Vault Canvas

Consignment

Consignment is the most common way galleries sell artists' work. The artist retains ownership of the artwork while the gallery takes physical possession and the right to sell it for an agreed period, splitting the proceeds when a sale happens. A clear consignment agreement should state the works involved (with catalogue numbers), the retail price, the gallery commission, the consignment period, insurance responsibility, and what happens if work is damaged, lost or returned. Always keep your own copy alongside an updated inventory entry and a condition report from the moment the work leaves the studio. Done well, consignment is a fair and flexible model. Done badly, it leaves artists exposed, so insist on documentation that matches the standards in the rest of your practice.

Consignment is the most common way galleries sell artists' work. The artist retains ownership of the artwork while the gallery takes physical possession and the right to sell it for an agreed period, splitting the proceeds when a sale happens. A clear consignment agreement should state the works involved (with catalogue numbers), the retail price, the gallery commission, the consignment period, insurance responsibility, and what happens if work is damaged, lost or returned. Always keep your own copy alongside an updated inventory entry and a condition report from the moment the work leaves the studio. Done well, consignment is a fair and flexible model. Done badly, it leaves artists exposed, so insist on documentation that matches the standards in the rest of your practice. Consignment and gallery commission are often used interchangeably but describe different things: consignment is the arrangement under which the gallery holds and sells the work, while gallery commission is the percentage of the agreed retail price the gallery keeps when a sale completes. One is the contract, the other is the fee inside it.