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Pricing, Delivery and Timing
Art is a market,
on the whole driven not by artists but made by dealers and collectors.
It is through this market that art is valued. It can of course gain great
value but normally for this to happen the artist has to have died. Although
living artists are increasingly seeing their early works gain large prices,
most artists are not part of this market. Although some do have sufficiently
large demand to receive the same pay as, say, a solicitor, many though
are relatively lowly paid.
The idea here is to fix a rate of payment that is general to all which
reflects as much as possible a socially equitable level. We have taken
the view that there is no justification in paying an investment value
to aquire art but to fix a pay level at £150.00 per day.
Each commission would be estimated in days, an addition made for materials
and any other costs for example, fitting and transport, but not research
trips or other ‘jollies’.
The cost of a commission is the total of these. Mostly commissions fall
into the £5000.00 catagory, allowing £3000.00 or 20 days work,
£1500.00 for materials and £500.00 for expenses. But these
figures vary. Very good art of some scale can be purchased at this level.
Although large commissions, say over £20,000 must be considered
separately. Often these will include the cost of assistants and major
costs like metal casting. They also need heavy insurance to prevent large
losses, in the case of theft or fire
These figures will of course vary but make good guidelines.
Artists are often poor. They don’t run businesses in the ordinary
sense and often don’t have access to working capital so some arrangement
for partial advances and close supervision of progress may be made.
Aside from this it is fair to expect delivery and installation to be conducted
as required within the building schedule.
Builders, I note, often exagerate the need for completion by the artist
well before the component is needed. This is difficult and frustrating
if the scope of project has been reduced or a less desirable but more
achievable result is made.
Cost installation musn’t be underestimated and is often the subject
of a separate commission with say a craftsperson/engineer who can make
cases and fittings
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