What is the difference between an artist resume and an artist CV?

In most contexts, they refer to the same document. "CV" is more common internationally and in formal gallery, grant, and institutional settings. "Resume" is more common in the US, particularly for commercial art and design work. The content and structure are identical exhibition history, education, collections, awards, residencies, and press. Use whichever term the application or context calls for.

How long should an artist CV be?

As long as your professional history requires. Unlike a standard resume, an artist CV has no page limit. A recent graduate may have a one-page CV; a mid-career artist with 15 years of exhibitions and residencies may have four or five pages. What matters is that every entry is genuine and relevant, not that it fits a specific length. Cut anything that doesn't represent your practice.

Should an artist CV include a photo?

Generally no, unless the application explicitly asks for one. An artist CV is a professional credentials document, not a profile. Your photo belongs on your website or artist page, not on the CV itself. Some artists include a small image of a representative work on the cover page of a portfolio submission that is different from putting a portrait on the CV.

What file format should I use for my artist CV?

PDF, without exception. A PDF looks identical on every device and operating system. Word documents and Pages files reformat when opened on a different machine, which can break your layout entirely. Name the file clearly: Lastname_Firstname_CV_2025.pdf not a version number or the word 'final'.

How do I list exhibitions if I don't have many yet?

List what you have, honestly. A CV with one solo show and three group shows is correct for an early-career artist curators who work with emerging artists expect this and read the quality of the venues, not the length of the list. Do not inflate the list with open calls or group shows where participation was automatic. Two genuine, curated credits are stronger than ten padded ones.

Artist Resume Template

What an artist resume is and how it differs from a regular one

An artist resume, also called a CV or curriculum vitae, is a professional document that lists your exhibition history, education, collections, residencies, awards, and press. It is not the same as a regular resume.

A standard resume is written for a hiring manager who wants to know if you can do a specific job. An artist CV is written for a curator, collector, or grant committee who wants to understand the arc of your practice and verify your credentials. The sections are different, the length rules are different, and the logic is different.

The most important difference: a regular resume is typically one page because brevity signals efficiency. An artist CV can and should be as long as your history requires. A mid-career artist with 15 years of exhibitions, residencies, and collections will have a CV that runs four or five pages. That is correct. Cutting it down to two pages would remove the credibility you have spent years building.

For a fuller picture of how to write the narrative portion of your professional presentation, see the guide to writing an artist bio and statement.

The 8 sections every artist resume needs

1. Header

Your name, location (city and country, not your full address), email address, and website or portfolio URL. Some artists include their phone number; it is optional. If you have a custom domain or a dedicated portfolio page, that URL goes here.

2. Education

List your formal art education in reverse chronological order: degree, institution, city, and year of graduation. If you attended workshops, masterclasses, or significant non-degree programs with recognized institutions, those can be listed here or in a separate "Additional Training" section.

If you are self-taught, leave this section out entirely or replace it with a brief "Training" section that lists significant workshops. Do not include a placeholder that draws attention to the absence.

3. Solo exhibitions

This section carries significant weight for gallery submissions. List each solo show with the exhibition title (in italics if you are using a formatted document), gallery or venue name, city, and year. Reverse chronological order.

For a first solo show, the section is one line. That is fine. An empty section is worse than a short one.

4. Group exhibitions

Same format as solo exhibitions: title, venue, city, year, reverse chronological. Because group shows accumulate quickly, it is standard to show the 10 to 15 most relevant ones and add "selected" to the section header once the list exceeds that.

5. Collections

List public and institutional collections that hold your work: museum name, city, country. Private collectors are typically listed by first name and last initial only ("M. Rossi Collection, Milan") or simply as "Private collection, [city]". Do not list collectors by full name without their explicit permission.

If a work has a certificate of authenticity registered with the collection, that is worth noting in parentheses for institutional holdings.

6. Awards and grants

Award or grant name, awarding institution, and year. If the award has a specific category or title attached to it, include it. Listing the monetary value is not standard practice.

7. Press and publications

Author last name, first name. "Article title." Publication name. Date. For online publications, you can add the URL on a second line. For catalog essays where your work is discussed, list the catalog title, editor or author, publisher, and year.

