Art dealer

How it is used

Dealers work in the primary market, selling new work directly from artists, or the secondary market, reselling works. Historical dealers such as Paul Durand-Ruel helped make the Impressionists successful. Dealers usually take a commission on sales.

Example sentences

1. The art dealer sold the painting privately instead of sending it to auction.

2. An experienced art dealer can tell you whether the asking price is realistic.

Common collocations

• leading art dealer
• primary market
• secondary market
• private sale

Related terms

• galleryA room or building where art is shown to the public; also a private business that shows and sells the work of the artists it represents.
• collectorA person or institution that buys and keeps artworks or other objects, often over many years and around a particular theme.
• auctionA public sale in which artworks or other objects are sold to the person who offers the most money.
• provenanceThe documented history of who has owned an artwork since it was made, used to show that it is genuine and was acquired legally.

More terms: Collecting & the Art Market

• commission
• patron
• lot
• forgery