Career Progression in the Art World
This spring we were invited by Young Professionals in the Arts NYC to speak at their event at The Malin.
Allison Therrien and Alex Badeni, our Associate Directors based in New York and London, shared the following case studies and recommendations as a guide to building on and shaping a successful career in the art world.
Part 1: Case studies for progression in galleries
Part 2: How to move sectors
Part 3: How to build networks
Part 4: How to effectively navigate an interview process
Part 1: Case studies for progression in galleries
I – Sales Track in a Blue-chip Gallery
Typical Career Path
- Gallery Assistant/Associate – 0-2 years of experience
- Sales Assistant – 2-3 years of experience
- Sales Associate – 3-5 years of experience
- Assistant/Associate Director – 5-7 years of experience
- Director/Sales Director – 7-10+ years of experience
- Senior Director – 10-15+ years of experience
Making a Move
Client: Established blue-chip gallery
Role: Director
Requirements: A minimum of 5 years of selling experience, with at least 10 years of work experience overall. Strong secondary market sales track record. Comfortably selling around the $5MM mark annually.
Process: 5 candidates were recommended, 2 of which were selected to interview.
Candidate 1: 20+ years of overall work experience, but only the last 10 have been in sales roles with galleries. Though currently in a Senior Director role, her experience has only been with small, less established galleries, so a Director role with a leading blue chip would be a step forward in her career. Currently selling about $6MM annually, an equal combination of primary and secondary market sales.
Candidate 2: 10 years of overall work experience, 7 of which have been in sales roles with galleries. Currently in a Director role with a large blue-chip gallery selling about $7MM annually. Though her sales are a mix of primary and secondary, her focus has been much more on the primary side.
Result: Candidate 1 brought stronger secondary market experience than Candidate 2, plus greater overall years of experience, and was seen as a better culture fit by our client. Candidate 1 was hired.
II – Sales Track in a Small or Mid-sized Gallery
Typical Career Path
- Gallery Assistant/Associate – 0-2 years of experience
- Sales Associate/Assistant Director/Associate Director – 3-5 years of experience
- Director/Senior Director – 5-10+ years of experience
Making a Move
Client: Small/mid-sized gallery
Role: Director
Requirements: A minimum of 3 years of selling experience, with at least 5 years of overall work experience. Should currently be in a Sales Associate, Assistant Director, or Associate Director role, and auction specialist candidates also welcome if they have a track record with contemporary works. Looking for a “non-aggressive” sales type who is a good team player. Comfortably selling around the $1-2MM mark annually.
Process: 6 candidates were recommended, 2 of which were invited to interview.
Candidate 1: 6 years of overall experience at a single blue-chip gallery, 3 of which were spent in a sales support role and the other 3 in a direct selling role. Currently at Sales Associate level and selling just over $1MM annually.
Candidate 2: 12 years of overall experience, 7 of which were spent in gallery sales positions with small galleries. Prior to this, she worked in other parts of the sector. Currently in an Associate Director role with a small gallery and selling just over $1MM annually.
Result: Candidate 1’s long track tenure at a single gallery was seen as a strength, as was her experience selling blue chip works. Although Candidate 2 had twice as much overall work experience, her sales totals were roughly the same as Candidate 1’s. It was also seen as a red flag that Candidate 2 had spent a short time in several of her previous roles. Candidate 1 was hired.
III – Artist Liaison Track in a Blue-chip Gallery
Typical Career Path
- Gallery Assistant/Associate – 0-2 years of experience
- Assistant Artist Liaison – 2-3 years of experience
- Artist Liaison – 3-5 years of experience
- Associate Director, Artist Liaison – 5-7 years of experience
- Director, Artist Liaison – 7-10+ years of experience
Making a Move
Client: Established blue-chip gallery based in Chelsea
Role: Associate Director, Artist Liaison
Requirements: A minimum of 3-5 years of experience working with artists, directly or in a gallery setting.
Process: 7 candidates were recommended, 2 which were invited to interview.
Candidate 1: 8 years of overall work experience, the most recent 5 of which were spent with a leading blue-chip gallery. Has been in an artist liaison position for the last 3 years and serves as a liaison to 7 artists.
Candidate 2: 8 years of overall work experience, all at the same established mid-sized gallery. Has been in an artist liaison position for the last 3 years and serves as a liaison to 3 artists, while providing support via a senior director to 2 others.
