Halina Rosa, The DESIGNER Magazine Stockholm – interview with Mag Nilsson, author of the book: HIQU ART & PHOTO PRINTS. Sales strategy for artists, photographers, art dealers, and tutors. How to sell art prints? Photographing works of art, file editing, print quality. Pricing scheme and marketing.
Halina Rosa: Your guide HIQU ART & PHOTO PRINTS has just been published and is available almost worldwide. How would you briefly summarize what the book is about?
Mag Nilsson: The book is about creating high-quality art prints and photographs and preparing them for sale as artwork. It describes factors, mechanisms, sample tools, and solutions of value in a consciously constructed pricing strategy. I justify my thoughts, the basis of which is the knowledge and many years of experience built since the analog era and is still developed today. Some of them may even be very controversial.
Halina Rosa: What can be controversial?
Mag Nilsson: In the book, I show a logical yet unusual point of view on legislation, standards on the art market, and various definitions in the context of frequently used marketing slogans. I expose several myths spread viral on the Internet and reproduced even by authorities. In addition, for the classics, often the novum is undervalued, and for the young, the classics are archaic, and I touch on both points of view. The subject of what is art and what is not has been controversial for centuries, and now it stirs up particular emotions in the era of rapid technological development.
Halina Rosa: Is this a step-by-step instruction on what to do to succeed in the art world?
Mag Nilsson: No. The book is about building an offering that can significantly impact success. There are many specifics. Some of the topics in the book, and I’m only touching upon them to draw attention to them in a context related to art prints and building a sales offer. If I whet the appetite to decipher these issues, it is easy for anyone to find more information if only on the Internet. In addition, based on the book, there are online courses (in development) that are an expansion of the aspects described in the book.
The essence of any success is one’s attitude and building one’s truth, and pertinent arguments facilitate a conscious approach to the subject. I try to highlight the ones crucial in artistic development and the proper valuation of an art share.
Imagine that you are, for example, a creator of computer animation – a spontaneous example not from a book, but from life. Are you an artist? For many people, no. Even if you justify it by the creative process and so on. Most people will take it with a pinch of salt. However, when you emphatically say yes, and add that the Museum of Modern Art in New York and many other museums around the world have special sections dedicated only to computer games, then everyone will already start to see you differently. Arguments.
Halina Rosa: So, you dedicate the book not only to artists and photographers but also to art dealers and teachers?
Mag Nilsson: Exactly, yes, especially to teachers or those who teach art and photography courses because they create awareness and direction for young artists, and they are often the ones who need tools to work with. This book shows various mechanisms that can not only be valuable in building an offer and pricing strategy but are also a great starting point for constructive dialogue with students.
Halina Rosa: Why do you focus on prints?
Mag Nilsson: My focus is not on ordinary prints but on high-quality prints, which measure up to works of art. As a curator of art projects, I see that many artists, let alone photographers, don’t understand and, therefore, underestimate their potential. I describe HIQU’s preparation of reproduction prints and photographs to match works of art: from photographing the images through the basics of editing the files, choosing the type of print and paper, to signing and logically pricing them. This strategy is intended to help expand the artist’s offerings and, in turn, increase sales of the prints and price their original artworks.
Halina Rosa: Now, almost everyone has a cell phone and can take any picture they want, even as a photographer. Do you think photography has a chance to sell like artwork?
Mag Nilsson: I would agree that times do not make it easier. Good art won’t sell itself, especially when most photographers give away their photos for free online. Success depends on talent and the creator’s attitude and marketing strategy, including participation in exhibitions and competitions.
And to answer your question: I am sure that photography can be sold as a work of art. I know contemporary photographers whose work sells for five-figure sums, and photographs of classics at auctions go for millions.
Halina Rosa: Your book is sold almost worldwide, thanks to Amazon. Does that mean it’s universal regardless of the country?
Mag Nilsson: I travel worldwide and have collected information from art markets for years. There are some differences between the American and European approaches, and I show them in the book, but the message is universal.
Halina Rosa: Where can you find more information about the upcoming publications and courses you mentioned?
Mag Nilsson: In the first instance, information will be published on http://www.rbgallery.eu, on the social media of the principal patron of the project, the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery, and on the Instagram of HIQU Art Photo Prints, and thanks to the other patrons of the book – also on their websites and social media: Alex Colard, Art Exhibitions in Stockholm, ArtyNet Global, Charity Art Expo, Designer Magazine Stockholm, Lotta Tamba.
For more information about the book and convenient purchase options by country of delivery: https://subscribepage.io/Mepgz4
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Mag Nilsson (1972)
Mag has worked in the art industry since 2008 – as a producer and organizer of art contests, and exhibitions, and as a promoter of art and artists. As a journalist, she wrote about art, design, and the art investment market for magazines such as “Villa,” “Residences,” “Gentleman,” “Interior and Garden,” “Elity,” “Puls Biznesu,” “Pangea Magazine,” “DESIGNER Magazine Stockholm” and others. She was the founder and editor-in-chief of the “Art Imperium” portal, the initiator of the Power of Art artistic concept, and the organizer of related artistic projects until 2022. For many years, she was a producer and designer of artistic large format prints, such as ED-Wall Art’s artistic wallpapers, representing various artists in this regard. She was also the chief interior designer at Excellent Design and an art assistant.
In 2019, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage awarded her a diploma of merit.
Mag is a visual artist and photographer, with an enormous worldwide achievement in art exhibitions. Currently, she works as the CEO of the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery in Stockholm.
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