The art world is an ever-changing place, with a lot of jobs that even your best friends have never heard of. Sometimes it’s easier to brush questions away by saying you work in a gallery, but what do you say when your pals dig deeper? Don’t be afraid of letting your friends know how you make your $$$ Here’s an easy breakdown of how to describe some of the art world’s top jobs.
The Art Advisor
An art advisor basically has the job of spending other people’s money. Like the stylist of the fashion world, the art advisor helps their clients select where to put their money, helping them build a collection, whether that is to suit their personal taste, or to help them collect art that will grow in value over time.
The Digital Artist
Digital artists are like the nerds of the art world. Remember that kid at school always playing with video games? They’re an artist now. Always ahead of the game, they’re onto the next technological craze before you even heard about the last one.
The Curator
Just like a nanny takes care of kids, a curator takes care of artists. Well, they’re supposed to. The word curator comes from the latin word for “care”, so, as well as putting on exhibitions – the fashion shows of the art world – the curator’s job is also to help the artists they are working with develop their work.
The Art Handler
Art handlers do all the heavy lifting in the art world. More important than people realise, the art handler is the one who puts the art on the walls, makes sure its packaged safely and is all round the best person to speak to if you think about even touching an artwork.
The Auction Specialist
Bookish types, auction specialists are those people who have crazy obsessions. That obsession might be photography, or it could be Japanese woodblock prints from the 12th century. Specialists research, appraise and catalogue the art they work with, ultimately working to becoming the know-alls of one particular period in art history.
The Art Writer
Basically a modern age art critic, hounding artists and curators all day to get quotes for their latest article, that may or not be read by anyone on the web.
The Art PR
The art PR’s job is to make their clients look good. Whether that’s preparing them to welcome guests to an opening, or to getting them loads of press. They’re basically that person always on their phones, telling anyone and everyone who will listen about the 600th hot new artist they’re working with. Art PRs are also known to party A LOT, since they are always at the latest opening letting people know about their new client.
Lizzy Vartanian
