What a gallery’s commission pays for

It is one of the first questions artists and collectors ask, usually in a low voice: how much does the gallery keep? The honest answer is a percentage of the sale, charged only when the work sells. What matters is what that share pays for.

What is usual

When a gallery represents an artist and sells new work, the norm around the world is between 40 and 50 percent. When a collector consigns a work they already own, the share is lower and agreed work by work. In both cases a serious gallery charges nothing in advance.

What it pays for

Being seen: exhibitions, fairs, photography, the text and the page of each work.

Being trusted: the certificate, the invoice, an insured delivery.

Being found: the collectors and institutions the gallery knows, and the time it spends with them.

The price: setting it with the market in view, and holding it.

How we do it

No listing fee and no fee for appearing on the site. The commission is agreed in writing before the work is offered, and you see it before signing. You are paid once the collector has received the work, and when a work is resold the artist receives a royalty that is recorded with its certificate.

Why it tends to be worth it

Most sales are modest: in the market index we keep, seven in ten sold works with a public price went for less than 5,000 dollars. Selling at that scale is patient work, done one conversation at a time. A commission pays for those conversations.

What to have in writing

The percentage, and what it is calculated on.

Who sets the price and who can approve a discount.

How long the gallery has the work and how you get it back.

Who insures it, and when you are paid.

Two small questions

Can I negotiate?

Often, especially on consignment. Ask, and ask for it in writing.

How do I ask for representation as an artist?

Create an account as an artist and send your portfolio from your account. We answer within two weeks.

If you would like company

This is what we do every day from Mexico City: help people find, buy and live with original contemporary art. Book a free 30-minute call, or simply look at the works available now.

Image: “L463218 (Lilium auratum / Lirio de montaña)” by Andrea Wolf.