How to Prepare Artwork for an Exhibition

Start with the exhibition requirements

Before you touch a frame or write a label, read the acceptance email and the exhibition pack carefully — twice. Make a single document listing every requirement and every date. At a minimum, capture:

• delivery date and address, with cut-off times
• collection date and address after the show
• private view or opening date and any artist call times
• hanging and framing requirements (D-rings, mirror plates, frame type, glazing rules, maximum weight)
• label requirements — who produces the labels, what information they need, and in what format
• image and publicity requirements, including resolution, file naming and deadlines
• sales commission percentage and how payment is handled
• insurance terms and where responsibility passes from artist to organiser
• whether the organiser needs a price list, artist statement, biography, certificate or signed loan form
• any restrictions on substitutions if a work sells or becomes unavailable before the show

Build this checklist before you do anything else. It is much easier to prepare a clean set of files once than to keep going back to the email to check what was asked for.

If the acceptance came through an open call, re-read the original brief alongside the acceptance to make sure the work you are sending still matches what was selected. The article on Open Calls for Artists covers what to expect at this stage in more detail. If you are showing through a commercial gallery, the conventions in How to Get Your Art Into a Gallery and Gallery Consignment for Artists apply alongside everything below.

Confirm the final artwork list

Once you have the requirements, confirm exactly which works are going. Even a small group show can drift if the artist and the organiser have different lists in their heads.

For each accepted work, write down:

• title and year
• medium
• framed dimensions in centimetres and inches, and unframed dimensions where relevant
• weight, if the venue has a weight limit
• price, including framed vs unframed if both are offered
• edition number and edition size° where the work is part of a limited edition°
• inventory or archive reference number from your artwork record°
• current availability and whether substitutions are permitted

Then check that the artwork list, the labels, the website records and the price list all match. The single most common cause of awkward exhibition moments is a small mismatch between a label, a price list and the artist's own website. Fix any inconsistencies now, while the files are still open. You should not be retyping titles, mediums, dimensions and prices from memory or from old emails — the version sent to the organiser should be the same version that already lives in your artwork record.

Prepare the physical artwork

Take each work out somewhere with good light and check it carefully:

• the surface fully dry and stable, with no last-minute varnish, wet paint or new fixings
• the frame, mount and rebate free of dust, fingerprints and old labels
• glass or acrylic glazing cleaned with an appropriate cloth
• painted or finished edges where they will be visible
• hanging hardware — D-rings, cord, mirror plates or whatever the venue requires — fitted securely and to the height the organiser has specified
• a clear label on the reverse carrying your name, the title, the year, the medium, the dimensions and the inventory number
• for prints, the edition number on the work matching the number in your records and on the certificate

If a work is still drying, choose a different piece. A small dent in a frame is repairable; a fingerprint dragged through wet varnish on the way to the courier is not.

How to label artwork for an exhibition

Labels are the single most visible piece of administration in any exhibition. Visitors read them before they read the room sheet, and collectors use them to decide whether to ask about price. Clear, consistent artwork exhibition labels make the work look considered; messy or inconsistent ones undermine it.

There are usually three different label contexts to think about:

• Wall labels — printed by the organiser or by you, displayed beside the work for the public.
• Reverse labels — fixed to the back of the work itself, so the piece can always be identified if it is moved or stored.
• Packaging labels — on the outside of the packing, so the work can be matched to its case during delivery, hanging and return.

A typical artwork exhibition label carries:

• artist name
• artwork title, usually in italics
• year of completion
• medium
• dimensions (height × width, sometimes × depth, in centimetres)
• price, or NFS if the work is not for sale and the organiser allows that wording
• edition number and edition size for prints (for example, 3/25)
• inventory or reference number for the organiser's records
• an optional short line of description, where the organiser allows it
• a QR code linking to the artwork page, if appropriate to the venue

Requirements vary. Some exhibitions display prices on the wall; others list them only on a separate price sheet. Some art societies have strict templates; some commercial galleries strip back to title, medium and price only. The point is not to invent your own format — it is to give the organiser the right information, in the format they have asked for, and to keep the same information on the reverse label so the work can never be misidentified later. Even when the organiser produces the wall labels themselves, the data they print comes from what you supply, so the accuracy is still your responsibility.

