How to Write an Engaging Artist Bio That Grabs Attention

Communication is increasingly being reduced to 140 characters, emojis, and voice memos. Despite this, clear prose remains a powerful sales and branding tool within the art world, and beyond.

Artsy has created over 7,000 artist bios, and over the years we’ve learned a few things about what our audience of collectors and art lovers finds valuable when discovering new art. Since Artsy’s partners can now add their own artist bios, we decided to take this opportunity to invite Jessica Backus, Director of Artsy Marketplace, to share some insights into what makes for a compelling bio and how to eloquently summarize an artist’s practice in 120 words.

If you have—or are planning to include—artist biographies on your website, this article was written for you. Read on for our best practices, mistakes to avoid, and a few SEO tips for your gallery’s artist bios.

As an artist, your bio is one of the most important marketing tools you have. It’s often the first introduction that galleries, press, collectors and fans will have to you and your work.

But writing an artist bio can be a challenge. How do you encapsulate your art and story in just a few paragraphs? How do you make your bio compelling?

In this article, I’ll provide tips to help you create an artist bio that grabs attention and leaves readers wanting more

What Should Be Included in an Artist Bio?

While there’s creativity involved, artist bios follow a fairly standard framework that covers basic info while telling your story. Be sure to include:

An Introduction

Start with a 1-2 sentence overview explaining who you are and highlighting your mediums or artistic identity

Background Summary

Provide a short background on your origins, education, early career, and what led you to become an artist 2-3 sentences is plenty

Artistic Style & Influences

Discuss your techniques, mediums, genres, recurring themes, and major influences on your work. Compare to other artists.

Selected Exhibitions or Collections

Feature some highlights like popular shows, publications that covered your work, or collectors who own your art. Namedrop selectively.

Current Location & Work

Note where you live now and details on your latest projects, current focus, upcoming shows, or commissions.

Closing Statement

Conclude with a sentence that repeats your core identity and hints at the future.

This covers the key points. Now let’s drill into tips for writing stellar artist bio content.

10 Tips for Writing an Engaging Artist Bio

Keep it short. Artist bios are usually 100-200 words. You want readers to make it through. Get to the essence.
Open strong. Grab attention right away by leading with your best fact or a creative line that captures interest. Make the first sentence shine.
Describe your style. Give readers vivid word pictures of your techniques, mediums, recurring themes and how you create your art.
Namedrop judiciously. Mention exhibitions, publications, or collections strategically, not exhaustively. Feature the most impressive.
Weave in your origin story. Share your background briefly – where you’re from, early experiences with art, key events that shaped you.
Be authentic. Let your personality and passion come through. Share details that reveal who you truly are as an artist.
Avoid excessive adjectives. Don’t use superlative descriptive words like “innovative”, “masterful”, “groundbreaking”. Let your work speak for itself.
List current projects. Close by highlighting your newest or upcoming work, shows, commissions to create anticipation.
Use an active, confident voice. Write in first-person with natural phrasing. No need for stiff, overly formal language.
Proofread carefully. Double check for spelling and grammar mistakes. These errors can undermine your professionalism.

Follow these tips as you craft your bio. Read samples and model other artists biographies that you admire.

Mistakes to Avoid in Your Artist Bio

As important as what to include is what NOT to include. Steer clear of these common artist bio pitfalls:

Making it all about accomplishments and accolades vs. telling your story.
Using pretentious, overly formal language that feels impersonal. Write conversationally.
Providing an exhaustive list of every show and publication. Stick to the highlights.
Quoting excessive praise from reviews or profiles. This feels egotistical.
Sharing personal details that are irrelevant. Keep the focus on your art.
Not proofreading. Typos suggest carelessness.
Writing stiffly. Let your passion and artistry shine through.

Tailoring Your Bio for Different Uses

You may need to tweak your bio slightly for specific contexts:

For your website – Add more details on your work, process, and galleries represented.
For galleries – Focus on exhibition history, collections, and prestige.
For proposals – Emphasize past projects and experience relevant to the commission.
For announcements – Prioritize latest completed works or upcoming shows.
For press – Spotlight recent recognition and projects that you want coverage of.
For social media – Share a condensed 1-2 line version highlighting your identity.

