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Galleries and commission fees
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Message
Posted
Don't know about worldwide but 30% to 40% is average in North Yorkshire. Have heard of galleries charging 50% but no experience of this directly. I think the level should reflect the amount of effort put into marketing the work, merely putting it on display alongside other work might merit 30% for a well positioned gallery but if the gallery engages in promotion of your work through the media and events such as preview evenings etc. then a higher % might be appropriate.
Posted
I know I've said this before here on the forum but I never think in terms of the gallery taking anything. It's not a case of the gallery charging the artist a fee - they charge the customer. In other words it's a case of mark up - not mark down.
I agree with the gallery up front what I want (the artists price) and it's up to the gallery to decide what they want to add to it depending on the service they provide etc - as long as I get what I want they can add on whatever they like - they know their market place best. Mind you if they started selling my work with more than a mark up of say 100% (about 50% of sale price) then I would start to rethink my artist prices.
A galleries take of about 40% of sales ( about 66% on artists price) seems about right but don't forget they may also need to add VAT if you're in the UK.
Posted
A further alternative: we have a local gallery which lets out wall space for which there is a hanging fee and it also takes commission on sales. In this case it's the artists responsibility to set the sale price (not the galleries) taking into account the galleries commission. This is different to the usual scenario on which I commented above. I've not exhibited there and I'm not sure of the charges but I understand that it works out at about the same overall.
Posted
Always find out exactly what the gallery does for you out of their commission.
Gallery A: 30% commission & spending nothing on advertising your art is not a bargain...
Gallery B: 50% commission & spending !/2 of it advertising you and your art is a bargain...especially if they do the packing & shipping for you.
Art hanging on someone's wall for free hopes that someone might just have a look at it...a total penny pinching waste.
Art on a coffee shop wall is just that...it barely gets a second look...and your art gains a certain aroma.
Your own website works 24/7 for you at very little cost...add a PayPal shopping cart...and publicise it shamelessly is the cheapest option - but you've got to do all the work.
Posted
The point I was trying to make above is that, in most cases, the 'commission' doesn't come out of the artists pocket - it is the on-cost which the gallery adds to the artists price ( ie the price which the artist stipulates he or she wants for the work).
Just think of the artist as being the wholesaler and the gallery as being a retailer - strictly their on-costs aren't a commission at all.
I do agree that the artist should consider whether the on-cost is reasonable taking into account what the gallery does (ie advertising, shipping, labelling etc) and whether they want to use the gallery in the first place.