A QR code linking to a single, well-maintained artwork page is one of the easiest ways to turn a curious visitor into a follow-up enquiry, and it lets serious collectors check provenance°, edition details and your other available work without interrupting the show.

Artwork label example

A simple wall label for an original painting might look like this:

Andrew Bowers Standing Ground, 2026 Acrylic and mixed media on panel 60 × 60 cm £850 Inventory no. AB-2026-014

Each line does a specific job. The artist name identifies the work. The title and date locate it in your practice. The medium tells a buyer what they would actually be living with. The dimensions let them imagine it on a wall. The price either invites the conversation or, if absent, signals that prices are listed elsewhere. The inventory number is rarely noticed by visitors, but it is the line that lets the organiser, the courier and you all refer to the same piece without confusion.

If the work is part of an edition, add the edition number and edition size — for example, 3/25 — directly under the medium line. If the work is not for sale, use NFS only if the organiser allows it; some exhibitions prefer "Private collection" or "Collection of the artist" instead. If prices are not displayed on the wall, follow the exhibition's chosen format on the room sheet rather than inventing a new one.

Prepare certificates and artwork records

For original works and limited edition prints, the paperwork is part of what the collector is buying. A clean certificate of authenticity° signed and dated by the artist is the single most useful document to prepare in advance.

Before delivery, make sure every accepted work has:

• a signed certificate of authenticity, prepared but not yet handed over
• a complete entry in your artwork archive, with all metadata up to date
• a current sales record showing price, commission terms and the exhibition it is committed to
• edition details where relevant, including total edition size and numbers remaining
• high-resolution image files, properly named and stored
• condition report° notes and photographs taken before packing
• the current exhibition history°, so the new show can be added straight after
• any consignment° or representation paperwork with galleries who hold related works

The moment a sale is confirmed, you should be able to hand over a complete, professional package without scrambling. The same record then comes back into the archive after the show, with the exhibition added to the work's history. For more detail, see the guides on certificates of authenticity, provenance, artwork archive systems, artwork management and limited edition prints.

Check pricing and sales details

Pricing for an exhibition is rarely just the number on the wall. Before delivery, work through:

• the retail price for each work
• the organiser or gallery commission, and whether it is calculated on the retail price or net of VAT
• VAT, if you are VAT-registered
• who handles payment from the collector, how it reaches you, and when
• a single master price list the organiser can use directly
• which works are NFS, and the wording the organiser uses for them
• consistency between exhibition prices and the prices on your website and at other galleries
• whether framed and unframed prices differ, and how that is signalled

The two pricing mistakes that most damage an artist's reputation are not high prices or low prices — they are inconsistent prices and quiet price changes. A work priced at £850 in the exhibition but £950 on your website tells a serious collector something they should not be told. A separate guide on this sits in How to Price Your Art; related thinking on selling channels and aftercare is in How to Sell Artwork Online, and consignment-specific commission patterns are in Gallery Consignment for Artists.

Prepare images and publicity details

Almost every exhibition needs more material from artists than they initially ask for. Preparing the publicity pack in one sitting, well before the deadline, saves a lot of last-minute scrambling.

A standard publicity pack contains:

• a high-resolution image of each accepted work, square-on, colour-corrected
• a cropped or square version for social media, where requested
• title, medium, dimensions and price in plain text the organiser can copy
• a current artist biography° of around 100–150 words
• a current artist statement° appropriate to the work in the show
• a recent headshot, if requested
• written permission to use the images and text for publicity, plus a clear image credit and copyright line
• consistent file names (for example, bowers-standing-ground-2026.jpg) and alt text where images will be published online

Submit everything well before the publicity deadline. Press deadlines are often earlier than artists expect, and a late image is sometimes the difference between being featured in the listing and being left out of it. The guides on Artist CV and Biography, How to Write an Artist Statement and Copyright for Artists are useful refreshers if you have not updated these recently.

