An art dealer is a professional who brokers the sale of artworks, either on their own account or for a commission on consignment. A dealer represents artists on a non-exclusive basis, that is, not solely, and concentrates above all on selling, not infrequently in private and away from a gallery space. Now and then they take part in exhibitions as well. Their home ground is mainly the secondary market, where works are resold, but they buy on the primary market too.
They look for works and for buyers and bring them together discreetly. For one collector they find the painting missing from the collection; for another they help sell a work without the publicity of an auction. They often hold their own stock of works, check provenance (the history of ownership), negotiate the price and take care of shipping and paperwork. How does that differ from a gallerist? A gallerist builds the careers of a handful of artists whom they represent over the long term. A dealer trades in works by many names. In practice the two roles often overlap.
Considerably, if quietly. According to the Art Basel and UBS report, dealers and galleries accounted for roughly 58 per cent of the global art market in 2025, some 34.8 billion dollars, more than public auctions. History also knows dealers who helped shape the canon. Before Paul Cézanne's first solo exhibition in 1895, Ambroise Vollard bought up around one hundred and fifty of his canvases, and in 1901 he staged the first Paris exhibition of the young Picasso. Whoever believes in an unknown name in time can open its way into museums.
A dealer is often the way in to works that never reach the public market, and the way out when you need to sell. Selling art takes longer than selling a share, and an experienced dealer knows when, to whom and for how much to offer a work. Discretion has its price, though: private prices are not public, so they are hard to compare. Choose a dealer with a proven track record and ask whether they own the work or are selling it on consignment. On a resale through an art market professional, the artist is also entitled to a small share of the price.
— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club
Related terms: Gallerist · Gallery representation · Primary and secondary market · Liquidity · Artist’s resale right (droit de suite)
