How to Become a Successful Art Dealer
As mentioned in The Princeton Review, "In general, people become art dealers because they have a passion for art. The pleasure that comes with making a living combined with the freedom of owning one's own business can make this an extremely gratifying career." Successful art dealers understand how to reach out to artists and how to promote to critics and collectors. Art dealers understand what must be done to bring art to the public and just how hard it is to achieve success and keep it.
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Instructions
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Obtain a degree in art. As explained at JobMonkey.com, "Most art dealers have a bachelor's degree in Art History, but many have a master's degree." Work or volunteer in an art gallery or for an established artist to build up your experience. It is hard to become a successful art dealer when you have no concept of art and its numerous forms.
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Develop your niche to be an expert. Decide what you enjoy most. Is it modern photography, watercolors, tribal art, or sculptures? As reported at ArtBusiness.com, "Randomness, lack of direction and inconsistency in your choice of art...assure that you probably won't be in business long."
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Put enough money in reserve to ride out the tough times. "There is a lot of attrition in the profession of art dealer. The dealer is paid last--yet those who are wealthy to begin with often don't last...," says art dealer Nicholas Wilder. Becoming a successful art dealer means you have to be prepared financially. "That means you'd better have enough funds and a respectable enough exhibition calendar to stay in business for at least six months, preferably a year, in case operating at a profit doesn't come quite as easily as you initially thought," recommends ArtBusiness.com
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Build a customer base of repeat buyers. These are the buyers who help keep you in business as a successful art dealer.
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Review the art that is out there; identify the trends and what is getting attention; figure out what is selling and what is not. "Word of your astuteness inevitably spreads, the writers and critics take up the cause, more and more collectors look to you for direction, the art community comes to revere you, and the rest, as they say, is history," points out ArtBusiness.com.
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Make your prices consistent. If you generally price high, keep it that way. If you shoot for the lower end, ensure that it stays that way. ArtBusiness.com advises, "Don't have one show where everything is $500-$1000 and the next where everything is $8000-$12000. Buyers will wonder what's going on."
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Use mailing lists, social networking groups, your website, and more to keep the public informed of your shows.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that a successful art dealer is running a business. "A gallery is not a social club for your friends, artists you know, people you went to art school with, or those droves of lip-servicers out there who adore you in theory but not in practice (in other words, who show up at your openings, drink your wine and buy nothing)," suggests ArtBusiness.com.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit gallery image by MATTHIEU FABISIAK from Fotolia.com
