How to set entry prices for a new artist joining the programme

01Analysing the artist's track record before any decision

Before setting a price, the dealer must compile a rigorous inventory of the artist's track record. This includes past exhibitions, whether held in galleries, art centres, museums or alternative spaces. It includes residencies completed, prizes and grants received, public or private collections holding works by the artist, publications that have reproduced or discussed the work, and training undertaken. Each of these elements contributes to establishing what the market calls the artist's standing, that is, the level of recognition they enjoy at a given moment.

A freshly graduated art school student, however prestigious the institution, with no significant exhibition to their name, cannot claim the same prices as an artist with ten years of practice, exhibitions in recognised art centres and works in public collections. Galerie In Situ fabienne leclerc, known for its work with demanding emerging artists, has always ensured that entry prices faithfully reflect the stage of development of its artists, even if this means starting at modest levels that time and effort will raise.

The dealer must also examine prices the artist charged before entering the gallery. If the artist has sold works from the studio, at art markets or through online platforms, these prices constitute a floor below which it would be problematic to descend. A price drop would send a disastrous signal to previous buyers, who would see their acquisition depreciate, and to the market as a whole. Price consistency over time is a fundamental principle the dealer must respect from the very first sale.

02Studying the comparable market

The most reliable method for setting an entry price is to study prices charged by comparable galleries for artists at a similar stage of development. The dealer must identify artists whose track record, technique, format and positioning are close to those of the artist they are about to represent, and examine the prices at which these comparable artists are offered.

This comparative analysis requires active market monitoring. Fairs are a privileged observation ground, as prices are generally displayed or communicated on request. Gallery websites increasingly publish prices for their artists. Auction results, though they primarily concern the secondary market, provide indications of the appreciation trajectory of comparable artists.

Galerie Almine Rech, when integrating young artists into its programme, has always conducted this comparative analysis before setting prices that are both attractive to collectors and respectful of the quality of the work. Price positioning must account for the gallery's own reputation: an established and recognised gallery can set prices slightly higher than those of a beginner gallery for an artist with a similar track record, because the gallery's legitimacy itself constitutes a valuation factor.

03Differentiating prices by format and technique

The entry price is not a single figure but a grid that differentiates works by format and technique. A small drawing cannot be offered at the same price as a large painting, and a multiple cannot be sold at the price of an original. The dealer must establish a coherent price grid that allows collectors with different budgets to find an entry point into the artist's work.

Common practice involves setting a price per square centimetre or per point (Drouot system) for paintings and works on paper, then adjusting this rate according to technical complexity, production time and the singularity of each work. Sculptures and installations are generally priced per piece based on size, materials and production complexity. Photographs and prints are priced according to edition size, with prices decreasing as the edition increases.

Galerie Xippas, which represents artists working in very diverse media, has developed expertise in establishing price grids that reflect the diversity of practices while maintaining internal coherence. A collector who buys a small drawing at eight hundred euros and returns a few months later for a large-format painting must perceive logic in the price gap, otherwise confidence in the gallery's pricing policy will be shaken.

04Planning the price trajectory over the medium term

The entry price only makes sense in a dynamic perspective. The dealer must think, from the moment the first price is set, about the trajectory they intend to follow for the artist's prices over the next three to five years. Too rapid a price progression creates a speculative bubble that will eventually burst, leaving unhappy collectors and an artist whose market is durably weakened. Price stagnation, conversely, signals a lack of development that discourages existing collectors and deters new ones from committing.

Healthy price progression is gradual and relies on identifiable milestones: each increase is justified by a concrete advance in the artist's career, whether an institutional exhibition, a museum acquisition, participation in a biennial or a significant publication. Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, which has accompanied leading artists since the 1980s, has always defended a policy of measured price progression, even for artists whose demand would have permitted much faster increases. This discipline protects both artist and dealer from market reversals.

The experienced dealer knows it is better to set an entry price slightly below what the market could accept, create a waiting list and progress steadily, than to set an ambitious price and be forced to maintain it for several years for lack of sales. Scarcity and unsatisfied demand are powerful valuation tools that only function if the starting price is accessible enough to generate initial interest.

05Communicating prices with transparency

The question of price transparency is a perennial debate in the gallery world. Some dealers prefer not to display prices, considering that negotiation is part of the relationship with the collector and that the price should be adapted to the context of each transaction. Others defend a policy of displayed prices, identical for all buyers, that reinforces trust and fairness.

For a new artist in the programme, transparency is generally preferable. Collectors discovering an unknown artist need clear benchmarks to evaluate the relationship between the asking price and the artist's level of development. A collector who must ask for the price often feels a discomfort that may dissuade them from continuing the conversation. Galerie Jousse Entreprise in Paris, which works with design and contemporary art artists, has adopted a price transparency policy that facilitates the relationship with collectors, especially newcomers to the market.

The Artedusa platform aligns with this logic of transparency by making prices accessible to international collectors, which contributes to normalising the practice of displaying prices and reducing the barrier to entry for collectors who hesitate to walk through a gallery door.

06Pricing errors and their consequences

The dealer must be aware that setting an entry price is an act with lasting consequences. A work sold at a certain price establishes a precedent that conditions all future transactions. If a dealer sells an artist's first works at prices that are too low, sometimes under pressure to make sales quickly to convince the artist of the viability of their collaboration, they will find it impossible to raise prices significantly without provoking suspicion of speculation among collectors.

Galerie Lelong has always defended a careful and considered approach to pricing, preferring to sell less but at fair prices rather than underselling artists' work to display high sell-through rates at fairs. This philosophy, which may seem penalising in the short term, proves rewarding over time, as it builds lasting trust between the gallery, its artists and its collectors.

A dealer joining Artedusa with a new artist benefits from the platform's visibility to test the reception of set prices among an international audience, which constitutes valuable feedback for adjusting pricing policy if necessary.