What Belongs in a Painting Commission Agreement?
Last updated: 25 October 2026
In short: A commission is a promise about a painting that does not exist yet, so the agreement carries the weight. Mason Lane Art Advisory says a good one covers “process, pricing, timing, and all the ‘what ifs’,” and that a painter’s style should be defined and predictable. Put payment terms, approvals, delivery and timing in writing before the first brushstroke, and ask how many options and revision rounds are included.
What does an art advisory say a commission agreement should cover?
Mason Lane Art Advisory’s newsletter For the Art Curious (4 August 2025) looked at a family commission by the painter Lanie Wurzel and named what made it work. The advisory credits a painter who has “a clear and thorough commission contract that covers process, pricing, timing, and all the ‘what ifs’.” For the collector it is specific: “These specifics should cover the exact process from payment terms to approvals and artwork delivery.”
The same piece draws a line about the painter. “We don’t recommend engaging an artist for a commission whose style is less defined and predictable.” Read plainly, a commission goes best when you can see what you are commissioning before it exists, in finished work you can look at today.
Why put the what-ifs in writing?
Hannah Arendt, in The Human Condition (1958), described what a promise does: binding oneself through promises serves “to set up in the ocean of uncertainty, which the future is by definition, islands of security.” A commission is a small ocean. The canvas does not exist yet, the room may change, and a color reads differently in morning and evening light. Writing down what happens when a size changes, a revision is wanted or the schedule moves turns each of those into a step both sides can see.
Designers who have commissioned artists say the same from experience. In D Magazine’s D Home feature on commissioning an artist (Sarah Bennett, March–April 2019), designer Abbe Fenimore advises readers to “get the artist to tell you up front what the price is,” and the artist Zeke Williams says to “know what you want and express it.” The first protects the budget and the second protects the painting.
What do artists and gallery staff say about the conversation first?
An agreement is only as good as the conversation behind it. In the same feature, Christopher Huffman of Maestri Gallery tells readers to “set up open communication with the artist.” The painter Corinne Bizzle describes her side: “I want the client to be heard, and I try and transform that into a painting.” Allen Kirsch, who works through the Holly Hunt showroom, comes at it from the other direction: “The client needs to be completely open to the artist’s vision.”
Both halves are fair. A client who is heard and a painter who is trusted usually reach the best result, and the agreement is where the two meet on paper.
How does a commission here move from conversation to delivery?
The sequence is fixed so that little is left to a “what if.” It begins with a conversation about the room, the palette and the wall. A deposit secures a place on the schedule. I then paint two options at the same time, so the choice is between two finished paintings instead of a sketch and a promise. The first reveal is followed by a first round of revisions, then a second and final round. The finished painting is shipped rolled to a framer near the client, stretched on arrival and hand-delivered ready to hang, with float framing available on request and billed separately. From deposit to delivery takes about four weeks, depending on the studio schedule.
One published example: the design firm Asthetíque commissioned a painting for a New York residence, I presented options for the primary bedroom, and the finished work was published in Architectural Digest India (August 2025). I have painted for over twenty years, and the same sequence applies to a single wall in a private home.
What should a first-time commissioner ask before signing?
Six questions cover most of it. What exactly will be delivered: size, orientation, surface? How many options will be painted, and how many rounds of revision are included? What are the payment terms, and what does the deposit secure? How long from deposit to delivery, and what could move the date? How does the painting travel, and who stretches and frames it on arrival? And what happens if something changes, such as the wall, the size or the palette?
Agreements differ. Mason Lane’s own example lists “Client provides one round of feedback,” so ask how many rounds yours includes, and get the answer in writing.
Where can a first-time commissioner begin?
Look at finished work on available originals to see a painter’s range, then read how a commission moves from first conversation to delivery. Designers sourcing for a client can start with the Trade Program, and the studio’s story shows where the work comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a written agreement to commission a painting?
It is the safest way to commission. Mason Lane Art Advisory recommends a contract that covers process, pricing, timing and the “what ifs,” with payment terms, approvals and delivery written down before work begins.
What should a commission agreement include?
Size and orientation, the number of options and rounds of revision, payment terms, timing from deposit to delivery, how the painting travels and who stretches it, and what happens if something changes.
How many revisions does a commissioned painting include?
It varies by painter, so ask. In this studio, two options are painted at the same time, followed by a first round of revisions and then a second and final round.
How long does a commissioned painting take?
Here, about four weeks from deposit to delivery, depending on the studio schedule. Ask any painter for the timing in writing, along with what could move it.