< Back

Direct sales : artists are looking for new ways to sell beyond the gallery system

30 May 2026

As more independent artists turn to studio sales and their own digital channels, Timothée Roy points to a growing friction with traditional galleries, where exclusivity rules can clash with artists’ need for financial survival.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Timothée Roy, Agent for Major Artists & Contemporary Creators and CEO of InRealArt, highlights a sensitive issue in the contemporary art market: more independent artists are choosing to sell directly from their studios or through their own digital channels.

According to Roy, this decision is often driven by economic necessity. For artists facing financial pressure, waiting for a gallery sale while giving up a large share of the final price can become difficult to sustain. Direct sales allow them to keep more control over their income, but they can also create conflict with traditional galleries.

Roy points in particular to written or tacit exclusivity clauses, which may prevent artists from selling by themselves, even when gallery representation does not provide a stable income. In this context, online sales are not presented as a rejection of galleries, but as one of the tools artists use to survive outside a system that can leave them financially exposed.

The post raises a broader question for the contemporary art market: how can artists balance private sales, digital channels and gallery partnerships without being excluded from established exhibition circuits ?

Source: LinkedIn post by Timothée Roy, Agent for Major Artists & Contemporary Creators, CEO of InRealArt.