesco.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062375277740529374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-69485873831048716402007-07-26T08:05:00.000+00:002007-07-26T08:05:00.000+00:00Dahlias are beautiful, Katherine. They have terr...Dahlias are beautiful, Katherine. They have terrific dimension and lots of interesting negative space. I'm hoping since this is #1, to see more Dahlias. I'm also impatient for the arrival of my Blackadder Master Class book.Robyn Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01663604160297996421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-70921804915121771472007-07-25T23:47:00.000+00:002007-07-25T23:47:00.000+00:00Thanks Elio - very helpful indeed!Thanks Elio - very helpful indeed!Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-17780369965539012962007-07-25T23:35:00.000+00:002007-07-25T23:35:00.000+00:00As always wonderful post.Being in 13 galleries (no...As always wonderful post.<BR/><BR/>Being in 13 galleries (not in New York) I feel like I have some information to offer in this discussion.<BR/><BR/>What I have heard from gallery owners who have worked and work in the New York market. <BR/> <BR/>1. Standard split 70/30…70 for the gallery but consider that your prices are marked considerably higher then a normal market. Actually most of the artists I have spoken to claim they actually net more in New York Shows. <BR/><BR/>2. A large portion of the show is presold before it is ever hung. One gallery owner told me a really good gallery in a good market may have a mailing list of say 10,000 people. A good gallery in New York has a mailing list of 250,000. <BR/><BR/>3. They pay for everything. Promotional, ads, fliers…you name it they cover it under their 70%.<BR/><BR/>By New York standards then I guess the justification is they ARE taking a lower commission 50/50 while making the artist pay for all the promotional material and wall space. What’s shocking is he didn’t sell a single piece.<BR/><BR/>My history with galleries…<BR/><BR/>I believe galleries earn every bit of their split simply because they assume all the risk…<BR/><BR/>1. If a gallery takes 20 of your paintings and uses 20% of their wall space that’s 20% of their real estate. If you don’t sell they need to make it up somewhere else. <BR/><BR/>2. If they can’t pay the rent then you get your paintings back while they lose everything.<BR/><BR/>3. Galleries normally pay for all advertising unless a split is agreed upon ahead of time.<BR/><BR/>4. They assume all responsibility if the work is stolen or damaged.<BR/><BR/>5. If a painting is purchased and the check bounces the artist still gets paid.<BR/><BR/>6. The gallery pays for the return shipping on all unsold pieces.<BR/><BR/>Lastly, the split is not written in stone. Normally if you are starting out the split is 50/50 because the gallery assumes you are not going to sell well. As you become well known and you have sales history then splits can easily be renegotiated. Some very well known artists I know whose works sell for very high prices have negotiated 80/20 splits with galleries because the galleries KNOW the work will sell.<BR/><BR/>Hope this helps.Eliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04715601415331945417noreply@blogger.com