| John's exactly right: If you introduce your clients to your artists, you're guaranteed to be part of the conversation. If you don't, you're guaranteed to be excluded. Which option do you want?
Art is all about communication. When a buyer purchases artwork, he/she is "purchasing" the artist as well as the artwork. The stronger the client-artist connection, the more likely the person will become an ongoing collector.
The progressive art dealer realizes that instead of hindering these connections, he should foster and encourage them. Indeed, building relationships is the essence of the dealer's job.
Instead of hiding the artist's website, why not enthusiastically share it with clients and encourage them to visit it? Instead of blocking access to an artist, why not pick up the phone and introduce the prospect to that artist? Heck, why not even give the artist's phone number to prospects?
Each of these actions would make a sale more likely; after all, wouldn't YOU feel special if you were invited to personally call the artist? Galleries and artists need to quit playing games and work together as a team and trust each other.
If I were an artist today, I wouldn't work with any gallery that tried to limit my freedom to have conversations directly with collectors online and offline. I also wouldn't work with any gallery that didn't agree to provide me with contact info of people who purchased my work so that I could strengthen my connection with my collectors.....my collector clan.
To reciprocate, I would make sure that each of my galleries trusted me completely. I would NEVER, NEVER, EVER sell directly to collectors that discovered me through my galleries (or, if the client insisted, to facilitate the sell, I would pay the gallery the commission for the sale after I collected the money.) I would NEVER sell my artwork for a price lower than what it would sell for in a gallery.
Now go change the world.
Until next time, remember that Fortune Favors the Bold Brush.
Sincerely,
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