Condition notes and insurance

Before any work leaves the studio, photograph it. This is the single most useful insurance step you can take, and it costs nothing.

For each work, photograph the front square-on in even light, the back including any reverse label, the frame and mount (especially corners and edges), and any existing marks or characteristics of the materials so they cannot later be confused with new damage. Save the images against the artwork record, dated.

Then confirm the insurance position in writing. Some venues hold full nail-to-nail cover from collection to return; some only insure while the work is hung; some expect the artist to arrange their own cover. Confirm who carries the risk during transit, install, the exhibition itself and return, and keep delivery and collection receipts together with the condition photographs.

When the work comes back, inspect it before signing anything — ideally in good light, with the photographs to hand. If you find damage, report it immediately while the courier or organiser is still there, and update the artwork record. The guide on Artwork Valuation and Insurance covers the underlying valuation and cover questions in more depth.

Delivery, packing and handover

Packing should match the value and fragility of the work and the way it is being moved. For most original paintings and framed prints that means corner protectors and a sheet of glassine or acid-free tissue against the surface, bubble wrap or foam padding around the frame, and a rigid outer — a fitted cardboard sleeve for short journeys, or a flight case or crate for couriered or long journeys.

Label the outside of the packaging clearly with your name and contact details, the artwork title, the inventory number, the exhibition title and the delivery address. Inside, include a delivery note listing the contents of the case and any hanging instructions. Pack enough material to repack the work safely for the return journey.

Decide in advance whether you are hand-delivering or using a courier. Hand delivery gives you more control and lets you inspect the hanging space, but it also costs your own day. A specialist fine art courier is worth the extra cost for fragile, large or high-value work. Whichever route you choose, keep evidence of handover — a signed delivery note, a photograph of the work in the venue, or a short email confirming receipt — and check whether the venue can store the packaging during the show.

Exhibition opening and sales follow-up

The opening night and the days immediately after are when prepared artists pull ahead. Bring business cards or a small QR code card that points to a single, current artwork page, and have your portfolio ready to share quickly if a collector asks. Be ready to take enquiries calmly, with a follow-up plan rather than a closing pitch.

Record any sale promptly with the date, price, commission and buyer details. Update sold or available status across the exhibition price list, your website and any other channels within 24 hours. Send a short, personal follow-up to anyone who showed real interest, regardless of whether they bought on the night. Once the show is over, add the exhibition to each work's exhibition history and to your own artist CV and biography, with the title, venue, location and dates.

Selling at the exhibition itself is only one part of the return. Many of the most useful collector relationships start as quiet conversations at an opening and convert months later, often through your website or a follow-up email. The guide on How to Sell Artwork Online covers the channels and conventions for that longer follow-up.

Art exhibition checklist

Print this, or copy it into your own notes, and tick each item off as you work through it.

• accepted artwork list confirmed in writing with the organiser
• organiser requirements reviewed and saved as a single document
• title, medium, dimensions and price checked for every accepted work
• artwork records complete, with inventory numbers and current availability
• labels prepared, or label information supplied in the required format
• certificates of authenticity prepared for every original and limited edition
• prices, commission and VAT position confirmed and reconciled with website
• high-resolution images and social crops supplied, correctly named
• artist biography and statement supplied at the correct word count
• condition photographs taken of front, back, frame and any existing marks
• insurance responsibility confirmed in writing for each leg of the journey
• packing prepared, with corner protection, padding and a rigid outer
• delivery date and address confirmed, with a delivery note inside the packaging
• handover receipt or signed delivery note kept
• website and availability status updated when the show opens
• sale status tracked during and after the exhibition
• exhibition added to each work's exhibition history and to your artist CV

If you are running the same routine repeatedly, the underlying exhibition checklist° becomes part of your studio practice rather than something invented every time. That is where the real time saving lives.