How Tin An Creative Mortal Discovery Out Who Bought Their Painting?

This is a response to a missive of the alphabet I received recently. It concerns how an creative somebody tin observe out the names of the people who bought a icon sold inwards an exhibition at an fine art gallery.

The post covers

what is normal practise inwards terms of sharing the mention of buyers
commentary on the perspectives of fine art gallery, fine art contest in addition to artist
alternatives which hateful you lot e'er know the mention of the people who collect your art.

The people in addition to organisations involved conduct hold been anonymised for the purposes of this post in addition to consequently the missive of the alphabet has been edited to hold the focus on the subject in addition to non this specific example.

Letter from an creative somebody who sold a painting

Hello Katherine

Having enjoyed your writing for unopen to fourth dimension now, my approximate is that you lot mightiness live able to throw unopen to lite on a enquiry I've got. I suspect both the enquiry in addition to your answer may involvement many other artists who read your blog.

Last twelvemonth I was lucky plenty to non exclusively instruct a icon into the [art competition] exhibition at [name of gallery] but a blood-red dot appeared inside minutes of the start of the preview.

I'd dearest to know who bought the painting. H5N1 few emails conduct hold passed betwixt [the competition/exhibition organisers] in addition to myself inwards an effort to observe out the mention of the buyer.

My terminal electronic mail to them was fairly specific:

Dear [contact], Thanks for your e post reply. I had been hoping to utter amongst you. Perhaps you lot could give me a telephone telephone yell upwards unopen to time. [The fine art competition] exhibition was the get-go fourth dimension I had sold a icon in addition to non known who the buyer was. I'm non certain whether this is because of a policy made yesteryear [any of the people or organisations involved] or perhaps whether this is a specific asking yesteryear the buyer, made at the signal of sale, to remain anonymous. If it is a blanket policy applicable to anything sold through your organisation, I would live interested inwards knowing the reasons. I expect frontwards to hearing from you. [name of creative somebody who sold a painting]

and this was their reply. In fact, this was basically the same answer they'd given me twice before.

Dear [name of creative somebody who sold a painting]
Due to the demands of [sponsoring organisation], nosotros do non give buyer details out.

As I said, nosotros tin travel yesteryear on messages/information, in addition to enquire the buyer to contact you lot should they wishing to sign upwards to a newsletter or asking farther details nigh other work.

Part of our reputation is that nosotros do non part information, whether from artists, buyers, clients or amongst whatever i else.
I do promise you lot tin empathise our reasons for this, in addition to every bit said nosotros volition permit you lot know should the buyer instruct inwards touch.

Best wishes,
[name of contact]
I'm non going to pursue it further. Had I been inwards a mood to, I mightiness conduct hold asked:

'Which customer are you lot referring to?';

'Does the customer actually 'demand' that each buyer remain anonymous to the creative somebody from whom a icon has been bought?'

and 'for what reason?'.

I neither make nor sell a bully bargain of travel thus it's e'er a blood-red missive of the alphabet twenty-four hr menstruum when i of my paintings is bought yesteryear someone for whom I tin non assist but experience at that topographic point is a connector that goes beyond the mere financial.

Perhaps the gallery's argue is that they experience I mightiness do a bargain amongst 'their' customer behind their dorsum amongst regard to hereafter paintings.

In which case, I could almost empathise them beingness reluctant to unwrap a name. But, if that's the case, in addition to thus why non live opened upwards nigh it?

Living inwards [the dorsum of beyond somewhere inwards the world], where at that topographic point is a feel of openness inwards both landscape in addition to community, this thought of anonymity is something I'm non used to.

Am I beingness naive? Or perhaps other artists also similar to know where their paintings go.
With best wishes,[name of creative somebody who sold a icon terminal year]

Normal Gallery Practice re. sharing the names of people who purchase art

FACT: It's completely normal for galleries to reject an creative somebody access to the mention of the buyer of their artwork

FACT: It's normal for artists non to know the names of the people who bought their artwork - if sold via an exhibition or gallery. (For example, see Getting Collectors' Names From Galleries by Lori Woodward Simons).

