Instant access to a global art market
Choose to show your work to the world whenever you want, for millions to view at
any time or...
choose to show your art for a limited time and just to those who make it to
the gallery.
On the World Wide Web, geographic and time constraints do not apply. What if you
want to show just one piece… a hundred pieces… even thousands… the physical constraints
of bricks and mortar galleries also do not apply.
What if you want to show and sell pieces as you produce them without having to wait
until you have an exhibition worth, not to mention the attendant wait for income?
Online, you have the flexibility to post what you want, when you want, and with
us it can stay there for as long as you like, rent free.
Use our signature file generator to promote your work and your gallery with every
e-mail you send, or generate online postcards of your work. In the near future you
will even be able to have your art on people's computers and phones. Artsales.com.au
now offers blogs for individual artists so if you wanted to engage the public in
the production of a piece, to show a work in progress - a process which most members
of the public find fascinating - you'll be able to do just that. Or offer an insight
into your creative process, a virtual tour of your studio or work space, or even
just share a few of your daily musings; all of these things are possible on the
'Net. This is the kind of public engagement that has never been available through
non-residential galleries but is now; with you in full control.
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Embracing an unstoppable trend
Online art sales get the nod as Sotheby's shift their annual contemporary art auction
online.
Online art sales have finally taken hold with establishment giant, Sotheby's,
deciding to hold its annual February auction of contemporary art not in its York
Avenue headquarters next year, but instead, to put it on Sothebys.com, its Internet
site. ''That we would be selling works in the (USD) $20,000, $30,000, and $40,000
range is a surprise,'' says Craig Moffett, president of Sothebys.com.
Based in London, The Saatchi Gallery Online, (which does not provide promotional
tools or e-commerce facilities) has claimed dealers already spending ₤100,000 (AUD
$250,000) on paintings without seeing them in the flesh, while offline galleries
have reported that "Ten years ago, we used to have 500 people coming to an opening.
Now it's closer to five than 500." Art galleries are discovering that many people
prefer the comfort of choosing art online. CBC (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation) 04.12.00
It's to be expected, at least in the short term, that purists will still want to
see the most expensive works in the flesh, but the current trend strongly indicates
that when collectors buy art in the future, it's more likely to be with a click
of the mouse than a nod at the auctioneer.
In the meantime, sites such as Youtube.com and GoogleVideo (home video), MySpace
(with independent music and video), and Artsales.com.au, all of which allow users
to share their different art forms, have Internet analysts expecting such sites,
which act as a filter and hub for niches of creative endeavour, to become increasingly
important. New developments bring new opportunities: at Artsales.com.au, we'll show
you how to make the most them.
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More nurturing and less elitist
Complete this well known defensive art statement:
"I don't know much about art but...
I know what I like!" Right?
Whenever you hear these words, someone's feeling on the back foot about a simple
opinion. We naturally avoid situations where we feel inferior or uncomfortable and
sadly, for many, that's the art world. Conversely, we seek out environments where
we can grow and our opinions are respected, and that's the aim here: people returning
and getting into art because of a mind shift to "I don't know much about art but
I know when I'm liked!"
A conversation I had with a childhood friend, about how enjoyable galleries are,
led to the comment that he never went to galleries because “they were boring places
for rich snobs”. The look on my face must have been obvious because he was quick
to reassure that he wasn't talking about me. Through my eyes, the art world is a
warehouse of inspired imagination but through his, it's a dauntingly exclusive place:
austere galleries displaying precious, expensive works, often overseen by dismissive
gallery directors, which he pointed out to me, left him and lots of others, feeling
financially uncomfortable or scared of saying the wrong thing.
My friend's perspective was an eye-opener to the need for friendlier, easier and
cheaper access to art, and a knowledge base so everyone can appreciate and learn
about art in the comfort of their own environment. This site is designed to remove
the traditional barriers to entry, letting some of the hot air out and hopefully,
having a few fresh breezes blow through.
By removing these barriers, the 'Net (and Artsales.com.au) is establishing a broader
market with new players. The game just got bigger and now everyone's welcome to
play.
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Dealer or no dealer?
Real partnerships with dealers can be great...
but who cares for your best interests more than you?
With commissions of 25-50%, slow or no payment, and contracts including exclusivity
clauses with demands for commissions even when a work sells overseas or interstate
through another gallery, you have to question, how equal is the partnership that
some dealers and agents offer?
Please don't misunderstand me; dealers and agents take on the risks of an entrepreneur
and can be responsible for launching the career of an artist and making them famous.
They can also be quite valuable for those artists uncomfortable with the business
side of art, and many are very good.
However, industry surveys reveal frequent complaints, particularly when economic
conditions are a little tough, of drip fed payments, unreconciled accounts, undocumented
commissions, the granting of discounts or extended terms to collectors without the
artist's knowledge or permission, and galleries tenaciously hanging on to money
and artworks. There have been instances of artist's asking for the return of a work
they believe hasn't sold, only to get payment with a memo saying “You wouldn't believe
it, but we sold that work only last week.”
Melbourne artist Bruce Armstrong, well known for his colossal wooden sculptures,
commented that “It's really stressful to think that you're working on something
for three months, then some dealer waltzes in when it's sold and takes nearly half.
Paying a bit of rent and running a shop is much easier than making the art.” The Age: Review 01.10.05
Weigh carefully just how equal the partnership may be when considering a dealer
or agent, and avoid the unnecessary aggravation of being locked into a contractual
relationship with a slow-paying gallery.
An alternative, particularly whilst an emerging artists, is to become your own dealer,
using promotion through Artsales.com.au, and the tools and strategies we provide.
Recognised artists, with a healthy non-exclusive relationship with their dealers,
can also obviously benefit from this approach.
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Smaller costs and larger profits
A low 10% commission lets you charge sub-gallery prices
and still make larger profits.
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The Artsales.com.au advantage
It's only a benefit if you take advantage,
and Artsales.com.au gives you the advantage.
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