How do I write my artist biography?
An artist biography is an incredibly important part of your artistic career wherever you may be in it. Most of the time, it’s the first bit of information available to your audience, from readers to collectors. It allows them to understand your motivations are as an artist, what your background is, and reveals significant facts about you and your craft. Writing about yourself can be challenging. Here are some guidelines you should follow when describing yourself in an artist biography:
1. Always write in the third person. This will allow you to sound more professional.
2. Your first sentence should be capture your audience’s attention- it should tell your audience what is most prominent about you as an artist or about your works.
3. Introduce your name, medium, and some information about our background. Background information should include where you were born, where you work,
how you became interested in art, and who you are inspired by.
4. Include where you studied or trained. If this doesn’t apply to you, state that you’re a self-taught artist.
5. Think about what makes you stand out as an artist. If you have participated in a significant group of solo exhibition or won any awards, make a note to include
this as it paints a better image of your reputation as an artist. Choose the best highlights so as to not overwhelm your audience!
6. Mention your most recent show or upcoming projects.
7. Lastly, end your artist biography strong by including what you’re currently working on. This shows that you are an artist who is active and honing their practice.
This could include any upcoming shows, residencies or projects.
8. If applicable, include a mention of whether your works are in the collections of notable private collectors or institutions.
Additional tips:
Your artist biography should be short and concise. The last thing you want to happen is to bore your audience with lengthy paragraphs when they’re trying to understand you. Stick to 2 to 3 paragraphs with 2 to 3 sentences each at the very most.
Accurate grammar is attractive to viewers! Check your artist bio over and over again for correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure errors. Ask a friend who you know is fluent in English as putting words into Google Translate might not always be the best option.
Keep your profile up to date. This is incredibly important as you might have a dedicated following that you don’t know about! We have also seen more successful and consistent sales with artists who actively upload their latest works onto our site. Be sure to update your most recent artistic involvements. This includes exhibitions both group and solo, any residencies you have participated in, any awards you might have won, or if your works have been acquired by any notable private collectors or institutions. Upload images of your works to our platform at your earliest convenience. Your available works show up below your artist biography on your page, allowing your audience to see them at once.
Here’s an example of a good artist biography:
Nguyen Xuan Anh was born in 1977 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and is a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association He graduated from the Industrial of Fine Art College in Hanoi in 1999 and has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Vietnam, China, Malaysia, USA, Japan and Korea.
In 1984, he won the gold medal in the "Forever Green" competition for children in the world, organized by UNICEF. 15 years later he was awarded the Nokia Award in the Asian Fine Art competition "Vision of your Future." In 2008 he got first place at the International exhibition Box Heart Gallery, PA, USA. He had a residency in 2008 at the Vermont Studio Center, VT, USA.
His works are in the collections of JP Morgan Bank, Baosheng Modern Park Museum, Changzhou, China, and the Chun Art Museum, Shanghai, China.
1. Always write in the third person. This will allow you to sound more professional.
2. Your first sentence should be capture your audience’s attention- it should tell your audience what is most prominent about you as an artist or about your works.
3. Introduce your name, medium, and some information about our background. Background information should include where you were born, where you work,
how you became interested in art, and who you are inspired by.
4. Include where you studied or trained. If this doesn’t apply to you, state that you’re a self-taught artist.
5. Think about what makes you stand out as an artist. If you have participated in a significant group of solo exhibition or won any awards, make a note to include
this as it paints a better image of your reputation as an artist. Choose the best highlights so as to not overwhelm your audience!
6. Mention your most recent show or upcoming projects.
7. Lastly, end your artist biography strong by including what you’re currently working on. This shows that you are an artist who is active and honing their practice.
This could include any upcoming shows, residencies or projects.
8. If applicable, include a mention of whether your works are in the collections of notable private collectors or institutions.
Additional tips:
Your artist biography should be short and concise. The last thing you want to happen is to bore your audience with lengthy paragraphs when they’re trying to understand you. Stick to 2 to 3 paragraphs with 2 to 3 sentences each at the very most.
Accurate grammar is attractive to viewers! Check your artist bio over and over again for correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure errors. Ask a friend who you know is fluent in English as putting words into Google Translate might not always be the best option.
Keep your profile up to date. This is incredibly important as you might have a dedicated following that you don’t know about! We have also seen more successful and consistent sales with artists who actively upload their latest works onto our site. Be sure to update your most recent artistic involvements. This includes exhibitions both group and solo, any residencies you have participated in, any awards you might have won, or if your works have been acquired by any notable private collectors or institutions. Upload images of your works to our platform at your earliest convenience. Your available works show up below your artist biography on your page, allowing your audience to see them at once.
Here’s an example of a good artist biography:
Nguyen Xuan Anh was born in 1977 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and is a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association He graduated from the Industrial of Fine Art College in Hanoi in 1999 and has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Vietnam, China, Malaysia, USA, Japan and Korea.
In 1984, he won the gold medal in the "Forever Green" competition for children in the world, organized by UNICEF. 15 years later he was awarded the Nokia Award in the Asian Fine Art competition "Vision of your Future." In 2008 he got first place at the International exhibition Box Heart Gallery, PA, USA. He had a residency in 2008 at the Vermont Studio Center, VT, USA.
His works are in the collections of JP Morgan Bank, Baosheng Modern Park Museum, Changzhou, China, and the Chun Art Museum, Shanghai, China.
Updated on: 06/04/2020