What You Need to Know From Your Art Consultant
Some art enthusiasts consider that for their collecting interests that they may be served with a more independent advice than that of a dealer by engaging the assistance of an art consultant.
We welcome their business.
Should one elect to collect art with some consultancy or assistance beyond the expertise and experience of art dealers like that of Alan Klinkhoff Gallery, we emphatically encourage that the financial arrangements between the collector and consultant be clear and transparent. This will avoid any conflicts of interest in the quality of direction and advice given.
Our art business, focusing exclusively on the “Classics”, is extremely price competitive. Our gallery offers a transactional model of great financial efficiency for both buyers and sellers. We are rarely able to offer an intermediary a fee beyond a token sum as “thanks”.
Should you have an interest in pursuing a collection of important Classic fine art, we welcome your business. However for us to make available to you our finest, most precious and rare works of art and our competitive prices, we encourage you to demand financial transparency with your advisor or consultant and that you remunerate them.
Contemporary art businesses, ones offering a fine selection quality works by talented and active artists, received directly from the artists themselves or their agents enjoy profit margins of a traditional wholesale / retail formula. We might refer to it as “retail” art.
The “retail” art model is one that is not competitive in price. This artist to art dealer formula commonly provides for a profit margin permitting substantial “Introductory commissions” payable to intermediaries, decorators and art consultants.
The take home from this is simply a cautionary note that the greater personal financial appeal for the benefit of the intermediary in the “retail” model may be an incentive for consultants and decorators to direct clients to those “retail” art type galleries. Demand financial transparency from you art consultant.
At Alan Klinkhoff Gallery we have an extensive history and experience in the Canadian art business. We have earned market respect as leading experts in many of the artists’ whose works we offer for sale. What we offer is a vetted selection of artwork, guaranteeing the work authentic and of quality, offered at fair market value. We assure our clients that we would encourage them to acquire each and every work in our gallery. We would neither buy nor offer for sale on a consignment basis any work we would not want our friends and clients to acquire. Also, we offer our works of art at prices which, in our opinion, represent their fair market values.