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Dear Artist,

On Friday Susan Burns <%email("ebdesign@mindspring.com")%> of Douglasville, Georgia, USA wrote: "I received a call <%insert_pic("../clickbacks/images/artists/susan_burns/122404_burns",1,"JR","acrylic on canvas, 14 x 14 inches",1)%>from someone that had seen my work in a gallery in Colorado. Then she bought a piece from <%lurl("www.painterskeys.com/linksb.asp#SusanEastonBurns","my web page")%> and I mailed it. I called the gallery to tell them the good news and let them know that I owed them some money. Our agreement is 50-50. I told them how much I owed them and they said they'll take it off of my next check. Great! Yesterday, I got a call from a neighbor of this art buyer, and the neighbor bought a painting as well. Should I also credit the gallery another 50% from the neighbor's purchase? Both paintings were on my website, and not at the gallery in Colorado."

Thanks Susan. It looks like old Santa's really coming down that gallery's chimney this season. Perhaps you might think about a more sliding scale in future. In my dealings, kickbacks to galleries for private sales range from 50% to 10%. It's my point of view that an artist needs to take control of this part of the business. You need to write the gallery commission checks yourself--not get it done by them. For a gallery that arranges for the customer to either come to the artist's studio or to buy direct--then the full fifty is justified. Less connected and second generation sales where you do all the work, framing, shipping, etc, deserve a lower percentage. Also, some galleries put in a terrific effort to advertise, feature, and actively promote, and they should be rewarded. Galleries that only bring your stuff out when asked deserve less. Furthermore, where an artist has more than one gallery it may be difficult to attribute the origin of interest. It's one of the ironies of the business that sometimes you're sold in one gallery and bought in another. Fortunately for galleries, and yourself, this works all ways. When a customer wants to meet you and claims to get a kick out of buying direct, you have to watch out for those who only want a "deal." Be firm. As there is little or no advantage for a customer to deal direct, you might preserve your private joy and precious muse by sending them to one of your galleries.

Being generous with your galleries is an excellent idea. Great friendships need to be nurtured and maintained. But it's an inexact art, and conditions vary. Always remember that you are the chief elf up there making the good stuff. And it's the nature of dealers to be both naughty and nice.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "No man will work for your interests unless they are also his." (<%quote_author("David Seabury")%>) "No great collection was ever formed without a dealer." (<%quote_author("Gil Edelson")%>)

Esoterica: Because situations are generally in a state of change, long-term contracts can be troublesome. For artists and dealers an understanding is better than a rigid set of clauses. It's better to go for mutual caring and try to prove it up with regular deeds. Extreme generosity when written into a contract is called a Santa Clause.