Websites for Artists and Art Galleries: Portfolios, Sales and Commissions

On this page

1. Who visits and what they want
2. The portfolio: organised and complete
3. Selling artwork online
4. Commissions
5. For galleries: exhibitions and artists
6. Protecting your work and building trust
7. Getting found and staying fast

For an artist or art gallery, Instagram is a great shop window but a poor catalogue. Older works disappear down the feed, there's no proper place for prices, sizes or availability, and the algorithm decides who sees your latest series. A website gives collectors, interior designers and curators a permanent, organised place to view your work, check what's available and buy or enquire with confidence.

Here's what an artist or gallery website needs, whether you sell originals, prints or commissions, or run exhibitions. (If you make crafts or homeware in quantity rather than original artworks, see websites for handicraft and artisan brands.)

Who visits and what they want

• Collectors and art buyers: availability, price, size, medium and a sense of your track record
• Interior designers and architects: works that suit a particular space, sizes, colours and whether you take commissions
• Corporate buyers: art for offices, hotels and lobbies, with proper invoices
• Gallery visitors: current exhibitions, opening hours and how to get there
• Curators, galleries and press: your statement, CV and good-quality images

A good site serves all of them without making anyone dig.

The portfolio: organised and complete

Group works into series or collections rather than one endless grid. It shows how your practice has developed and makes browsing easier. Every artwork deserves its own page with:

• Title, year and medium (for example acrylic on canvas, or mixed media on paper)
• Dimensions in both centimetres and inches, and whether it's framed
• Status: available, reserved or sold
• Price, or "price on request" if you prefer to discuss it
• Several images: the full work, close-ups of texture and detail, and a view on a wall to show scale
• A few lines about the piece: the idea, the process or the place that inspired it

Keep sold works on the site, clearly marked. They show your range and that collectors buy your work. Add an artist statement, a short bio and a CV of exhibitions, residencies and awards, listing only what's genuine.

Photography matters more for artists than for almost anyone else. Shoot in even, diffused light, avoid glare on varnished or glazed work, and check the colours match the original. See how to prepare photos for your website.

Selling artwork online

There's no single right model. Choose what fits how you sell today:

Model	Suits	What the site needs
Enquiry only	High-value originals and galleries that prefer a conversation	Listed prices or "price on request", with an enquiry form and WhatsApp on every artwork page
Online checkout for originals	Artists with a steady range of mid-priced works	A store where each original has a stock of one, so it can't be sold twice online
Prints and editions	Artists who want more affordable options alongside originals	Size and paper options, edition numbers and clear details of print quality

A WooCommerce store can take UPI, cards and net banking through Indian payment gateways, and international payments where your gateway supports them; see accepting online payments on WordPress. Mark an original as sold on the website as soon as it sells at an exhibition or through Instagram, or you risk selling it twice.

Be clear about shipping: whether canvases travel rolled or stretched, how framed works are packed, transit insurance, delivery times within India and abroad, and what happens if a work arrives damaged. Say whether originals come with a certificate of authenticity. For GST on art sales and paperwork for international shipments, check current rules with your CA.

Commissions

Portraits, murals and large pieces for homes and corporate walls often start with a website enquiry. A commissions page should explain:

1. The brief: subject, size, style, colours and where the work will hang
2. Sketch or concept approval before you start the final piece
3. Advance and payment stages
4. Timeline, including drying, framing and delivery
5. Changes: what can be adjusted at each stage

Show past commissions with the client's permission, and ask for useful details in the enquiry form: a photo of the wall or room, approximate size, deadline and budget range. Interior designers who source art for their projects will appreciate a short note on how you work with them.

For galleries: exhibitions and artists

A gallery website has extra jobs to do:

• Exhibitions: current, upcoming and past shows, each with dates, artists, a curatorial note and the works on display
• Artist pages: a bio and available works for each artist you represent
• Online viewing rooms: the works from a show with sizes, prices or "price on request" and availability, for collectors who can't visit
• Visit information: address, map, opening hours, closed days and parking
• Events: preview nights, artist talks and workshops, with a simple RSVP form

A mailing list is valuable for galleries and artists alike: collectors like to hear about new work and previews before anyone else. Offer a sign-up on exhibition and artwork pages, and only email people who have opted in.

Protecting your work and building trust

• Upload web-sized images rather than full-resolution files, so copies are less useful for printing
• Use a small, subtle watermark if you like, but don't let it spoil the work
• Add a copyright notice and a short note on how your images may be used
• Skip right-click blocking: it frustrates visitors and doesn't stop screenshots
• Show where your work has been exhibited or collected, naming collectors only with permission
• Collector testimonials, and Google reviews for studios and galleries
• Clear policies on payments, shipping, returns and commissions

Getting found and staying fast

An artwork titled "Untitled III" tells search engines nothing. Describe each work in words: subject, style, colours and medium. That helps people searching for "abstract paintings for living room", "Madhubani paintings online" or "portrait artist in Pune" find you.

• Write descriptive alt text and file names for artwork images
• Create pages for your main styles, mediums and commission types
• If your gallery or studio receives visitors, keep a complete Google Business Profile with opening hours and photos
• Link your Instagram and other profiles back to the relevant pages on your site

Large, high-quality images can make an art website slow, especially on mobile. Resize and compress them, use modern formats and lazy-load galleries; see image optimisation for WordPress.

Want a website that shows your art properly and sells it? See WooCommerce development for selling originals and prints online, or WordPress website development for a portfolio and enquiry site.