Love of an empty wall
When I first visited my future wife’s apartment, her walls were blank. She had lived there a substantial amount of time, but to me, it looked like she had just moved in.
I came from a similar-sized apartment, but with walls filled with artwork. Some of it mine, some I had purchased, and others that had been gifted. Each artwork had a story, a memory that was attached to it.
My wife is a minimalist (she loves Sol Lewitt), and I am on the other end of that scale. When we married and shared an apartment, we decided on minimal (well placed, but not cluttered) artwork on the wall. Over time, our wall space accumulated more artwork. Just when I thought there was not a square inch more room to hang anything, my wife exclaimed, “Guess what I found last night? Another spot we could hang something!”
I am in the business of placement (among other things). When I am closing in on a sale, I will often ask, “Do you have a place in mind for it?” This is about visualization and also testing if the piece will be a good fit physically and aesthetically. Once, I discovered that a client was looking for something red because they had just purchased two new red sofas for the room. I’ve had interior designers come in with fabric samples and hold them up to a piece. Of course, the dream answer is, “I don’t have a place now, but I’ll find a place.” That’s a real collector for you.
It also needs to fit in the space physically, and once it’s there, it needs to feel good proportionally (TIP: if the piece you are selling is 40 inches high and only 36 inches will do, make it 36 inches and keep it within that edition, same price. I’ve done this more than once. Photography is malleable, take advantage of that).
As an artist, you need to share your work in situ. There is nothing more satisfying for me than to see where artwork ends up. But to get there, you have to show how your artwork visually lives outside of a jpeg on your website or a post on IG. Client’s need to visualize what your work looks like IRL when they don’t always have the opportunity to see it in person. And even if they do, if there is a place in mind, have them take a picture of that place, give you the dimensions of the wall space, and work your magic in Photoshop to drop in your piece. I learned this strategy years ago from Anna at Jackson Fine Art.
My photoshop skills are not perfect, but I have a colleague that can get the job done. The client will enjoy a personalized experience of viewing your artwork in their home.
It’s important to give your client choices as well. Even if they didn’t feel strongly about some pieces in person or online, seeing them in situ might open up new possibilities for them.
Your website and IG feed should include examples of your work outside of the studio. Hang it in your house or a friend’s house. If you have exhibition installation views, please share those. The challenge with looking at everything online is that we lose a sense of scale and tangibility.
If you’ve made a good connection with someone, ask them if they have a place in mind and work with them on a virtual placement. They will greatly appreciate that, and you will move one step closer to a sale.
Michael Foley opened his gallery in 2004 after fourteen years of working with notable photography galleries, including Fraenkel Gallery, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Yancey Richardson Gallery.
In 2002, Foley continued his interest in educating and working with artists by serving on the School of Visual Arts and International Center of Photography faculty. He currently teaches and lectures on contemporary photography issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In 2020, he founded The Photo Community, which offers classes and commentary on contemporary photography.
Foley lives and works on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.