Marketing Mondays: The Art Consultant

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Q: Would you devote some time to discussing art consultants? I've been contacted by one who came into a recent open studio. It's an interesting opportunity but a completely new market for me. Do you have any experiences that you could relate regarding benefits or pitfalls that you'd be willing to share?

A: Art consultants play an integral part in how art gets placed in private homes, in corporate collections, and in public and private institutions. Unlike dealers who typically focus on placing the work of artists from their own galleries, consultants move freely to acquire art for their various clients, taking work on consignment from a range of galleries in different cities, for instance, buying directly from artists or art fairs, or sometimes commissioning artwork.

Some consultants work freelance, while others may be hired as independent contractors for specific private or institutional jobs. From this point of view, they are unique in the way they are able to see a lot of art and to connect the dots widely.

A Few Scenarios

. One does not need a degree or license to be an art consultant, just an interest in selling art and some people to sell it to. So for many women particularly, art consulting is something that can be done from home while the kids are in school. This consultant may have gone to art school and then stopped making art to raise a family, or she may be well connected socially and see a way to “do something” with her passion for art and design. I’m not dissing the woman who finds a way to be entrepreneurial within the parameters of familial obligations—indeed, a smart and ambitious woman may develop quite a nice business for herself. But . . .

Beware: There are many dilettantes in this category. If something else more important comes up, art consulting will become as passé for them as last season’s Gucci bag.

. The art consultants who are making a serious business of it have a dedicated office space (even if it's in the home), regular hours, and a more developed clientele because of their greater focus. Sometimes art consultants maintain a space that’s open by appointment. These are the consultants who are likely to look beyond the sofa, to work more in the way art dealers do--to help a client assemble a collection that's about the art, and not about the way it goes with the decor.
Interesting gray areas: The consultant with a gallery space and regularly mounted, if unadvertised, exhibitions; the private dealer with a small clientele and a space that’s open by appointment.  And, of course, many bona fide dealers consult on all kinds of projects with individuals and corporations. There are many ways to show, sell and acquire art.

. Some art consultants work more with interior designers than with the clients themselves--or with clients accustomed to thinking about art as an accessory. Here acquisition seems to be less about art than about decoration. The search is often to match artwork to color schemes or swatches, and to “find something” that "goes with" a particular spot in the fuchsia hallway. Everyone approaches art differently, but this is the approach that drives serious artists and dealers up that hallway wall.

Beware: This is often the scenario in which the artist will be asked, "Can you make it in chartreuse?" or alter an existing artwork. In a difficult economy such as this, you may say yes and then hate yourself in the morning.
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. Effective art consultants develop a roster of clients—private and corporate—and a roster of artists. And they develop courteous and professional relationships with galleries as well. You’ll see them where art and artists are: at open studios and at art fairs, as well as at gallery openings and exhibitions. You’ll also see them where potential clients are: at benefits and fundraisers, the sky-box parties at sports events, and at the numerous private parties where conversation may be about the suburban home that’s being built, renovations to the East Side townhouse, the newly acquired beach house, or the pied a terre in Chelsea.

Nice: A consultant who is one of them has easy access to them, which can translate into placing your work in a number of collections.

. Some art consultants vet the options and then bring clients to specific booths at specific art fairs, to specific galleries to look at particular works, even to particular artists' studios. Others may bring artwork directly to the client. For clients used to being served, this kind of personal service may get your work on someone’s wall.

Note: If your work is fragile, develop a way for the work to be easily transported. And make sure the consultant insures the work from the time it leaves your studio to the time it is either sold or returned to you.

Due Diligence

How do you find a good art consultant? Ask around at openings. Artists are your single best source of information. The consultants who act professionally, place work well and pay promptly are always noted with pleasure and respect, while the bad apples—and certain names invariably come up again and again—are noted with disgust. If you’re approached by a consultant (many use the Internet to search for artists by category or region), carry out your due diligence with a web search of your own. And don’t be afraid to ask for the names of a few clients and artists they’ve worked with. In the Comment section of my Red Flags post, one artist suggested running a credit check on the business. Smart.

Speaking of red flags, one such for me has been the contract (see here and here). While I think it’s smart to work with a contract that spells out expectations for artist and dealer, or artist and commission client, or artist and art consultant, beware the document that goes on for five pages with paragraphs and sub paragraphs limiting your opportunities while giving the other party carte blanche. You’re not buying a corporation; you’re looking to have a consultant sell your art. They need to agree to be financially responsible for the work from the time they take if from you to the time it is either sold or returned to you. They need to pay you promptly. And they do not have excusive dibs on your ability show show and sell elsewhere, even in their region, because they are not a gallery. See? That didn’t take five pages.

The Downside

. Unlike a dealer, who develops an esthetic program and has a working relationship with each artist represented by the gallery, the consultant has no such program or relationship. Yes, consultants may have favorite artists they like to work with, but ultimately, they are serving the client. An art consultant, then, is not looking to develop your career but simply to sell what you make. And what s/he is selling may not actually be about the art but about how well it goes with the sofa.  

. If the consultant wants 50 percent of the sale out of an artist’s studio—and some have come to expect that—the artist may getting little in the way of visibility. Ask: Do you have a website? Do you identify the work of artists in the installations? Do you publish a brochure of recent projects, and are the works identified by artist? These features will give you some of the visibility you need. And if you are visibly represented elsewhere, having an art consultant working on your behalf can be a bonus. (It’s dicey to work with a gallery and an art consultant based in the same city, because they may be going after the same clients, so broaden your geographical scope.)

. Also, as I mentioned in The Art Consultant Who Doesn’t Pay, it’s harder to get paid from a rogue consultant. You are not so desperate that you need to enter into a relationship with a person who has a record of not paying on tme, or at all. You will not be the exception.

The Upside
. If you are not gallery represented, working with a consultant—who typically works with a number of artists on an ad hoc basis—is a great way to make some sales. You may also find your work placed in a variety of venues. If you have a good working relationship with the consultant, and your work fits the bill for her clients, you may find yourself with plenty of commissions, too. (If you’re going to work on a commission, read this.)

In the best scenario, you have someone who’s passionate about art, respectful of the artist who made it, and eager to make a connection between artist and client. This is the person who places work well, gets paid by the client and then pays the artist quickly. Win/win/win.


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