8. Residencies and public speaking

Residencies: program name, institution or location, and year. These carry real weight a competitive residency tells a curator that a selection committee has already vetted your work.

Public speaking, panels, and lectures: event name, institution, city, and year. Include these if they are relevant to your practice — a panel at an art fair or a lecture at an art school carries more weight than a general public event.

Formatting rules

Reverse chronological order throughout. Your most recent work goes first in every section. Curators and grant committees read from the top. Your strongest recent credentials should be the first thing they see.

One typeface, consistent formatting. Times New Roman, Garamond, or a clean sans-serif like Helvetica at 10-12pt. Section headers in bold or small caps. Your name larger than everything else, but not dramatically so. No decorative fonts.

File type: PDF, always. Word documents and Pages files reformat when opened on a different machine. A PDF looks identical everywhere.

File name: Lastname_Firstname_CV_2025.pdf. Not CV_final_FINAL2.pdf.

Page margins: 2 cm on all sides is standard. Narrow margins to fit more text is a mistake it makes the document look dense and signals that you are not editing, just accumulating.

Length: No cap. Include what is true and relevant. Cut what is not.

Artist resume template

Copy this structure and fill it with your own information. Sections with no content are omitted until you have something to add.

FIRST NAME LAST NAME
City, Country  |  email@domain.com  |  yourname.isee.art


EDUCATION

20XX  MFA Painting, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
20XX  BFA Fine Art, [Institution], [City], [Country]


SOLO EXHIBITIONS

20XX  [Exhibition Title], [Gallery Name], [City], [Country]
20XX  [Exhibition Title], [Gallery Name], [City], [Country]


GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED)

20XX  [Exhibition Title], [Venue], [City], [Country]
20XX  [Exhibition Title], [Venue], [City], [Country]
20XX  [Exhibition Title], [Venue], [City], [Country]


COLLECTIONS

[Museum Name], [City], [Country]
[Museum Name], [City], [Country]
Private collection, [City], [Country]


AWARDS AND GRANTS

20XX  [Award Name], [Institution], [Country]
20XX  [Grant Name], [Granting Body], [Country]


RESIDENCIES

20XX  [Residency Program], [Institution], [City], [Country]
20XX  [Residency Program], [Institution], [City], [Country]


PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS

[Last], [First]. "[Article Title]." [Publication]. [Date].
[Last], [First]. [Book or Catalog Title]. [Publisher], [Year].


PUBLIC SPEAKING

20XX  [Panel or Lecture Title], [Institution], [City]

Common mistakes

Including objectives or summary statements. An artist CV does not open with "Passionate painter seeking gallery representation." It starts with your name and your education. Curators know what they are looking at.

Mixing chronological and reverse-chronological order. Pick one and apply it consistently across every section. Reverse chronological is the standard.

Listing group shows you were not actually selected for. Online open calls where anyone who pays a submission fee is included are not exhibition credits. Curated group shows are. The difference matters to curators who recognize the venues.

Padding with irrelevant experience. A teaching assistant position at your art school is worth listing. Your barista job from before you went to art school is not. The CV should represent your practice, not your employment history.

Not updating it. An artist CV with nothing more recent than two years ago suggests a practice that has stalled. Build a habit of updating it within two weeks of each exhibition, award, or publication.

Using the same CV for every application. A grant committee has different priorities than a gallery curator. Learn to maintain a master CV with everything on it, and create a tailored version for each application by deprioritizing what is less relevant.

A note on the difference between a CV and a portfolio

The CV establishes your professional history. The portfolio shows the work. For most formal applications, you need both, and they should reinforce each other. A strong exhibition history on the CV should correspond to serious, developed work in the portfolio. If there is a gap between the two, the credibility of both suffers.

If you are managing your catalog and exhibitions in one place, isee.art keeps your artwork pages current alongside your exhibition history. Each piece has its own page with dimensions, story, and a direct inquiry link, so when a collector or curator follows up after seeing your CV, the portfolio is already ready. Start your catalog free.