Feed your artists...

I would be remiss after my recent post directed at artists appreciating their galleries' staff if I didn't talk to the galleries, too.

​I learned a lot working for Karen Hewitt Hagan at Hagan Fine Art. As a client to Legacy, I love that we still work together. And I still learn. She's pretty great.

​One of the biggest things that I learned early on was:

Pay your artists and your staff, first.

They are the reason you are here. They are the ones that help keep your business going. Pay Them.

​I recently heard a horror story of a situation where a gallery didn't pay an artist that went above and beyond nasty. Sadly, this was the second time the artist experienced a situation like this. ​

The first time this artist experienced a gallery cheating them was a gallery in a coastal town that suddenly closed its doors and emailed its artists they were shuttering the business. Some artists were successful in getting their work back. Many did not... or they only got some work back and were not paid for pieces they didn't even know were sold.

This artist had two pieces they were able to collect, but the gallery sold two and claimed they never had the pieces to begin with. Despite documentation contradicting this, the artist was out over $5,000. (We learned later than this same gallery was chased out of another city a couple years before for doing the same thing.)

So, I can understand why my artist friend would be wary of galleries, but they decided to consign some work with a new start-up gallery near their town. Soon into the relationship a painting was sold and the artist was paid. Promising start.

But then, late last year, a painting sold and the artists didn't hear anything about it. They learned about the sale by doing a quick visit to the gallery website. The artist reached out to confirm. The gallery was offended. 

The gallery explained that it was having a bad end-of-year and [insert excuses for not paying your artists here]... 'We can pay in installments.' Graciously, the artist said yes and the gallery sent them $200. Less than 1/10 of what was actually owed.

Fast forward almost a year and that's the only payment the artist ever received. So, they reached out to gallery with an invoice requesting payment.

Oh boy... Within minutes of receiving the invoice, the gallery was on the phone calling and berating the artist. "How dare you send us this invoice when you know we're struggling!"

Things ended with the artist learning that there were actually TWO paintings that sold. The gallery said they would begin paying in those installments and told the artist they were severing the relationship and to come get the remaining pieces. 

I don't need to go further. Let's focus on the moral of the story...

To be a successful and REPUTABLE gallery, you have to do what's right. There is no weighing of options when it comes to gallery sales. Your inventory is not an out-of-pocket expense for you. Your artists are entrusting their work to you with the understanding that you sell it, you get your commission, you pay them theirs. 

When you're talking about art, you're talking about luxury goods. And luxury goods typically come with a hefty price tag. A gallery can very quickly get itself into a hole if it doesn't stick to the plan. Pay the artist when the collector has the art and you have the money. Simple as that. It's not your money to use. 

Do the right thing.

Otherwise, you're hurting someone that trusted you, hurting your business, and potentially destroying your reputation.

(Artists talk to each other.)