How to price work for show?

[Alexandra Tyng]

Next month some of my portraits will be in a show of portraits and figurative work. There are three other artists in the show, all of whom will have figurative work for sale, but almost all of my work is NFS (either previously commissioned pieces borrowed back, or portraits of family).

I'm wondering how to price the one portrait that is for sale. Should I price it the same as I would charge for a commissioned portrait? This seems too high. A portrait is such a personal thing. I'm not even thinking someone would actually want to buy it, since the people going to the show would not know the person in the portrait. But I'm pricing on the assumption that there is that one-in-amillion chance that someone would buy it.

I should explain that I also paint landscapes, though there will be no landscapes in this show. My landscape work is handled by galleries and the price for a painting of the same size would be $8,000-9,000. A commissioned portrait would be higher, about $15,000.

I don't want to "come down" because I am afraid no one will buy it at the higher price. I am not desperate to sell. But I would price it lower because it was not considered a commissioned portrait and therefore not subject to that price scale.

I want to price it fairly and would appreciate any thoughts you have.

Thanks!

Alex

[Margaret Suddeth]

Alex,

For work I put into shows where I must put a price on, I usually put the amount I would charge to commission a similar portrait. I do that because I consider the piece more as advertising than a painting someone would buy. I want a potential customer to know about how much it would cost if they did commission such a portrait. Hope that helps.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Thank you, Margaret. That's a really good point. I hadn't thought of it that way. Since I am really not expecting to sell anything, the show is more an opportunity to show my latest work and get the word out there. So your suggestion hits the mark.

[Linda Brandon]

Alex, I had a solo show last May where I displayed work similar to what you're describing here: landscapes, non-portrait figurative work and portraits marked NFS. Your situation is complicated by the fact you have regular gallery representation so I don't know how to advise you on the financial end of things. I will say that it was enormously helpful as a marketing move for me to have a big show with great lighting on my portraits in particular. I'd never seen them so grandly presented and of course I put them in my best frames.

I paint a variety of subjects and I generally price my non-portrait paintings by size. They turn out to be less expensive than commissioned portraits but I don't think this is an unreasonalble thing to do.

[Linda Brandon]

Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread! I can't resist posting this.

[Allan Rahbek]

Nice show Linda

Someone said : "Never go below your pricing". That seems to be a fair rule. Better rise the prices at a certain pace and keep it there.

I don