How can I get into galleries without being exploited?

Build your own audience and sales presence first. When you have a strong following and proven sales record, galleries will approach you rather than the other way around. This gives you negotiating power. For example, you can negotiate better commission splits - instead of the standard 50/50, you might get 60/40 for sales you generate and send to the gallery. You can also maintain your online presence and website while working with galleries, showing the gallery inventory on your site even if it’s not purchasable there. The key is to build leverage through your own marketing success before pursuing gallery relationships.

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Asked by an artist interested in gallery representation · Answered by Betty Franks and Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2024-07-12