Result: Both candidates got good feedback and were seen as strong options for the position, but as the position required serving as the liaison to 5 or more artists on the gallery’s roster, Candidate 1 was seen as the stronger option as she was already managing 5 artists in her current role, compared with Candidate 2 who was only directly managing 2. Candidate 1 got the job.
Part 2: How to move sectors
I – Specialist role at an Auction House to Sales role at a Gallery
It helps when:
- The gallery role in question has a strong secondary sales market component.
- The position is with a larger, more corporate gallery where some hierarchy/structure already exists, making the transition for the candidate easier.
Questions/concerns that may arise:
- Whether the specialist’s clients will be transferrable and will buy from the gallery’s program.
- Whether the candidate can make a seamless transition from a larger corporate structure, especially if the gallery is small/mid-sized.
II – Artist Liaison role at a Gallery to Studio Manager role at an Artist Studio
It helps when:
- The candidate can demonstrate direct experience supporting multiple artists.
- That experience goes beyond acting as a liaison/communicator and includes hands-on work, i.e. involvement with drafting production schedules, working with fabricators, visiting the studio for progress checks, etc.
Questions/concerns that may arise:
- Unless the role is purely administrative, an artist will often want proof of technical abilities/knowledge in order to consider a candidate with no prior studio experience.
- Culture fit is often the most important consideration for a role working with an artist, as artists tend to be very sensitive to the personalities they work with, and studio teams are often quite small.
III – In-house art PR role to role with an art PR Agency
It helps when:
- The candidate is working for an organization with a high frequency of projects and can demonstrate the ability to work at a fast pace.
- The candidate can provide evidence of strong relationships with journalists and editors at top tier media outlets.
Questions/concerns that may arise:
- Whether the candidate can make the transition from acting on behalf of one organization to servicing numerous clients at once.
- If the candidate is coming from a big-name organization (e.g., a prominent gallery or institution), whether they have had to proactively go after press or simply react to press interest.
IV – Roles with Art Logistics companies to Gallery Registrar roles
It helps when:
- The candidate can demonstrate strong client-facing abilities in addition to logistics experience.
- The candidate has the confidence and communications skills to liaise with team members at all levels.
Questions/concerns that may arise:
- Whether the candidate has the leaderships skills to operate successfully (or even lead) a much smaller logistics department.
- If the gallery is blue-chip, whether the candidate has experience moving and working with high-value inventory.
Part 3: How to build networks
Invest in museum memberships.
- Select ones with networking perks, such as curatorial walkthroughs, artist talks, studio visits, private events, etc.
- Keep an eye out for ones with reciprocal memberships to institutions in other cities, which are more cost effective.
- Visit museum exhibitions during preview days, which are usually quieter and more conducive to meeting people.
Be out and about.
- Attend openings and art fairs. Go with a friend and lean on each other to make connections – i.e., have her introduce you to people she knows, and vice versa.
- When possible, attend art fairs on VIP preview days when is most likely that you’ll make valuable connections. Introduce yourself to people but be sensitive to those doing business in the booths themselves.
- Strike up conversations with people you don’t know and exchange business cards. Follow up with a personalized note so you stick in their memory.
Be a connector. Lead by example when you want to strengthen a connection.
- Introduce two colleagues with a mutual interest and they will likely return the favour with someone they think you should meet.
- Ask an associate to be your plus one at an event and they may think of you next time they are invited to something.
- If you are approached about a job and aren’t interested/available, recommend a friend who would be a better fit.
Find a mentor / be a mentor.
- Seek out a more senior colleague and ask if they’d be willing to meet for coffee outside the office. Use the opportunity to get to know them on a personal level. How did they get their start? What are some important lessons they’ve learned over the course of their career? Is there anything they would do differently if given the opportunity?
- Make yourself available in the same way to junior colleagues and industry friends who may be able to benefit from your experience and teach you about new innovations and ways of thinking.
Part 4: How to effectively navigate an interview process
Gather as much information as you can before you apply.
- Carefully review the job posting/description.
- If you are working with a recruiter, request a call to discuss the position in more detail. Come prepared with questions. Be honest in expressing any hesitations or concerns you have in case the recruiter can provide clarification or guidance. Ask what information the recruiter needs in order to make the strongest case for your candidacy. Ask about the expected hiring timeline and what the next steps in the process will be.
