A growing number of artists are bypassing traditional galleries to sell their work directly to collectors, a trend that echoes pre-19th-century practices when artists like Michelangelo and Rembrandt dealt directly with patrons. High-profile examples include Damien Hirst's 2008 Sotheby's auction that raised £111.4m without dealer commissions, Banksy's Pest Control system, and Marina Abramović's independent collaborations during Frieze Week and at Glastonbury. Emerging and mid-tier artists, such as Bristol-based Matthew Callaby, are also selling via Instagram and organizing their own pop-up shows, often keeping more profit than the typical 50% gallery commission.
This shift matters because it signals a fundamental change in the art market's power dynamics, driven by artists' desire for greater control, flexibility, and financial return. Curator and private dealer Matt Carey-Williams attributes the trend to competition, control, and money, noting that younger artists want to avoid committing too early to the wrong gallery. As high streets decline and affordable commercial spaces become available, more artists are embracing independent models, potentially reshaping the traditional artist-dealer relationship and the broader art market ecosystem.