Generally
speaking, though artists are usually excellent at the business of
surviving, they are often not good at marketing their own work.
It probably has something to do with the incompatibility of souls
and selling. I've heard some artists say it is very important to
find good homes for their art. This gets a little too folksy for me.
But there are a lot of artists who welcome the occasional visitor to
their studio, and a quick phone call will tell you whether you will
be. One artist I knew, kept a list of interested people. If it
happened he was a little short of cash, he would phone one of them
up to come over. Once in a while, you will encounter a real
wheeler-dealer, self-promotion-artist. Look for his ads in the
newspaper. Usually, both artist and buyer, will at some time, have
to deal with the dealer.
Visitors to my studio like poking through old stuff, stacked away in
boxes, stuff that galleries never see, stuff that is never publicly
displayed. It is always surprising what they pull out that they just
love... and off they go beaming with two or three tucked under their
arm. How could I have ever guessed? Accumulating too much stuff, in
the studio can be a problem , and as Illingworth Kerr once said, in
words to this effect, "It gets really depressing to have a lot of
work stacked around." So unless we are as fortunate as Picasso, to
lock the door when the studio is full, and move to another, it's a
matter that has to be dealt with.
Which brings us to the dealer. The most important question that
needs to be answered is "How much does he know about art?" And
one might like to know "What are his attitudes toward art and
artists?" for your own interest.
We often take for granted that an art dealer knows art. Not so. But
for you to know whether he does or not, it is obvious, you will have
to know something as well. The first clue will be "What does he want
to talk about?" Is it cars?... the stock market?... the weather?...
Is it anything, but art? "Does he `ooh' over this or `aahh' over
that - and does he remain absolutely silent for long periods of
time, the silence of not wanting to intrude, to influence, the
silence of sensitivity, the `I don't want to be pushy', silence.
If he will not, perhaps it is cannot, have a meaningful conversation
with you about art ...then you have found the retailer-dealer.
"Artists, of course, need to expose their work - although it is
questionable whether it is to the advantage of a really serious
artist to show in a context increasingly difficult to distinguish
from a store." (246)
Thomas Albright
246. Thomas Albright, On Art and Artists, (U.S.A., The Chronicle
Publishing Co., 1989), p. 181
