August 14, 2006

Stefanie Graves  asks:

"I am interested in getting into the corporate art market. There seems to be a lot of information on approaching galleries and making contacts to build that kind of relationship. But I find very little information on the web about how to approach corporations as a possible venue for sales. Does one need to have an agent or is this something that you can do on your own? If so, where and how can you do some research to find out which corporations might be a 'match' for your kind of artwork as well as who specifically in the corporation to approach?"

Thanks for your email, Stefanie. If you're interested in the corporate art market, your first move should be to approach art consultants. You could approach corporations directly, but you wouldn't be using your time most wisely.

Art consultants (I am not one; I am an art marketing consultant) can be thought of as intermediaries between the purchaser and the artist. They represent purchasers, not artists. Let me say that again: They represent purchasers, not artists. They are vastly different from artists' reps or agents in this respect. They have a number of clients who depend on them to find the best art for their budgets. They have the client connections already in place.

Art consultants are in the business of buying art that fits with their clients' tastes and needs. They're not in the business of nurturing artists' careers. Their clients might be individuals, but they often work to find art for businesses such as banks or hospitals. Sometimes they seek only framed reproductions; other times they are looking for art that is quite sophisticated. When they buy for public spaces, keep in mind that they are usually looking for specific sizes and colors that would appeal to a wide audience. If you are a portrait artist, you would probably be wasting a lot of energy by seeking out art consultants. Likewise, few corporations deck their spaces with controversial or political art. It is usually fairly "safe" art.

Just to digress slightly, in a recent Wall Street Journal Article, Jared Sandberg wrote:

"Despite Oscar Wilde's contention that through art alone we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence,' corporate art can have as much a can't-win quality as the office thermostat setting. Spend too little on it and employees think the company doesn't care. Spend too much and you risk resentment that the company can splurge for a Calder but nickel and dime employee co-pays. Bold art can offend; inoffensive art can confer a creepy neutrality. Amid the reactions, which put our varsity griping skills in the starkest relief, there's always some furrowed-brow employee claiming his kindergartner painted something better." (August 8, 2006)

There you go. Safe doesn't mean best, it just means, well, safe.

I think most art consultants are taking the same percentage as galleries do. Usually, this is fine because they only request to have your art in their hands when they are 90-100% sure it will fit their clients' needs. In other words, they don't maintain a huge inventory and keep your work tied up when you could be showing it elsewhere. If they ask for you to deliver or ship your work to them, they are pretty confident they can place it.

Next time you're in the lobby of a bank or large building in a large city, look at the art. It was probably selected with the help of an art consultant.