What is an artist's website and what should it contain?

An artist’s website is a self-owned online home for their work: a place where anyone, from a curious visitor to a gallerist or curator, can see what the artist makes, learn a little about them, and get in touch. At minimum it should contain good images of the work, a short biography or statement, an up-to-date CV, and clear contact details. Everything beyond that is useful but optional.

The reason it matters is simple. Social media accounts are borrowed space, governed by algorithms and subject to sudden change, whereas a website is the one place an artist fully controls. When a collector remembers a name from a show, or a curator follows up after a studio visit, the website is usually the first thing they look for.

What should an artist’s website contain?

The heart of any artist’s website is the work, presented clearly and without clutter. That means a gallery of images, each one well lit, photographed straight-on where possible, and captioned with the title, medium, dimensions and year. A visitor should be able to understand a piece at a glance: what it is, how big it is, and roughly when it was made. Poorly cropped phone snaps with glare across the surface do more harm than no images at all, because they misrepresent the very thing the site exists to show.

After the work comes context. A short artist’s statement, written in plain language rather than dense art-speak, helps a viewer understand what the artist is interested in and why. It need not be long; a paragraph or two of honest, specific writing beats a page of abstraction. Alongside it, a biography gives the human outline: where the artist trained, where they are based, and what they are working towards now.

Why does an artist need a CV on their website?

An artist’s CV exists to establish credibility and history, which is exactly what a gallery or collector checks before committing time or money. It should list exhibitions in reverse chronological order, marking solo and group shows separately, and include education, residencies, awards, collections, and any press. The point is not to impress with length but to give an accurate, verifiable picture of a working practice over time.

A website does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be clear, current, and easy to contact.

A common mistake is letting the CV go stale. A site that stops at a show from three years ago suggests, fairly or not, that the practice has stalled. Keeping it current is one of the quiet ways an artist signals that they are active and serious.

How should an artist’s website handle contact and sales?

Contact details should be obvious and direct, ideally a single email address rather than a buried form that nobody trusts. Visitors who want to enquire about a piece, invite the artist to a show, or arrange a studio visit should not have to hunt. If the artist is represented, the polite and professional move is to point enquiries towards their gallery, since that is part of what representation means; you can read more about that relationship in our piece on how artists find representation.

Pricing is the question artists agonise over most. There is no universal rule. Some self-representing artists list prices openly, which removes friction for nervous first-time buyers, while others invite enquiries so they can have a conversation. What matters is consistency and honesty. If the work is handled by a commercial space such as Beers Lambert Contemporary Art or Anthony Reynolds Gallery, the website usually defers pricing to the gallery and simply credits the representation.

What makes an artist’s website work well?

A good artist’s website is fast, legible, and quiet enough to let the work lead. Images should load quickly and look right on a phone, since that is where most people will first see them. Navigation should be minimal: work, about, CV, contact, and perhaps a news or shop page is plenty. Resist the urge to fill the site with moving backgrounds, autoplaying music, or clever effects that get between the viewer and the art.

It also helps to think about who is actually visiting. A collector wants to see available work and a price or a way to ask. A curator wants the CV and a sense of the practice. A journalist wants a clean biography and a downloadable image or two. Serving those needs without making anyone dig is the whole job.

Finally, a website should be kept alive. Add new work as it is finished, update the CV after each show, and make sure the contact email still works. An artist’s website is not a one-off task to be ticked off; it is a living record of a practice, and like the work itself, it rewards steady attention over time.