The Art of Marketing Art

Art has emerged as a big Industry globally. With people putting more money into buying art pieces, both for usage and for investment, artists are now getting better value for their creations.

With growth comes competition. It has become important for an artist to not only create a brand, but also know how to reach out to an audience to sell the art.

Based on my research, the following channels have been found to be most successful for branding and selling of art.

Art Galleries – Galleries are the most important points for retailing art of established and budding artists. Galleries select works of artists which they feel are more sellable and then charge artists a commission on the pieces sold. Some also charge rentals for shelf space. Some popular galleries in India are SaffronArt, Dag Modern, Palette Art Gallery etc.

Art Dealers/Consultants – These are individuals who have an eye for art and a network to sell the same. Like galleries, they select some art works and sell them through a network and take a commission on sales. Studio3 is a dealer in contemporary art.

Ecommerce – Ecommerce has emerged as a good way to sell art. Artists can create accounts and upload their work. The logistics and payments are taken care of by the ecommerce platform. This is the general model, but differs from platform to platform. Some popular platforms include Amazon Art, Fizdi, Artsy etc.

Art Communities – These are communities of art lovers where artists can interact with the audience and build relationships with them. Relationships eventually lead to sales.

B2B Sales – Art can sold to businesses like builders who buy art for their new projects, cafes looking for decoration, offices to display in their common areas and so on. Some of these businesses may not pay well or at all. Artists can still get some branding mileage from such establishments.

Art Auctions – Selling art through auctions is the biggest source of income for auction houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s etc.

Art Fairs/Exhibitions – Fairs are held in different parts of the world where artists can register and put their work for display and sale. The charges for participation are generally quite high, though the footfall in such fairs is composed primarily of art lovers and sellers and hence is very relevant for artists. The India Art Fair is the biggest fair in India which takes place in February.

Art Bloggers – Getting bloggers who write about art to write about your work is a great way to reach out to art enthusiasts. Art blogs are frequented by people interested in art and looking to buy art. An article or review by an established art blogger builds credibility and trust in the reader’s mind. Blogs like Artnlight and Artists of India are popular Indian art blogs.

Guest Lectures in Art Colleges – Sharing your expertise with budding artists is a good branding exercise and is also great if you are looking to build a team.

Business Networking – Registering with local business networks, where professionals meet regularly, can give an artist a platform to reach out to potential buyers. BNI is one strong professional network. Also online networks like Linkedin can be used to promote art.

Social Networking – Online and offline networks like Facebook, Twitter etc. can give an artist good visibility at a very reasonable cost. Also the advantage some of these networks has is better targeting of your advertising messages.

Coverage – Getting press coverage about your brand plays a good role in establishing visibility and building customer recall.

Local Charity – Partnering with NGOs gives an artist a chance to give back to society, get a positive message across and get branding at the same time.  

Mailing Lists – Using email is one of the best forms of marketing. Building a mailing list or partnering with an affiliate to market is a great tool to reach out to a new audience.