RSAS / How We Select Emerging Artists
How We Select Emerging Artists
Nine criteria, two researchers and a studio visit stand between an artist and our clients.
Most emerging artists will not go on to build a lasting market. That is no judgement on their work. It is the arithmetic of a crowded field, and any honest adviser should start from it.
Our selection process is designed to find the exceptions: artists whose careers show real, documented progress, at prices that still reflect the evidence. It cannot remove uncertainty. It can stop you paying for hype.
What We Mean by Emerging
An artist who sells mainly through the primary market, with little or no auction record. Typically they are within ten years of their first solo exhibition, and major works are priced well into five figures. Age plays no part. Some artists come to their careers late, and we judge them on exactly the same evidence.
Where We Look
Our researchers review many more artists than we will ever follow. They draw on:
- Degree shows at leading art schools, postgraduate and undergraduate
- Residencies and studio programmes with competitive selection
- Prize shortlists and respected open exhibitions
- Galleries with a long record of developing artists
- The emerging sections of established art fairs
- Recommendations from curators, critics and other artists
The Nine Criteria
An artist need not excel on every count. Weakness on several, or a serious concern on one, is enough to stop us.
- 01
The work itself
A distinctive and coherent body of work, not a handful of strong pieces. We look for development over time, technical command, and materials and methods that will last.
- 02
Commitment and output
A sustained, serious practice. Output should be steady but measured. A studio producing at speed to meet demand erodes the scarcity a market depends on.
- 03
Representation
The quality of an artist's gallery matters far more than the number of galleries. We look at its record in building careers, the stability of the relationship and how carefully it places work.
- 04
Exhibition record
A clear progression from group shows to solo exhibitions in respected spaces, and in time to public institutions.
- 05
Institutional and critical attention
Acquisitions by museums and by public and corporate collections, residencies, prizes and serious critical writing. Paid features and promotional coverage carry no weight with us.
- 06
Collector base
Who owns the work. Committed collectors and institutions make a far sounder foundation than buyers who are mainly speculating.
- 07
Price discipline
Prices that rise in measured steps, in line with demand and exhibition history, and that are consistent across the gallery, the studio and any other channel.
- 08
Early resale signals
Where work has already resold, we study the results closely. A first auction appearance can be a healthy sign. Works resurfacing at auction soon after their first sale usually point to speculation, which can do lasting damage to a young market.
- 09
Professional foundations
Proper inventory records, certificates of authenticity, correctly numbered editions and clear agreements with galleries.
What Rules an Artist Out
- Prices raised faster than demand or exhibition history can justify
- Comparable works offered at different prices through different channels
- Frequent changes of gallery with no clear reason
- Work reappearing at auction soon after its first sale
- A social media following presented as evidence of a market
- Open-ended or poorly documented editions
- Claims of collector or museum interest that cannot be verified
- An exhibition history built mainly on pay-to-exhibit venues
Our Process
- 01
Longlist
Researchers put forward artists from the sources above.
- 02
Screening
Each artist is assessed against the nine criteria using public evidence. Most go no further.
- 03
Full research
Those who pass receive a complete study of their primary market and any resale activity.
- 04
Studio and gallery conversations
We speak to the artist and their gallery, and visit the studio wherever we can.
- 05
Second review
A second researcher checks the findings. The decision rests with the research team / a selection panel, never with an adviser who has a sale in mind.
- 06
Watch list
Promising artists who are not yet ready are reviewed again every six months.
- 07
Ongoing review
Selected artists are reviewed at least once a year. If the evidence weakens, we withdraw our selection and tell clients who own the work.
For Artists and Galleries
We welcome introductions. An artist can be put forward by their gallery, by a curator or collector, or by the artist directly, and every submission is screened against the same nine criteria as the artists our researchers find for themselves.
There is no fee to be considered, and no fee to be selected. Please send a short biography, an exhibition list, current representation, recent prices and a link to a body of work to gallery@rsasltd.com. We reply to every submission within four weeks.
Most artists we review are not selected, and a decision not to proceed is no judgement on the quality of the work. It reflects the evidence of a market at one moment. Artists who are not yet ready can be added to our watch list and reviewed again.
Independence
No artist or gallery pays to be considered or selected. Where RSAS owns or is offering works by a selected artist, we disclose it under our Conflicts of Interest policy.
What Selection Means
Selection means the evidence met our criteria when we last reviewed it. It is not a forecast, and it is not a promise that prices will rise.