I don't know who bought whatever of mine - except for commissions in addition to i that was an fine art guild exhibition yesteryear a beau fellow member - who came in addition to told me.

The primary reasons that galleries volition non part the names of buyers is that they "KNOW" that the next volition occur if they do:

artists volition ignore all aspects of the contract which stipulate what the creative somebody tin in addition to cannot do amongst honor to farther sales arising out of the initial sale
artists volition contact the buyer straight off in addition to quite mayhap live a nuisance. This may rebound on the gallery if the buyer avoids buying fine art from them inwards future.
artists volition after attempt to involvement potential collectors inwards farther travel - behind the dorsum of the gallery - in addition to their job organization is to protect their clients from beingness pestered
artists volition attempt to bypass galleries when selling travel - fifty-fifty to the extent of changing dissimilar prices for straight off sales

They know this - because this is what happens. It mightiness live the instance that an creative somebody gets blackballed from fine art galleries inwards the expanse if this happens - but it volition non live earlier the impairment has been done

Commentary - the gallery's perspective

When an creative somebody agrees to sell your fine art via a gallery what you lot are agreeing to do is pay the gallery committee inwards supply for:

their expertise inwards selling fine art in addition to converting involvement into sales
access to their database of fine art collectors - which has been generated over many years of doing business.

The fine art marketplace position is really competitive. H5N1 gallery has to protect its "crown jewels" i.e. the mailing listing amongst the names of people who conduct hold bought fine art from them inwards the past.
Galleries job the mailing listing to promote involvement inwards an exhibition in addition to generate sales. In full general they volition conduct hold 2 lists - amongst i of them beingness the listing relating to repeat buyers who are evidently prime number targets for whatever marketing.

What galleries demand to scream back these days is that i skid yesteryear a gallery assistant mightiness hateful that the Gallery emails its mailing listing amongst everybody's electronic mail addresses inwards champaign sight

the Gallery gives its electronic mail listing away for gratis if addresses are listed nether 'cc' rather than 'bcc' (and believe it or non I've seen it done!)
if it does this the Gallery is inwards problem on a 2nd count every bit it agency it has only committed a serious breach of the provisions of the Data Protection Act. People are entitled to know that their electronic mail addresses volition live kept secure in addition to prophylactic in addition to non shared amongst all in addition to sundry - in addition to that entitlement is backed upwards yesteryear the law!

Note: If you're interested inwards electronic mail software for maintaining mailing lists you lot mightiness observe my website Email Newsletter Software - H5N1 Guide useful

Some galleries volition relax the dominion nigh anonymity for repeat buyers who are interested inwards coming together the artist. However this is mostly exclusively probable to occur if the gallery believes hereafter sales to this customer is subject on a closer human relationship amongst the artist

Commentary - the fine art contest perspective

The i fleck nigh this even out which doesn't "fit" amongst the conventional explanations regarding galleries is that this exhibition related to an fine art contest rather than a gallery exhibition. In upshot a infinite had been hired in addition to sales were processed inwards the normal way.

However:

there is no mailing listing to protect
there is no gallery who must protect its contact listing inwards monastic enjoin to survive
further sales after the lawsuit are, inwards effect, non an number every bit such

So why apply normal gallery conventions to what is non a normal gallery exhibition?

I observe it really odd.

Commentary - the artist's perspective

Not knowing who bought your artwork mightiness really good experience similar giving away your babies to consummate strangers!

If this actually concerns you lot stick to giving your artwork away to identify unit of measurement in addition to friends who volition expect after it every bit if they'd painted it themselves

However if you're selling fine art you're working inwards a job organization Blue Planet in addition to you lot demand to live aware of how job organization is typically transacted - irrespective of whether it's correct or wrong.

