Art agents act as intermediaries between galleries, artists, collectors, and museums. They require extensive knowledge of the art world, gained through experience and education, and must have a good eye for art. They may focus on representing artists or working with buyers and sellers. Successful art agents rely heavily on connections and may specialize in specific styles or periods of art. They help artists advance in the art world and find markets for their work, while procurement agents travel the world to appraise and sell art objects.
Art agents are professionals in the art world who act as intermediaries, working with galleries, private collections, artists, auction houses, museums and art collectors. Some art agents focus on representing artists; in this case, they may be known as artists’ agents, while others are more interested in working with people who want to acquire or sell art. Working as an art agent can be very challenging, but also very interesting.
To become art agents, people usually start by earning a degree in art history or a related field and working in an art gallery, museum, auction house, or similar facility. They need this experience to gain first-hand knowledge of the art world and to make connections, because success as an art agent is very much dependent on connections. Art agents must have a lot of knowledge about the short-term and long-term market for art, art history, artists currently working, and many other aspects of the art business. These skills can be taught, but an art agent’s ultimate skill, a good eye, tends to be more innate in nature.
Many agents start working for large agencies, galleries and other art organizations. This work experience allows agents to hone their skills before entering the freelance market or leading their own companies.
Typically, art agents focus on specific styles of art or art from specific periods, such as modern art, sculpture, Renaissance art, Japanese art, block printing, and so on. While some have broader areas of knowledge, highly qualified specialists tend to be more valued because they have such an extensive depth of knowledge. Art agents gain their knowledge by analyzing various examples of art, studying the history of the period they focus on, and learning about the process of making art, from how paints are manufactured to the techniques used by forgers.
When an art agent acts as an artist agent, he or she helps an artist advance in the art world. The agent works with galleries to offer performance opportunities and makes contacts with people interested in acquiring an artist’s work. Art agents are responsible for finding a market for their clients’ work and for developing their clients professionally so they have the best chance of success.
Art agents who handle procurement work travel the world looking at objects for sale, providing appraisals for their clients and handling complex tasks such as selling complete collections or verifying the provenance of an item. Like artists’ agents, these art agents work on commission, which can be in the form of cash, stock options, or trading in art objects.
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