In yesterday’s entry, I mentioned, among other things, the phenomenon of people behaving around artists the way they would behave in a clothing store that sells overpriced clothing. I find this phenomenon a little sad. The same way that misunderstandings result when one group of people systematically avoids another, non-artists avoiding artists results in a lack of communication, which ultimately limits the impact that artists have on society.
I believe there is a confusion here between artists and galleries. If you walk into a gallery, the person working there will indeed try to sell you something. That is their job. Many galleries are struggling to stay in business, and they need to sell as much artwork as possible to survive. And what they sell you will necessarily be overpriced, because at least 50% of the proceeds will go towards running the gallery.1 That is not to say you shouldn’t purchase work at galleries; by all means, support galleries. But the person who sells you a painting in a gallery will not suffer any negative consequences if you don’t love what you have just bought.
If you walk into my studio, on the other hand, the last thing I want is for you to purchase something you don’t want. Making paintings is extremely time-consuming. There are only so many paintings I will be able to make in my lifetime. Every painting I make (unless it is not up to my standards, in which case I destroy and discard it) is precious to me. Every painting I have ever produced was the most important thing in the world to me during the period that I was working on it. If one of my paintings ends up in the possession of someone who doesn’t love it and doesn’t appreciate its value, that painting will not be available for someone who might love it and appreciate it. Paintings, like living beings, are fragile; they perish when they are neglected. And each painting is a one-of-a-kind item. Even if I rework the same theme, which only happens if the theme or mental image is for some reason important to me, the result won’t be the same; it will be a different painting.
Therefore, if you are one of my collectors and have a painting of mine that you are unhappy with, I urge you to email me, and I will happily buy the painting back from you at the price that you paid for it.
The other side of this coin is that if one of my paintings speaks to you, and you don’t acquire it, it may no longer be available when you have made up your mind. But again, I am really not interested in selling paintings. What I am interested in is putting my paintings in homes where they will be seen and appreciated every day. That way, if my studio ever burns down or is otherwise damaged, at least some of my paintings will survive.
I don’t believe I am alone in my feelings. As I wrote yesterday, I believe that all artists experience certain feelings that are common to anyone engaged in making art in a serious way. Don’t fear artists. They are some of the gentlest people around. Feel free to go to their studios and get to know them. The artist is hoping that you will love their work. They may indeed need the money. But they will not want the money so much that they will want their work to be purchased by someone who doesn’t love it. If an artist’s work doesn’t speak to you, don’t feel guilty or self-conscious walking out empty-handed. Avoiding artists’ studios is a little like avoiding art museums. Why would you do it?
- You read that correctly. When you purchase something at a gallery these days, the artist gets at most 50% of what you pay. The gallery keeps the rest. ↩︎