Guide · Artist CV & Resume
How to Write an Artist CV: The Structure Galleries Expect
An artist CV is the record of your career: education, exhibitions, awards, press and collections, in reverse chronological order. It is not a job resume. Galleries, juries and residencies read hundreds of them, and they expect one structure. Here it is, section by section, with an example.
The 7 sections, in order
Skip any section you have nothing for. Never invent, never pad.
Contact and artist name
Name as you exhibit it, city, website, email. No home address, no photo, no objective statement.
Education
Degrees and relevant residencies, most recent first. Self-taught? Skip the section, never apologize for it.
Solo exhibitions
Year, title of the show, venue, city. Solo shows carry the most weight, so they come before group shows.
Group exhibitions
Same format. If the list is long, keep the strongest and title it "Selected Group Exhibitions".
Awards, grants and residencies
Name of the award, granting institution, year. Only art-related ones.
Press and publications
Author, title of the article, publication, year. Reviews of your work first, mentions after.
Collections
Public and corporate collections that hold your work. Private collectors only with their permission.
Elena Vasquez
Lisbon · elenavasquez.isee.art
Solo Exhibitions
- 2026Study in Amber, Galeria Norte, Lisbon
- 2024First Light, Project Room A60, Berlin
Group Exhibitions
- 2026Slow Signals, Kunstverein Halle, Munich
- 2025New Positions, The Annex, London
Press
- 2026M. Weber, "A Quiet Insistence", ArtReview, June issue
Reverse chronological, venue and city on every line, strongest sections first.
Every artist keeps this document in a folder somewhere, and it goes stale the moment the next show opens. Your website can be your CV: exhibitions, press and collections pulled from your own record, current by definition, shown next to the work itself.
Add your exhibitions and press
Or let the AI import find them from your existing web presence.
Your site builds the timeline
Solo and group shows, press and collections, ordered the way galleries read them.
Send one link
Applications, juries, gallerists: your CV and your work in the same place.
In isee.art
A CV that updates itself
Always current. Add an exhibition once and every page that lists it updates. No stale PDF circulating with last year’s CV.
One link instead of an attachment. Send your isee.art page and the jury or gallerist sees your CV next to the actual work it describes.
Built from what you already cataloged. Exhibitions, press and collections live on your profile. The CV is a view of your record, not a second document to maintain.
Your website is your CV.
Add your exhibitions once. Every application after that is one link.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an artist CV and an artist resume?+
A CV is the full record of your artistic career and grows over time. A resume is a one-page selection tailored to a specific application. Galleries and juries usually ask for a CV; teaching and arts-administration jobs usually ask for a resume.
What if I have no exhibitions yet?+
List what exists: education, workshops, publications, juried competitions, even group shows in non-traditional spaces. Keep it to one page and let it grow. Never pad it with unrelated work experience.
How long should an artist CV be?+
As long as your career honestly requires. Early career fits one page. Established artists trim with "Selected" sections instead of listing everything.
What order should the entries be in?+
Reverse chronological within every section: the most recent entry first. This is the one convention galleries expect without exception.