How should I handle relationships with galleries when I want to sell online?

You’ll need to have a potentially sticky negotiation with galleries where you’re currently selling. If you create a clear bifurcation between prints and originals—galleries get originals, you sell prints online—that often smooths things over. Some galleries may resist, and you might need to pull some work back. Consider hybrid models where you use your online presence to actually establish value for the originals through a visible price ladder, which can benefit the galleries. The fundamental problem with gallery-only selling is you never know who bought your work, so you can’t build collector relationships. You need to own your customer relationships for long-term business growth, which means you must sell direct in some capacity regardless of your gallery situation.

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Asked by an artist selling established originals · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-07-24