Roles and professions

An art historian is a specialist who studies and interprets the visual arts in their historical and cultural context. Put simply, this is the person who can tell you who made a work, when and why, and what it means.

The auctioneer is the person who conducts a sale, takes the bids and closes the sale with a fall of the hammer. They set the pace of the room and manage telephone and online bids as well.

The custodian is the quiet guardian of a collection (from the Latin custos, guardian), caring for works so that they survive in the best possible condition for the generations to come. It is a less visible role, but an absolutely essential one, without which no gallery or museum could function.

A curator devises the concept of an exhibition and chooses the works — the person who gives an exhibition its meaning and its story. The word comes from the Latin curare, to care for.

A gallerist is the person who represents an artist, builds their career and handles the sale of their work for a commission. They are the link between studio and collector, able to turn a talented artist into a name people talk about.

Gallery representation is the relationship in which a gallery promotes an artist, sells their work and takes a commission for doing so. It is an alliance that can build a talented artist into a name — and into a price level.