Telling the story behind each work: the product sheet that triggers the purchase

01Why text sells as much as the image

The online art market works differently from a physical gallery. In a gallery, the collector is surrounded by the work. They perceive its size, texture, relationship to light. They can step closer, step back, walk around. The gallerist is there to contextualise, narrate, reassure. On the internet, none of that exists. There is a screen, a two-dimensional image and text. If the text is absent or hollow, the work reduces to an interchangeable decoration among millions of others.

Dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who invented the modern art trade by promoting the Impressionists, understood in the nineteenth century that selling art is not showing an object but telling a story. He wrote detailed letters to his collectors explaining why a particular Monet or Renoir canvas deserved a place in their collection. Your product sheet text must fulfil exactly the same function, two centuries later. The tool has changed, not the principle: the collector buys a story as much as an object.

02The anatomy of an effective product sheet

A product sheet that triggers purchase comprises several layers of information, each answering a different collector need.

The first layer is factual: title, year of creation, medium (oil on canvas, bronze, photographic print, etc.), exact dimensions, and condition if relevant. This information is the minimum requirement. It answers the questions every serious buyer asks before even considering an acquisition. Without it, the collector cannot project: will the work fit above their sofa? Does the bronze weigh too much for their shelf? Is the print signed and numbered?

The second layer is narrative: the story of the work. Not a novel, not an art history lecture, but a few sentences that give the collector access to the meaning of the work. What inspired you? What formal problem did you seek to solve? What moment, encounter or image triggered the creation of this piece? Artist Anselm Kiefer speaks of his works as "landscapes of memory". Each piece carries a narrative that the artist is best placed to convey.

The third layer is contextual: it situates the work within your broader practice. To which series does it belong? What moment in your journey does it represent? How does it relate to the works that came before and those that will follow? This layer particularly interests discerning collectors who are not buying a decorative object but a piece within an artistic body of work. A collector who understands the place of a work in your evolution is a collector who will return for the next one.

03Writing as you speak, not as a museum catalogue

The classic trap is falling into jargon. "This work interrogates the limits of the visible in a dialectic between presence and absence." That kind of sentence sells nothing. It may impress in a curatorial essay, but on a product sheet it drives away the collector who wants to understand what they are buying. Jargon creates distance where you need closeness.

Write as you would speak to someone visiting your studio and asking you about the piece. "I painted this canvas after three weeks in the Ardeche. The morning light on the basalt cliffs obsessed me. I wanted to capture that moment when the rock seems to vibrate under the first sun." This type of text, concrete, personal, visual, creates a bond between the collector and the work that jargon will never produce. The reader sees the cliff, feels the light, and understands what you sought to capture on canvas.

Artist David Hockney is a master of simple, evocative description. When he speaks about his Californian swimming pools, he does not theorise. He recounts what he sees: the light, the water, the reflections. The collector reading this description sees the work before even looking at it, and that is exactly what your product sheet should accomplish.

The ideal length for the narrative text is three to five sentences. Enough to create a connection, not enough to bore. Every word must carry weight. Avoid hollow adjectives ("magnificent", "unique", "extraordinary") and prefer concrete descriptions that activate the reader's senses. "The surface of the canvas retains the trace of every palette knife pass, and daylight reveals reliefs that photography does not show" is infinitely more effective than "an exceptional work that leaves no one indifferent".

04Technical information that reassures

Beyond the narrative, the product sheet must contain precise technical information that reassures the collector about the quality and longevity of the work. The type of support (linen canvas, cotton canvas, Arches paper, aluminium), the nature of the pigments or materials used, the framing or presentation method, installation instructions if the work requires particular hanging.

Photographer Andreas Gursky accompanies each print with detailed technical specifications: paper type, printing process, recommended framing, conservation conditions. These details are not filler. They show that the artist has thought about the life of the work after the sale, and this attention reassures the collector investing in an object they want to keep for decades.

For sculptures, weight, material and finish information is particularly important. The collector needs to know whether the piece can sit on a piece of furniture or requires a dedicated plinth. For works on paper, information about glass type (museum grade, anti-reflective) and conservation precautions (avoid direct light, maintain stable humidity) demonstrates your expertise and justifies the price. The more informed the buyer feels, the more confident they are to commit a significant sum.

05Photography in service of text

The product sheet does not work if the photo is poor, and the photo does not work if the text is absent. The two work together. The main photo should show the entire work under neutral lighting that faithfully renders colour. Secondary photos show details, texture, the work in situ in an interior, the work from the side if it has depth.

Gallerist Emmanuel Perrotin has implemented a strict photographic protocol for all works presented in his galleries and online. Every work is photographed under the same conditions, with a neutral background and calibrated lighting. This protocol ensures a visual consistency that facilitates comparison and decision-making.

You do not need a professional studio. A white wall, indirect natural light and a decent phone camera are enough to produce an honest reproduction. What matters is showing the work as it is, without filters or artifice. A collector who receives a work different from what they saw online will never return. Trust, once broken, does not rebuild.

A photo of the work in a real interior — hung above a sofa, placed on a console, lit by a lamp — helps the collector project. They no longer see an abstract image on a screen, they see their future acquisition in a living space. This type of staging, which galleries call the "room shot", has become a standard in online art commerce.

06The certificate of authenticity: the proof that reassures

The certificate of authenticity is an element many artists forget to include on their product sheet, and it is a mistake. Mentioning that each work comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by your hand reassures the collector about the provenance and future value of their acquisition. This document, which includes a photo of the work, your contact details, the creation date, the medium and your signature, is the administrative piece that gives the collector the peace of mind needed to invest.

Gallerist Daniel Templon has always insisted on the importance of the certificate of authenticity for the resale value of works. A collector who one day wants to resell or lend their acquisition to an institution will need this document. By mentioning it on your product sheet, you signal that you think long-term, beyond the immediate transaction. You show that you operate within a structured market where traceability of works is a norm, not a luxury.

07Price as part of the narrative

Price is a product sheet element that many artists treat with embarrassment. They display it tentatively, in small type, at the bottom of the page, as if apologising for it. Yet price is information the collector expects and that participates in the narrative of the work.

A clearly displayed price says you know the value of your work. An absent price says you dare not own it, and that hesitation transfers to the collector. Dealer Leo Castelli, who represented Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, set his prices with precision and owned them fully. Price was part of the proposition, not an awkward aside.

If your prices are coherent with your career level and the quality of your works, display them without hesitation. If you offer payment plans, mention it. "Payment in three instalments at no extra charge" is information that can unlock a hesitant purchase. The collector hesitating to spend 3,000 euros at once may find that three payments of 1,000 euros fit their budget better, and you will not lose a sale over a cash-flow issue.

08The product sheet on Artedusa

On Artedusa, your product sheet is the showcase for each work before a collector audience discovering your practice for the first time. Every field counts: the title that intrigues, the description that narrates, the dimensions that allow projection, the price that commits. A collector reading a complete, well-written sheet perceives a professional artist in command of their craft. A collector who finds a generic title and an empty description moves on to the next artist. Your product sheet is your handshake with the world. Give it the same care you give your works.