Author: Mellon, Susan and Crawford, Tad

Publication Year: 1981

Media Type: Report

Summary:

When the subject of artist-dealer contracts came to general attention in the litigious spirit of the 1970s, it initially aroused the same debate as prenuptual contracts: did the supplanting of a traditionally familial understanding by a written agreement dispel or contribute to mistrust? Today the wisdom of having a written agreement, at least for the artist and dealer, is widely if not universally recognized. Indeed, some of the legislation of the last decade governing art consignment requires that there be a written contract. Such a requirement does not constitute acceptance of the stereotypical naivete of one party, nor the avaricious villany of the other, but simply acknowledges the need for clarity and foresight in a complex and often emotional business.

Abstract:

Review by Marcia E. Vetrocq of the book, The Artist-Gallery Partnership: A Practical Guide to Consignment [New york, NY: American Council for the Arts, 1981].

When the subject of artist-dealer contracts came to general attention in the litigious spirit of the 1970s, it initially aroused the same debate as prenuptual contracts: did the supplanting of a traditionally familial understanding by a written agreement dispel or contribute to mistrust? Today the wisdom of having a written agreement, at least for the artist and dealer, is widely if not universally recognized. Indeed, some of the legislation of the last decade governing art consignment requires that there be a written contract. Such a requirement does not constitute acceptance of the stereotypical naivete of one party, nor the avaricious villany of the other, but simply acknowledges the need for clarity and foresight in a complex and often emotional business.

The desire to see the written agreement become a universal practice is at the heart of The Artist-Gallery Partnership: A Practical Guide to Consignment. It is a compact and most useful handbook on the common arrangement in which an artist places work in the care of a gallery and receives a fixed amount or a percentage of the price realized by the gallery upon the sale of the work.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Artists-Resources for