What art advisors charge
Art advisors charge a commission on the price of a work, an hourly or day rate, a project fee or a retainer, and published commission figures run from about 5% to 20%. Whitebank Fine Art's fee to sellers is typically 0%, and on rare occasions 2.5% to 10% where a sale is complex.
Art advisor fees at a glance
Art advisor fees depend on the work involved, and commission is the most commonly quoted. These are published figures from guides we read in November 2026, one from a UK advisory and one from a US directory of advisors, dated August 2026.
| Fee | Used for | Published figure |
|---|---|---|
| Commission on buying | Finding and buying a work | About 10% (US), or 5% to 20% (UK) |
| Commission on selling | Placing a work for sale | 5% to 20% (UK), usually below the buying rate (US) |
| Hourly rate | Advice or a second opinion | Under £100 to a couple of hundred pounds (UK), $150 to $500 (US) |
| Day rate | An art fair or a day of visits | $1,000 to $3,500, with travel on top (US) |
| Project fee | A collection review | $1,500 to $5,000 (US) |
| Retainer | Ongoing access to an advisor | We found no reliable published UK figure |
Commission percentages usually fall as the price rises. One US advisor publishes a sliding scale of 20% on works under $100,000, falling as low as 5% on works over $1,000,000. Most firms do not publish their rates, so treat these figures as a guide and ask for a quote. Travel and insurance are often billed separately.
How art advisors are paid, and why it matters
An art advisor is paid by the client, by the other side of the sale, or by both, and each arrangement creates a different pressure on the advice.
- Commission on a purchase costs nothing up front, but it rewards a higher spend.
- Commission on a sale rewards completing the sale, which is why it is worth asking what would happen if the advisor told you to wait.
- An hourly rate or retainer is separate from any one sale, but you pay whether or not anything happens.
- Payment from an auction house or gallery may cost you nothing directly, and it gives the advisor a relationship with the payer. A discount given by a gallery may also be passed on to you or kept.
None of these is wrong if it is disclosed in writing before work starts. Some advisors accept payment only from their client. We do not work that way for sellers, as the next section explains.
What Whitebank Fine Art charges
Whitebank Fine Art's fee to sellers is typically 0%, because we are paid out of the reduced seller's rates we negotiate with the auction house rather than by you. On rare occasions we charge a commission of 2.5% to 10% where a sale is complex, and you know which applies before you commit.
| Service | Our fee |
|---|---|
| Valuation | Free, with no obligation to proceed |
| Selling at auction | Typically 0%, and on rare occasions 2.5% to 10% |
| Private sale | None on most sales, and 2.5% to 10% where a sale is complex, agreed in writing first |
| Buying | Terms agreed before any work starts |
The auction house's own charges still apply when you sell at auction, including its commission and VAT, though we negotiate them on your behalf. Auction fees explained sets out each one. We are also a gallery, and a work sold from our own catalogue is a sale rather than advice. We tell you which of the two we are proposing.
What an advisor's fee does to your sale
An advisor's fee is worth paying only if it leaves you with more than you would otherwise receive, so compare the net figure each way. On a £10,000 hammer price, a fee of 5% costs £500, or £600 with VAT. To leave you level, that advisor would need to take five percentage points off the seller's commission. On a £100,000 hammer price, each point of commission is worth £1,000, or £1,200 with VAT.
These sums are illustrations and they are not any firm's rates. Art advisor or auction house? explains when going direct is the better choice.
Questions to ask any art advisor about fees
- What do you charge, and is it a percentage of the hammer price or of the total?
- Who pays you? Will you receive anything from the auction house, gallery or buyer on this sale?
- Is VAT added to your fee?
- What do I owe if the work does not sell?
- Do you hold stock, or might you buy the work yourself?
- What expenses will you bill separately?
- Will you put all of that in writing before any work starts?
Quick answers
What do art advisors charge? Art advisors charge a commission on the price of a work, an hourly or day rate, a project fee or a retainer. Published commission figures run from about 5% to 20%, and the percentage usually falls as the price rises.
How much commission does an art advisor take? Guides published by advisors in 2026 put commission between about 5% and 20% of the price. One US guide gives about 10% on buying and less on selling. Ask whether the percentage is of the hammer price or the total, and whether VAT is added.
What does Whitebank Fine Art charge? Our fees to sellers are typically 0%. On rare occasions we charge a 2.5% to 10% commission where a sale is complex. A valuation is free, and for buyers, terms are agreed before any work starts.
Can an art advisor be paid by the auction house? Yes. Some advisors are, including us: we are paid out of the reduced seller's rates we negotiate with the auction house. Others accept payment only from their client. Ask any advisor who pays them, and ask for the answer in writing.
Is an art advisor worth the fee? It is when comparing and negotiating leave you with more than the fee costs, which is more likely on a work that could go several ways. For a decorative work of modest value, it usually is not.
How Whitebank Fine Art can help
A valuation is free and tells you what you have before you decide anything. Art advisor explains what we do for sellers and buyers.
There is no obligation to sell, and we act for you rather than for the saleroom.
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Whitebank Fine Art is an art advisory and gallery, not an auction house, and is not affiliated with any auction house. Nothing here is legal, tax or investment advice.
