A price should be a decision you can explain to yourself. This illustrative example helps you see where your costs and commission go before you choose a selling price.
Separate making costs from exhibition costs
Start a simple worksheet. Record materials, framing and the amount you want to allow for your time. Separately, list the costs of taking part: any participation fee, packing and transport. Some costs apply to one artwork; others apply to the exhibition as a whole. Decide how to allocate the shared costs rather than quietly forgetting them.
Work through one example
Imagine a work with £60 in materials, £40 in framing and a £120 allowance for the artist’s time. Its making total is £220. Suppose the artist allocates another £30 for packing and exhibition-related costs. The total to cover is £250. These figures are invented for the calculation; they are not Arrival’s fees or a valuation of the featured artwork.
Allow for commission correctly
If a hypothetical organiser retains 20% of the sale price, the artist receives 80%. To retain £250, the calculation is £250 ÷ 0.80 = £312.50. Simply adding 20% to £250 gives £300, leaving £240 after that commission. Check the actual agreement, including any other deductions, rather than using this example’s percentage as a rule. Taxes and delivery charges may need separate treatment in your own records.
Use the result as a reference point
A cost calculation does not establish what a buyer will pay. Compare comparable works thoughtfully, considering medium, scale, edition and your existing prices. Keep pricing consistent across channels and decide in advance how any agreed discount affects your return. Exhibition costs can remain even when no artwork sells, so plan an affordable participation budget. Keep the final price and sales terms written down.
From our artist submissions: Paco Savino
Paco Savino’s submitted MARE MONSTRUM is an acrylic painting on canvas. Its title, medium and dimensions provide the basic information a viewer needs alongside the image. No price was supplied for this feature, and the worked example above is unrelated to this artwork’s value.
This work was shared through Arrival’s submissions. The exhibition photograph documents a separate past show.
