How to Upload Artworks

This guide will provide instructions for uploading artworks to CMS, a critical function and part of successfully maintaining your Artsy presence. Please note that as you work within CMS, changes take time to process on the front-end of Artsy.net. 

Start a New Artwork Upload

First, click on the Artworks tab.

Click on the “Add Artworks” button near the top left of the page, highlighted here in purple.

Select the Artist

On the next page, type the artist's name into the search bar. Some artists already exist in the Artsy database. If the artist you are looking for appears, simply click on the name and click the “Next” button in the upper righthand corner of your screen.

If you are adding an artist not already in the Artsy database, click the button at the bottom of your screen that says “Add Artist to Artsy.” A pop-up window appears prompting you to add information about the artist including name, nationality, and birth year.

Click “Save Changes” when you are done, and then click the “Next” button in the upper righthand corner of your screen to proceed with the artwork upload process.

Once you have selected the artist, click the “Next” button to continue.

Add Artwork

On the next page, upload images into the “Click and Drag Images Here” box by dragging images into the box or clicking on the box to select images from your Finder.

Please note that images must be JPEG or PNG image files and image width/length should be a minimum of 1000 pixels with a total file size of less than 30 megabytes. At this stage, please upload only one image per artwork. You will have an opportunity to upload additional views and detailed images at a later point.

Viewers will not be able to download the image or save the image directly. Please note that it is possible to copy an image from Artsy, but the resulting quality will be very poor (less than 72 dpi). Square thumbnail images of your newly uploaded images will appear once uploaded and processed.

After all thumbnail images load, click the “Next” button to continue. You will then be prompted to add metadata to each of your newly uploaded works. To get started, click "Edit the First Artwork."

You are also able to add one video per artwork. Videos are a great way to give collectors a deeper understanding of the work, artist, or process of creating the work. Videos must be MP4, MOV, WMV, or AVI format.

Add Video (Optional)

Once an artwork is added, click the “get started” or “edit artwork” button on the list view

Scroll down to the Video section

Select a video from your hard drive. Video’s can be any size (as supported by Vimeo), though only MP4, MOV, WMV, or AVI file types are supported

Once video is done uploading it will need to process on Vimeo’s servers. This processing stage is indicated within the Video preview window in CMS.

Depending on Vimeo traffic, processing time could take anywhere from 2 minutes to 10+, depending on the size of the video

During processing the video will not be displayable on Artsy.net. However, once it is completed, the preview window will update and display the new video in CMS

If you publish or save the artwork form while the video is processing, a "video coming soon" message will be shown in the artwork page carousel

Once the video is done processing the video should be available on our website (assuming the artwork has been published)

If you would like the video to come first in the carousel on the Artwork page, check "set video as cover" and re-save the artwork form

If you would like to delete the video, click the delete button and then immediately save the Artwork form. This is important so that the Artwork page on Artsy.net does not get out of sync.

Once the form is saved you can re-upload a video. Once it is done you can save the artwork form again

Add Artwork Metadata

For each artwork, fill in basic metadata including title, date and medium for each artwork, as well as all required fields in order to publish the work. Selecting a medium type will generate a list of artwork categories which are used to further describe the work. Collectors can search for works within these categories when browsing on Artsy.net, making them an important tool for maximizing your discoverability on the site.

In the “Editions, Size & Pricing” section, indicate whether the work is available, on hold, not for sale, or sold. When adding pricing information you can choose to display an exact price on Artsy, display the price as a range, or hide the price entirely. We recommend always including pricing information. Works with pricing information result in more qualified inquiries and ensure your works are discoverable in targeted price searches by collectors.

Click “Add Editions” if you would like to add information about an editioned work or multiples. Under the section “Provenance & More Info,” you have the option to fill in the fields for Image Rights, Provenance, Exhibition History, and more. This section is not required.

When you have added all the necessary information, click “Save Changes” or “Save and Next” to move on to editing the next artwork.

Complete the Upload

When you have finished adding the metadata you will be given a confirmation of what has been uploaded. You may then view uploaded works, or continue to upload works by another artist.

After you have entered metadata for all of your artworks, you have the option to add the works to a show or to request them for publication. To do this, either hit the “Select All” button to select all uploaded artworks, or click the checkmark beneath the desired works. Use the “Add to Show” and “Publish Request” buttons at the top of your screen.

When you are finished, click “Done” in the upper righthand corner of your screen.

Note: When uploading images on 2D works, Artsy will enable a “View in Room” feature. Only upload images cropped close so as not to have any wall or background in them so they may be supported in View in Room.

Note: The order that artworks appear in the 'Works' tab on a gallery profile is shown chronologically, based on when the artwork was published.