Just been into Stratford and wandered into a gallery there, they had some lovely pieces in there for all budgets.
One piece took my eye which was by an artist called April Shephard, it is a charcoal piece of a racehorse crossing the finishing line and suited my tastes. It's up for £895 framed and there is another piece from the same style that matches it at the same price.
I know absolutely nothing about art and when I asked about buying the pair together the reply was "the prices are as per the ticket otherwise it devalues the pieces".
Fair comment but am I likely to get these for a reduced price or not?
No reason why not, usual negotiations apply. It rather depends how much they want to sell 2 pieces. I made an offer on a Lucy Young piece at a gallery in Cardiff and after a little give and take a deal was done. We aren't talking thousands either. It's easy for them to spout pretentious gallery speak but it's still sales! I'd stick to your guns.
Eta after a quick Google I suspect we are talking about the same group so they do deal
"the prices are as per the ticket otherwise it reduces our margin."Originally Posted by gavsw20
Gallery mark-ups are often very high so if you like the artists style you may well be better contacting them directly and having a piece commissioned.
I've a couple of friends who are artists and they're more than happy to sell work outside of a gallery, most artists will have a lot of work that hasn't sold because a gallery will only take a few pieces, so there's often a deal to be done. No artist wants a spare room full of unsold work.
I concur with the above.
I balked at a gallery price, found the artist on Instagram, contacted her direct, agreed a price and bought the painting. Even with the flight to NYC to collect the piece, it was still a considerable saving on the gallery price for a similar size painting of hers. And I love it.
I enjoy buying art but many gallery owners and staff are best described using words unsuitable for the G&D. Think gap-year airhead Clarissa/Lucinda types. As others have said, buy from the artist.
So - Galleries should stay open, in business - as a showroom for you?
Once the galleries are gone - what will you do then? Get your art at the supermarket? Ikea?
Fair enough - you see some art, like the STYLE of the artist and want something commissioned to suit your own taste - otherwise..... it's another race to the bottom
In the internet age bricks and mortar galleries are about as relevant as video hire shops. Absolutely sod-all to do with any kind of dumbing-down. I know personally several artists; all use web galleries. Who wouldn't?
Unfortunately the price is what someone is prepared to pay. If you like it and feel it adds value for you then fair enough. Some modern art to me looks like a six year olds tantrum on canvas but hey, what do I know?
Quite.
Many artists are well aware of their commercial value and are happy to deal directly. Galleries take a huge chunk from living artists : buying & selling 'old' art is a different game altogether and doesn't compare.
Think how much it costs to run a gallery - premises in a large provincial town £40 / 50k rent, rates, utilities; staff as much again. You could easily see annual costs of £100k so you need to make £2k a week margin to break even - £4-500 a day? How many pieces and at what average cost are you going to get out the door? I'd be surprised if most galleries weren't doubling up. At least.
Galleries will always have their place.
Looking at a piece of art in photographs and in person can be very different.
Agree.
I also appreciate that some artists will sell their art direct; however, many will respect the commercial arrangement that they have with the gallery and direct you back to them.
With that said, I have never had experience with a gallery who are totally unwilling to negotiate, even if it was a taken amount (10%). Often they will discuss the offer with the artist and split the discount between them, so less for the artist and less commission for the dealer.
Why not contact the artist direct?
I've tried to search for them on the 'net with little success.
Thanks for all the feedback though, sounds like there way be a slight reduction available.
Sorry just seen previous post.
Contact the artist directly to ask if you can buy one of his works. They wont always do this but you will save up to 50% on gallery prices if they do.
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