- Research the employer. See if any recent press coverage indicates reputation issues, turnover, or financial troubles. If it’s a gallery, see which art fairs they participate in, as this can often be a good indication of the level they are operating at. Review their artist list to see if you are familiar with the roster and are interested in the program. Check LinkedIn or the employer’s staff page to see how big their team is and what the structure looks like.
Send the employer/recruiter a version of your CV that is:
- Up to date
- Clear and legible
- Edited and not overly text-heavy
- Catered to the position you are applying for (i.e., bullet points should be in order of relevance)
Note: If there are gaps or short tenures on your CV, employers may see this as a red flag. Your recruiter will likely ask you to provide context for any CV questions before putting you forward for a position. Be honest and ask your recruiter for advice if you are unsure how best to position yourself to a prospective employer, i.e., if you were made redundant from a previous position, chose to take time off for personal reasons, or left a position after a short time due to a negative work environment. This allows us to get ahead of those questions and ideally, eliminate the employer’s concerns entirely. If you aren’t working with a recruiter, take a proactive approach to addressing these questions briefly in your cover letter so the employer isn’t left to draw their own conclusions.
Address compensation as early as you can.
- If you are applying to a position that has been posted online, the New York pay transparency law (which went into effect in November 2022) requires that employers in New York City with 4 or more employees are required to disclose the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly wage that the employer in good faith believes they would pay for an advertised job. Note that health insurance, severance pay, overtime pay, commissions, bonuses, and stock need not be disclosed. Make sure your expectations fall within the stated salary range before you submit an application. If you are invited to interview, ask about benefits and other financial incentives as early in the process as possible, whether via email or during an early-stage interview.
- If an online posting does not include a range (i.e., because the employer has fewer than 4 employees or the position is in a region with different laws), request a salary range as early in the process as you can, to ensure that no one’s time is wasted if figures don’t line up. Note that it is illegal for an employer to ask what you currently earn, so sharing your salary expectations (rather than your salary) is all that’s expected here.
- If you are working with a recruiter, he/she will ask for your compensation expectations before putting you forward for a position. Be honest about what it would take and make sure to ask what the overall package looks like so you can factor this against salary – i.e., commission, bonus potential, benefits, etc. If during the process your expectations change (e.g., because you receive a promotion or a competitive offer), let your recruiter know right away.
Follow-up and thank you notes make a difference.
- If you are working with a recruiter, make sure you follow up after each interview round to provide your feedback on the conversation – what went well, what you were less sure about, what questions arose, what next steps were discussed, etc. Ask for any feedback the recruiter received as well.
- Regardless of whether you are working with a recruiter, a post-interview thank you note (via email) is a great way to stand out and demonstrate your interest. In your note, refer back to a few specific points that came up during the interview, especially ones that excited you or further piqued your interest in the role.
- Some of our clients specifically ask whether a candidate has sent a thank you note before determining whether to proceed with them, so this is an easy way to win points with prospective employers!
Be thorough and timely at the offer stage.
- If you receive an offer, review the language carefully and make sure to request clarity around anything that’s vague – i.e. sales commission (what rate is this earned at?), bonus (is bonus guaranteed or performance-based?), health insurance (what percentage is paid by employer vs. the employee?), 401k (does the employer match and up to what percent?), etc.
- Negotiating is normal, but bear in mind the range you originally communicated to the employer/recruiter at the beginning of the search, as countering above that range may not be well-received unless a specific reason is provided.
- It is normal to take a few days to review an offer before making a decision, but delaying by a week or more can sometimes convey a lack of interest or may suggest that you are using the offer as leverage. If you are interested/seriously considering an offer but need additional time to make a decision, communicate your reasoning and provide a clear timeline for getting back to them.
Allison oversees senior placements across the US. Allison partners with a wide variety of clients and has deep experience advising US businesses on their hiring strategies, as well as a special affinity for our work with artists’ studios. Allison manages the US consulting team.
Alex works with clients throughout the UK and internationally, managing a broad range of senior-level briefs. With a background in financial recruitment, Alex specialises in finance and operations placements. Alex manages SML’s London-based consulting team.
If you’re considering next steps in (or into) your art world career, you can submit a CV in response to our current opportunities or get in touch via info@sophiemacpherson.com
Useful Resources
Cover Image Credits
- Dannie Jing