Gallery Consignment Agreement Checklist for Artists

Why consignment agreements matter

Once work leaves your studio, memory is no longer a reliable system. You need clarity on what was delivered, how it may be sold, who is responsible for it, and when you will be paid. A written consignment agreement creates that clarity.

Good agreements do not signal mistrust. They signal professionalism. They make expectations visible before anything has gone wrong, which is exactly when expectations are easiest to agree on.

The core terms every artist should review

• Artwork list: The agreement should clearly identify every consigned work.
• Retail price: Confirm the listed sale price for each piece.
• Commission split: State exactly how the sale proceeds are divided.
• Payment timeline: The agreement should say when the artist is paid after a sale.
• Insurance: Clarify who is responsible if work is damaged, stolen, or lost.
• Duration: State how long the consignment lasts and how renewal works.
• Return terms: Explain how unsold work is returned and who covers shipping.

If any of these are vague, ask for clarification before the work is delivered. Vague language tends to become expensive language later.

Questions worth asking before you sign

An agreement is only part of the picture. The working relationship matters too. Ask how sales are reported, whether discounts require your approval, how inventory is tracked internally, and how often the gallery communicates about active placements.

You are not being difficult by asking these questions. You are making sure the operational side of the relationship matches the quality of the presentation side.

The records artists should keep on their side

Even if the gallery has its own system, keep your own records. For each consigned piece, record the inventory number, title, date sent, location, retail price, commission rate, agreement start date, and any return or shipping notes.

Keep a signed copy of the agreement and a clear delivery list. If the gallery takes multiple works at once, document every item individually. This matters for insurance, payment follow-up, and general sanity.

Consignment and pricing discipline

One of the easiest ways to strain a gallery relationship is to change prices elsewhere without keeping consignment records current. If a collector sees one price in a gallery and another price directly from you, confidence drops on both sides.

This is why artists need pricing records attached to the artwork record itself, not scattered across invoices, email threads, and old PDFs.

What a good checklist looks like in practice

1. Confirm each artwork and its inventory code.
2. Confirm retail price and commission split.
3. Confirm payment timing after sale.
4. Confirm insurance responsibility while the work is away.
5. Confirm return timing and shipping responsibility.
6. Save the signed agreement with the artwork records.
7. Update your own inventory status the day the work leaves.

That final step is easy to overlook, but it is the one that prevents confusion later. If the work is on consignment, your inventory should say so immediately.

A note on legal advice

This checklist is practical guidance, not legal advice. If you are signing a long-term representation agreement or dealing with unusual terms, it is worth getting legal input. Even then, strong day-to-day records remain your best operational protection.