I do handgrip amongst my reader that it's really odd that galleries are non much to a greater extent than transparent nigh the fact they won't tell you lot who bought your art.

Can anybody think of why this practise should non live much to a greater extent than opened upwards in addition to why galleries are non much to a greater extent than transparent every bit to its existence in addition to the reasons why.

One to a greater extent than point. Any listing of collectors you lot may conduct hold developed prior to agreeing a contract for representation amongst a gallery should NOT live shared amongst the gallery. Otherwise you lot gamble beingness dropped yesteryear the gallery really fast piece they perish on to "mine" your listing of collectors yesteryear ship ing them information nigh the travel of other artists.

Instead you lot should perish on to maintain your personal human relationship amongst your collectors in addition to conduct hold responsibleness for the direction in addition to mailing costs for keeping these people upwards to appointment amongst what's happening re exhibitions you lot are inwards in addition to where your travel tin live found.

That's why it's really useful to conduct hold a weblog which lists travel in addition to says where it tin live seen.

Alternative Options

Artists essentially conduct hold 2 options

communicating their existence thus fine art collectors tin observe them
selling their ain fine art straight off to fine art collectors in addition to cutting out the expertise/expense/mailing listing of the "middleman" ie the gallery

How to communicate your existence - thus fine art buyers tin observe you!

Sometimes fine art collectors desire to contact the artist. So how are they going to observe you. Think nigh the options for maxim who you lot are in addition to making it slow for collectors to observe you.

First they demand to know your name

Is your artwork signed amongst a recognisable signature? (see How to sign a painting, drawing or fine fine art print)

Results of 2 polls I'm running on How to sign a painting, drawing or fine fine art print)

Do you lot conduct hold a bill of fare nigh the artwork attached to the dorsum of the painting which spells out the title, the medium, the dimensions in addition to the mention of the artist (this is to a greater extent than probable to remain on the dorsum of the work)
Do you lot conduct hold a copyright notice fixed to the dorsum of your work? This evidently must include your mention in addition to it's reasonable to insist that this is non removed yesteryear a gallery.

Next they demand to know how to observe you

Do you lot conduct hold a job organization bill of fare in addition to is i attached to the dorsum of your artwork? (Or is it removed yesteryear the gallery. I know i gallery which e'er does this)
Do you lot conduct hold a website and/or weblog which comes nigh the top of a Google search on your name? (or your mention in addition to a relevant arty type word)
Does that website instruct far slow for people to contact you lot direct? (eg does it include your name, your electronic mail address - or where to observe it - and/or a job organization telephone number)
Do you lot conduct hold a Facebook page for your art which comes upwards when people do a search on your name?

Selling your ain art

It seems to me this practise developed when the gallery scheme had a stranglehold on the selling of art. However, that's no longer the case.

The creative somebody tin at nowadays prepare their ain listing of people who purchase paintings yesteryear selling straight off - via opened upwards studios, from their website in addition to from their ain ecommerce laid upwards online. Artists tin in addition to thus marketplace position straight off to their mailing listing if the collector has agreed this tin happen.

However enquire yourself this. Would you lot part your listing of difficult won buyers amongst other artists?

That's what galleries think too!

Warning!

There are unopen to major provisos nigh electronic mail marketing

an creative somebody cannot assume that they tin electronic mail buyers without the buyer's specific understanding inwards writing. That's why it's of import to engage amongst buyer amongst enrolment for a mailing listing earlier you lot sign off a sale.
giving out in addition to collecting job organization cards at an fine art marketplace position or fine art fair has the potential to generate names you lot tin sign upwards to a newsletter - IF you lot enquire people in addition to IF they sign a document to state they handgrip to emails beingness sent.

What's your view? How conduct hold you lot tackled this issue?

Do delight permit me know:

whether or non this is a job for you lot every bit an creative somebody and
what you lot conduct hold done every bit a result
any other comments you'd similar to make