Artists in the Art Market and Fraud, who can help?

This article is to address an existing and serious issue that many artists have faced and still facing! It is meant to support fellow artists and open their eyes on the real art world! Sadly to say! 

Some art organizers have been collecting fees for exhibitions, then cancel or change the date and month of the exhibitions where artists can’t participate and lose the fees paid! Such organizers are becoming professional in manipulating artists with sweet words and empty promises and are capable of playing the role of con-artists. 

I was contacted by some artists sharing their stories with me and I believe them as it happened to me unfortunately. As a curator and gallerist, I take the responsibility to refund artists immediately, should an art organizer cancel an exhibition as the case happened in ArtIbiza 2015 and was the only event got cancelled in my history! Same organizer is the organizer of ArtIbiza is of ArtMonaco, no wonder why I am not participating again in ArtMonaco! Since then, I have been even extra careful with offers I receive from art organizers and screen them well before accepting the offer and prior to inviting or selecting artists.  

Hence, I would like to encourage you to screen offers and read carefully agreements you receive before signing. They too must sign the agreement they send you. It is crucial that you share your stories with your fellow artists and make it known for it is one of the tools to stop those fraudsters. 

Having the talent to create art of all kinds is very special capabilties artists possess. Therefore, artists are entitled to enjoy, not only the joy of going through the process of creating each piece, but also the joy that comes as a result of their hard work. While artists, in general, know how to love and give but love is not native therefor, being aware of professional deceivers is a must. To read more, please feel free to open this link to my article and I do hope that it will help somehow!  

Be safe and share if you care

Mona Youssef

www.mona-gallery.com

www.monayoussef.com

Note: the above image is one of my paintings" Heart of winter" https://www.mona-gallery.com/shop/winter/heart-of-winter-leonardo-award