Last Word - An International Perspective

Last Modified: 9th April 2010

Canadian LAWRENCE WALMSLEY founded his print distribution and publishing company in Germany nearly 30 years ago. International
Graphics has grown to have a catalogue of 3800 contemporary art images

How did you get started?

I studied psychology in Canada and my dream was to become a child therapist. In 1975 I spent a month working for an art publisher in New Jersey and although my mentor later landed in jail for dubious tax write-off schemes, he did teach me well some of the essentials of our business. I stopped my studies and started a small business in Canada selling limited editions of local artists’ work and framing for McDonalds. Business was tough, but we survived, and after 18 months, my father asked me to join him in England to further develop Noonday Graphics. I became a European Export Manager and developed sales on the Continent. Noonday was my father’s retirement project, but it eventually led him back to full-time employment. It led me to establishing International Graphics in Germany in 1981.

Are you ever surprised by which images become best-sellers?

In the beginning I was a wholesaler of American posters and prints. At that time the photographer Harvey Edwards, who specialised in ballet images, was the hit of the art
world. We didn’t launch our own collection until 1996; we started with four prints by one artist, and now release several hundred images by around 15 artists. We have a team of six people who make publishing decisions and it never ceases to amaze me which images finally become best-sellers and which not. At the moment, we are enjoying success with Isabelle Zacher-Finet (flowers), Anne Valverde (coloured photographs) and Inna Panasenko (women’s shoes). While these images may seem diverse, their strength is that they appeal to a broad spectrum of the buying public. I always ask my team to use their ‘gut feeling’ when selecting images, as well as our sales statistics. It can be fatal to choose one look to complement or imitate another; styles and images that deliberately replicate others rarely seem to have public appeal.

Does the market for artwork vary internationally?

In our business, the old saying ‘think global, but act local’ fully applies. What sells well in England for example, may be a complete dud in America, Germany and France. Finding a ‘one look fits all tastes’ is quite a challenge. We succeed sometimes, but our warehouse is full of the times when we were less successful! There’s no doubt that different markets are receptive to different formats and subject matter.

How do you see the growth of the Chinese economy affecting the publishing industry?

China has left a large thumb print on our industry. They have turned what should be a highly personal expression of taste and ideals into a commodity and taken the soul out of it. We deal in human emotions, in creating a feeling and atmosphere for the consumer, which creates satisfaction for both parties. The consumer hangs a picture on the wall to provide on-going pleasure, while we make a sale, which keeps us moving forward. The Chinese sell art like pallets of sugar. You purchase a container of art for such and such a price. It makes the business much less personal.

Any advice for gallery owners?

Remember that I am a wholesaler, not a retailer. I think I would advise galleries to feature a certain percentage of work by local artists. It is important to support local talent, and the artists will support you in return. Make the gallery interesting by featuring different artists with a range of styles to ‘feel out’ your local market. You have to keep finding out what your public are willing to purchase and then offer it to them. But keep offering surprises too; add some personal favourites that give you a good feeling. Sometimes your ‘gut’ gets it right and this can be emotionally gratifying, as well as financially rewarding.

How is print on demand changing the industry? In the future, we see print on demand providing 15 per cent or so of our business. The big percentage is still offset prints. There is renewed interest in shrink-wrapped prints; retailers are demanding racks of prints in standard sizes and changeable frames. I guess everything goes in cycles.

Do you have a feel for how much artwork your customers sell online?

Online marketing looks easy, but how do you convey the emotional feeling of seeing an image in a large size, 140x280cm for example, when it is only 12x24cm on the computer screen? This is the big challenge for all internet vendors. Having said that, our largest client is an internet retailer and I believe this part of our industry will continue to grow. Our retail clients like to browse a website to search for new images, so we have decided to go with the flow and open a professional webshop for our retail clients. A dedicated retail shop is also under consideration.

www.international-graphics.com

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