I've always loved art but never knew much about the art world. I still don’t. But, in the process of learning, I became intrigued as to why some artists and galleries list their selling prices and some do not. It got my attention because it seems logical to me that when something is for sale, you have a price attached to it. Yet many artists want you to contact them to reveal the price privately. Why is that? Curious, I began digging around the subject. Turns out it’s quite interesting and, it’s also a controversial issue within the art world itself. Discover the dichotomy by reading, “The Cost of Price Transparency: Why Some Dealers Would Rather Alienate You Forever Than Reveal the Price of an Artwork” written by Eileen Kinsella is interesting - as well as this article by Darla Migan, "Art Dealers Are Notorius for Obscuring Prices. But as the Market Shifts Online, Many Are Finally Embracing Transparency." After reading various articles including opinions from some artists themselves, the most common reasons for NOT listing prices of art seem to be as follows: Without an available public sale price, you are looking for direct engagement from the interested collector giving the representative/gallery or artist the opportunity to get information regarding the potential buyer as well as influence future sales. The ability to offer potential pricing exclusivity solely to a collector group that the artist, agency or gallery has access to. The collector may love being part of an exclusive group that will have access. And, there is also the issue that a collector may not want others to know what they’ve paid for the art. If an artist's work is represented by those with connections to buyers, that same artist selling publicly online with price transparency could be a major problem due to the potential for price inconsistency, which makes agreements necessary. Before I knew anything about the subject, I was on the side of price transparency because, at my core, I’m pretty much one of those tell-it-like-it-is women. Yet, after a deeper dive into the matter, I do understand it a little better now… because if I did have a gallery, agent, or group that showed interest in representing my work - and if I accepted that, this website would be turned into a portfolio of my artwork, without pricing information here. Even though I’m not actively looking for representation, I'm the type of person who believes that if something is meant to happen, it will. That scenario could actually free me up to create more art or, I could feel like I’ve given up a level of control. People and their complexities, eh? Welcome to the land of my ambivalence. I'll cross the bridges when and if I get to them. Without a doubt, I'm sure there are galleries out there that may very well be a great fit for us both. In the process of searching for clarification on the price transparency issue, I discovered so many interesting sites, creative people and resources. I love learning as I go along and, there is always something to learn. Some days, I swear I'm like a crow... with all of the shiny things in the world beckoning me. Going forward into this new venture, part of my duties as an independent artist will be marketing. I’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do yet, and a lot to learn there, too! Building a website is only part of the story. It’s not like the early days of the internet, build it and then they will come. Nope. It takes major work and time. The plan for 2022 is to keep creating art! Stay curious, creative and open! - Shelly Taylor
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|