This article critically examines the practice of gallery commissions, particularly the 50 percent rate that is often treated as a standard within the art market. Its central question is whether such a commission is genuinely justified by the value, services, and performance delivered by a gallery to the artist. The author argues that commission should not be treated as an automatic entitlement, but rather as payment for actual work performed, including marketing, collector development, documentation, curatorial writing, promotion, sales management, and long-term artist development.
This article critically examines the practice of gallery commissions, particularly the 50 percent rate that is often treated as a standard within the art market. Its central question is whether such a commission is genuinely justified by the value, services, and performance delivered by a gallery to the artist. The author argues that commission should not be treated as an automatic entitlement, but rather as payment for actual work performed, including marketing, collector development, documentation, curatorial writing, promotion, sales management, and long-term artist development.
The article distinguishes between professional galleries that actively invest in artists’ careers and exhibition spaces that merely provide a venue without a clear market strategy. From this perspective, a gallery’s value should be assessed through its sales record, collector network, promotional quality, ability to strengthen an artist’s reputation, and continued support beyond the opening of an exhibition.
The author also encourages artists to become more critical when entering into gallery agreements and to stop viewing galleries as the only gateway to the art market. Ultimately, a high commission may be justified when it is matched by measurable value and professional performance. Without meaningful efforts to attract buyers, expand the market, and develop the artist’s reputation, commission risks becoming not a fee for professional service, but merely a “tax on artists’ hope.”
Read original article here : https://kolumpoart.com/2026/06/19/komisen-galeri-atau-cukai-harapan-artis/