10. Consignment Agreements

There are wobasic contact that help done m . . , ,
between artists and galleries: consignment contracts (which pertain to, and are limited to, the right to sell and exhibit the individual works of art listed on them for a set period of time) and representation contracts (see Chapter 11), which pertain to the terms by which the gallery has rights to represent more of the artist's works in the future. Although some emerging or mid-level galleries may still wish to avoid representation contracts--because neither has enough experience in the art world, let alone with each other, to feel sure about being contractually bound to a relationship that may not work out, something discussed in Chapter 5 as frequently happening too quickly in many cases- consignment agreements have always been a tool for clarifying the terms of each consignment as well as doubling as a record of who has possession of which artworks. As the years go by, and artworks on consignment travel to fairs, or collectors' homes for approval, or in and out of the gallery's storage- or perhaps the artist has multiple galleries, or participates in many group exhibitions, or moves their studio things will get confusing, if not occasionally misplaced. A consignment agreement, signed by both the artist and the gallery, proves that at one point both parties knew which works were in the possession of this gallery and upon which terms the gallery had the right to offer them for sale.