Artist Bio Examples To Inspire You

Reading examples is one of the best ways to craft your own bio. Here are excerpts from several engaging artist bios:

Kumi Yamashita

“Known for her intricate shadow sculptures…” (Introduction)
“Originally from Tokyo, Kumi Yamashita moved to New York City to study art and design.” (Background)
“Using a single light source and carefully arranging objects, Yamashita creates astonishing shadow artworks that morph ordinary items into fantastical silhouettes.” (Artistic Style)

Swoon

“A street artist internationally recognized for her life-sized wheat paste prints and paper cutouts depicting people…” (Introduction)
“Originally from New London, Connecticut, her work reflects both the grittiness of street life and the beauty of human expression.” (Background)
“Swoon is inspired by both art history and her local surroundings, creating figurative pieces that share intimate narratives.” (Artistic Style)

Daniel Arsham

“Merging fine art with fashion and architecture…” (Introduction)
“Raised in Miami, Arsham attended Cooper Union in New York City.” (Background)
“His work uses sculpture, installation, and video to explore temporality, myth, and the dynamical qualities of everyday objects.” (Artistic Style)

Study these excerpts. Understand why they grab attention while communicating the essence of each artist.

Putting It All Together

Writing your bio is an opportunity to take control of how you present yourself and your work to the world. Follow these steps:

Brainstorm – Make lists of your key facts, highlights, and artistic traits.
Outline – Structure the bio with your strongest info up top and current details at the end.
Draft – Flesh out paragraphs, using an authentic voice and vibrant descriptions.
Edit – Tighten sentences. Cut filler words. Refine phrases.
Proofread – Double check for errors and omissions. Read out loud.
Get Feedback – Ask a trusted friend or colleague to review and provide suggestions.
Finalize and Use – Make any last tweaks. Add the bio to your website, portfolios, and press materials.

An engaging artist bio is crucial for communicating who you are and attracting your ideal collectors and audiences. By highlighting your unique background, style, and works – you’ll intrigue readers and make a memorable impression. With these tips, you’re ready to write an artist bio that commands attention!

Why Write A Bio?

An artist’s bio is often the first piece of information available to readers and collectors, and as such it offers you a chance to frame their practice and give collectors a reason to want to learn more. Bios also drive search engine optimization (SEO). When returning search results, Google and other search engines privilege written content that is “sticky” (i.e. readers spend time on the page and continue browsing), so providing an engaging, well-written bio is a great way to increase discoverability for your artists.

These are the three cornerstones—tried, tested, and used today by our writers at Artsy—of the perfect artist bio:

The bio should summarize the artist’s practice—including medium(s), themes, techniques, and influences.
The bio should open with a first line that encapsulates, as far as possible, what is most significant about the artist and his or her work, rather than opening with biographical tidbits, such as where the artist went to school, grew up, etc. For example: John Chamberlain is best known for his twisting sculptures made from scrap metal and banged up, discarded automobile parts and other industrial detritus.
The profile should be between 80 and 140 words. The ideal bio is ~120 words, though a tightly written 80-word bio is preferable to a longer bio that includes repetition and filler sentences.

Audience engagement researchers at museums have found that visitors lose interest in wall labels after 150 words. Our philosophy for artist bios is to leave your reader wanting more by limiting your word count to ~120 words. At most, a reader should take away one or two key points.

If you want to provide a more definitive overview of an artist’s practice, consider other channels, such as a press release or a blog post.

6 Most Common Mistakes in Artist Bios

It can be tempting to sing your artists’ praises. We’ve noticed, however, that readers do not respond positively to unsubstantiated claims about an artist’s import (e.g. “Artist X is considered one of the most important artists of the post-war period,” or, “Artist Y is widely regarded for her beautiful work”). Most readers will see right through trumped-up language and, even worse, may become skeptical of the rest of your program. The best way to maximize the power of a good bio is to try to educate, not “hard-sell,” your reader. Numerous studies have shown that the hard sell doesn’t work, especially for younger audiences (read: tech-savvy collectors), who respond most positively to simple and authentic messages.

How to Write an Artist Bio

How to write an artist biography?

Make sure you keep your artist biography short and concise with a focused structure. It’s very easy to wax lyrical about your career and lose your readers in the process. Simple and readable will always trump jargon and flowery language when it comes to your biography.

How to write an art Bio?

Define your artistic identity clearly: Your bio is your opportunity to introduce not just your art, but who you are as an artist. It should include your medium, inspiration, and artistic goals. This clarity helps in aligning your business plan with your art, ensuring your marketing strategies and portfolio resonate with your artistic vision.

Why is it important to write an Artist Biography online?

You may want Van Gogh’s fame and fortune, but would prefer not to enjoy it posthumously like him, which is why crafting an effective online artist biography is so important. An Artist Biography describes an artist’s life, journey, vision, mission, and artistic style. Why write an artist biography?

What should be in an artist bio?

What should be in your artist bio: A short description of your journey. A short description of your vision and mission. What message you are trying to say with your artwork, your artistic philosophy. Describe your artistic style and techniques. Any education or training relating to art. List all the awards you have received.