Documents to sell a work of art.

Casey by John van Es

Hi Harriete,

I've painted all my life and I'm now 45 years old.  I recently created my own website and linked it to other portfolio sites to display my work.  I only show a handful of what I've created.  A buyer is interested in two paintings and is asking for papers and documents. What should be given to the buyer?  I never tried to sell before so don't know what to do.    Thanks in advance for your advice.
Signed,

Unsure,
John van Es
       
Dear John,

Thanks for your question and for labeling your images correctly!

 

The following information should be sent for artwork that you want to sell.

• A polite and business-like letter thanking the collector for his interest in your work and itemizing the materials enclosed with the letter (below).
• USB drive of digital images. These images should be professional quality images at least 8"x 10" at 300 dpi. Read the new Professional Guidelines documents about digital images for more information.  Include a full view and some close-up images for each piece.
  
• Contact sheet with thumbnail images of the digital images on the USB drive. This Contact Sheet is for quick reference. Read Working with Digital Images Effectively for guidance in making your contact sheet. 
• Resume (1-5 pages with your mailing address since it doesn't appear you are working through a gallery).
• Artist Statement (about the particular artwork on the USB drive)
• Description for the artwork on the USB drive including title, copyright symbol, date of work, media (be specific), dimensions (height x width x depth)
• Photo Credit for the image.
• Retail Price (label the price as "Retail Price" to avoid confusion with wholesale or artist's price.)

Geronimo by John van Es

If you have exhibited this particular artwork or if it is included in books, then you might want to list the exhibitions or publications that show or have shown the work. Also if you have any postcards or articles from newspapers or magazines that included images of the artworks, that would be very nice, but it is not necessary.

I have heard about a “Certificate of Authentication” from some people, but this seems more like a fluffy promotional sound bite when buying a souvenir plate.  There is no such organization or ''Certificate of Authentication" that is recognized universally. 

Your letter could document that you created and own the copyright for the artwork. The information listed above should be all that is necessary to give the collector confidence in the fact that he is buying an original painting directly from the artist.

IF you think that "price discounts" may be raised by the collector, I recommend that you read the Professional Guidelines document Discounts.

After the purchase is complete, you should send a receipt for the purchase along with a "thank you" note.

Good luck with the purchase.

Harriete

This post was updated on December 22, 2021, to provide current links.