Fine Art Sales Executive

Populus Recruiting•Kansas City, MO

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Fine Art Sales Executive to develop and grow relationships across the fine art gallery channel. This is a consultative, relationship-driven sales role focused on representing premium artwork, developing new gallery partnerships, and increasing sales within existing accounts. The Sales Executive will manage the full sales cycle, including prospecting and qualifying galleries, presenting collections and new releases, developing gallery-specific assortment strategies, quoting, negotiating, closing, and managing ongoing relationships. This is a field-focused position requiring significant travel to galleries, trade shows, industry events, and customer meetings. Success will be measured by new accounts opened, revenue and margin growth, gallery sell-through, reorder activity, and long-term account development.

Requirements

B2B or high-consideration consultative sales experience with responsibility for achieving revenue goals and developing new accounts.
Demonstrated ability to generate new business and build a pipeline through proactive prospecting.
Experience selling premium, luxury, or highly considered products where presentation, brand story, and value are important to the buying decision.
Strong relationship-building and account management skills.
Ability to confidently present to business owners, decision-makers, and retail teams.
Strong negotiation, communication, organization, and follow-through.
Comfortable working with product configurations, pricing, specifications, and customized orders.
Experience using CRM systems and Microsoft Office.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel approximately 50% or more by car and air.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, art history, or a related field.
Experience in fine art, galleries, art publishing, framing, licensed art, or a related industry.
Experience in adjacent premium categories such as luxury goods, jewelry, furniture, home décor, or interior design.
Experience managing a dealer, gallery, distributor, or specialty retail network.
Familiarity with limited and open editions, canvas and fine art printing, framing, print-on-demand programs, and artwork provenance.
Understanding of margins, freight, program pricing, and pricing policies.
Experience with ERP and CRM platforms.

Responsibilities

Identify and develop relationships with independent galleries, art dealers, framing and décor showrooms, designers, specialty retailers, and other qualified accounts.
Generate new business through outbound prospecting, referrals, gallery visits, networking, and industry events.
Manage an assigned territory and maintain a consistent schedule of customer calls, visits, and business reviews.
Open new gallery and specialty accounts and guide customers through onboarding, initial assortment selection, display strategy, and first-order success.
Develop one-time buyers into recurring customers through new releases, replenishment programs, seasonal opportunities, and multi-location programs.
Present artwork, collections, editions, and new releases in a compelling and consultative manner.
Communicate artist stories, collection positioning, provenance, and other factors that influence collector purchasing decisions.
Develop gallery-specific assortment recommendations based on price point, medium, size, framing, customer demographics, and sales performance.
Train gallery staff on collections, artist stories, product positioning, and consultative selling techniques.
Identify opportunities to increase sell-through and reorder activity within existing accounts.
Support gallery events, collection launches, collector outreach, and other sales-driving initiatives.
Monitor account performance and provide feedback on customer preferences, sales trends, and product opportunities.
Prepare accurate quotes across different mediums, sizes, editions, and framing options.
Coordinate internally regarding product availability, production requirements, lead times, and special requests.
Maintain pricing integrity and appropriate brand positioning throughout the sales process.
Negotiate pricing, freight, program terms, territory arrangements, and other commercial terms within established guidelines.
Manage accounts with an understanding of revenue, margin, and long-term profitability.
Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective and existing account opportunities.
Maintain accurate CRM records, including accounts, contacts, opportunities, quotes, next steps, and expected close dates.
Provide regular sales forecasts and pipeline updates.
Follow opportunities through to a clear decision and maintain consistent follow-up with prospects and customers.
Represent the organization at art expos, trade shows, markets, gallery events, and other industry functions.
Collaborate with Marketing, Product, Operations, Customer Service, and other internal teams to support customer success.