What is an art consultant?

When an art consultant first contacted me in 2016(ish), I had no idea who they were or what they did. Up until that point I had been mainly dealing with regular everyday customers-- people who saw something in my shop and bought it. 

If you landed on the post, you’re probably also wondering what an art consultant is.

Maybe one of them reached out to you in an email or DM, and you want to learn more about what they do. Or maybe you heard it in a conversation or briefly mentioned somewhere online. 

In this post I'm going to give you an overview of what an art consultant is, what they do, and how they can help you sell more of your art.

What is an art consultant and what do they do?

An art consultant is someone who procures art for their client. 

Their clients can range from private residences, hotels, public spaces, healthcare facilities, restaurants, corporate offices, cruises, and even yachts.

In my experience, art consultants, especially those who work with hotels and other corporations, are typically a part of a larger firm that houses many consultants. Though there are some that operate independently, mostly working with private clients.

Each firm usually works on multiple projects at a time. Similarly, each consultant can be working on multiple projects.

Their main goal is to find art that best meets their client’s requirements. 

For example, let’s say their client is a luxury hotel and the hotel is currently remodeling its premium suites. The consultant’s job is to find art that best fits the budget, design, wall space, and enhances the overall theme of the hotel.

Additionally, they oversee the production of any artwork (such as prints), facilitate commissions between the artist and the client, manage deliveries, and oversee the final installation.

After presenting their findings to the client and obtaining final approval, they will coordinate with the artist to issue payment and acquire the art.

How art consultants find art

Each firm has their own roster of artists that they like to work with, but if they can’t find anything that meets their needs from their current list of artists, then they start to look elsewhere.

Consultants may visit physical galleries, art fairs, do studio visits, or search the internet (this is how some of them have found me).

It's not uncommon for them to reach out to artists via email with a brief description of their project and how they envision your art within the space.

Three ways they work with 2D artists

Purchase ready-made artwork

This could be one-of-a-kind artworks or open/limited-edition prints that you currently have available.

Commissions

They will hire artist to create a custom piece that perfectly fits not only the vision of their design theme, but also the physical dimensions of the room.

Licensing

This is my personal favorite way to work with them. I briefly mentioned how they can oversee the production of prints. Well in order to do that they first need the artwork, and that's where you, as the artist, come in. They will license your art, for a fee, to be produced for their project.

The advantage of working with an art consultant

This is a great opportunity for artists because not only do they get to sell a piece of art (or several!), but they can form relationships with these consultants, who will then keep them in mind for future projects.

Over the years I have worked with a lot of the same consultants on various projects. Sometimes they only get one piece, but if it's something like a hotel project, then that can easily turn into many pieces!

For example, two of my large artworks were chosen for a hotel bar called Under the Stairs at the Grand Hotel Astoria in Brussels. That same hotel ended up choosing another artwork to be made as prints for 6 of their suites. So in total they paid to license 8 of my artworks. 

My Emerald artwork in the Grand Hotel Astoria

The short version

Art consultants are professionals who acquire art on behalf of their clients, work closely with artists, and handle the logistics of delivering and installing the artwork into the final space.

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