What is an artist agent?

An artist agent is any professional who works on behalf of an artist to represent, promote, and sell their work. In many ways, they represent the business interests of the artist, whether by pursuing individual sales, licensing deals, publicity, or opportunities like teaching, events, or commissions for artists. An artist agent might be a private art dealer, an art consultant, a gallery, or even just a professional with the right connections, like  a publicist or marketing consultant.

Reasons to have an art agent :

1. For their connections

   Artist agents professionally sell art and represent artists, so they will be bound to have more connections with collectors, event organizers, press, and other art professionals than the average artist.

2. For sales, publicity, and event opportunities

   Well, this is the point of an artist agent. Ideally, an agent will get you all of these and more. A good agent with the right connections might also help you secure financing for future projects, introduce you to potential sponsors and important people in other industries, opening up a world of opportunity.

3. To save time

   When an artist agent is working on your behalf, you can spend your time focusing on creating art. And, let’s face it, isn’t that why you really became an artist?

4. If your business skills are lacking

   If you are not comfortable networking or connection-building, then an agent may be worth the cost. Artists are often known for being introverts, and there’s no shame in it. Agents are particularly beneficial for well-established artists who have consistent sales and high profit. If this is the case for you, your priority should be creating more artwork; you can afford to, and should, shoulder up the commission to have somebody else deal with the business end of things.