The verdict in three sentences
In Washington DC, a website for an art gallery or art advisory costs $6,000 to $15,000 with a freelancer in 2026, $20,000 to $50,000 with a local agency and often more than $60,000 with a premium studio. Kolonell works on a fixed grid of $2,900, $4,900 or $8,900, with a project manager reachable in Eastern Time and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks. The real budget sits elsewhere: artwork photography, artist image rights and accessibility often cost as much as the site itself.
What do providers in Washington actually charge?
Collectors around the District (Georgetown, Dupont Circle, 14th Street, plus Bethesda and Alexandria) search for an artist's name, a show or an art fair before they search for a gallery. The site has to organize artists, exhibitions and works cleanly, which is where most of the price spread comes from.
| Provider | 2026 ballpark | Usual timeline | What is typically included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | $6,000 to $15,000 | 4 to 8 weeks | Adapted theme, 5 to 10 pages, little strategy |
| Local agency (DC / Maryland / Virginia) | $20,000 to $50,000 | 8 to 14 weeks | Custom design, CMS, partial copywriting |
| Premium culture-sector studio | $60,000 to $150,000+ | 4 to 6 months | Art direction, online viewing room, integrations |
| Kolonell Starter | $2,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Showcase site, native English copywriting, 3 months of support |
| Kolonell Growth | $4,900 | 3 to 4 weeks | Structured artist and exhibition pages, core SEO |
| Kolonell Premium | $8,900 | 4 to 6 weeks | Multilingual tier (languages set in the quote), extended architecture |
The local ranges reflect typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages: they are ballpark figures, not a survey. Kolonell prices are fixed, in USD, and detailed on the international offer. Gated areas, a collector portal, integration with the gallery's inventory software or an online shop: on quote.
What a gallery website has to prove
A collector or advisor discovering a gallery looks for three signals: a coherent program, serious relationships with artists, and an easy way to ask about price. Pages to plan:
- Represented artists, only those who have agreed in writing, with bio, exhibition CV and selected works.
- Exhibitions, current, upcoming and past, each with press release, installation views and checklist.
- Art fairs (actual participations only) with booth, dates and artists shown.
- Art advisory: scope (collection building, acquisitions, corporate collections) and how fees work, explained without invented numbers.
- Inquiry on every work: "price on request" is still the norm, so the form has to be flawless.
- Visit and access: address, hours, wheelchair access.
On compliance, stay careful and general. ADA Title III lawsuits over inaccessible websites are frequent in the United States: WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA is the sensible target. Newsletters fall under the CAN-SPAM Act. The District has no equivalent of California's CCPA, but a clear privacy policy and consent banner are still expected. Several jurisdictions (the EU, the UK) put anti-money-laundering duties on art market participants, and the topic is moving in the US too: if you sell to European clients, have your counsel review your procedures. This is not legal advice.
Hidden costs and the three-year total
Agency quotes almost never cover photography, critical essays or legal review. Here is a three-year projection for a gallery that mounts six exhibitions a year.
| 3-year line item | With Kolonell Growth | With a local agency | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website build | $4,900 | $35,000 | Agency: middle of the range |
| Artwork photography and installation views | $18,000 | $18,000 | Third party, assumption: 6 shows a year at $1,000 |
| Texts and essays (third-party writers) | $3,000 | $3,000 | Market assumption |
| Accessibility audit | $2,500 | $2,500 | One-off, specialist provider |
| Maintenance after the 3 included months | $6,600 | $16,500 | Market assumption: $200 vs $500 a month over 33 months |
| Estimated total | $35,000 | $75,000 | 2026 ballpark |
At Kolonell, maintenance after the three included months is priced on quote: the figure above is a market assumption, not a rate.
When a local agency is the better choice
To be fair: a Washington agency makes sense if you want on-site shoots coordinated for every installation, an online viewing room connected to your inventory with checkout, or a partner who shows up at openings and museum committee meetings. A remote studio suits a gallery that wants a clear, fast site that is easy to update and live within a month. Questions to ask any provider:
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- Who enters works and image credits, and how does a sold work come off the site?
- Does the build target WCAG 2.2 AA, and how is it tested?
- Are artist pages structured to surface on the artist's name in search?
- Who owns the accounts, the domain and the code?
- What does a new exhibition cost to publish if you do not do it yourself?
Mini case study
Illustrative example. "Halden Fine Art Partners", a Georgetown gallery with an advisory arm, represents 12 artists (all have signed an image use authorization) and mounts 6 shows a year. Quote from a local agency: $42,000, 12 weeks. Chosen option: Kolonell Growth at $4,900, delivered in 4 weeks, plus $1,000 of photography per show and a $2,500 accessibility audit.
First-year cost: 4,900 + 6,000 + 2,500 = $13,400, versus 42,000 + 6,000 + 2,500 = $50,500 with the agency. Difference: $37,100, which the gallery can put toward an art fair booth or an exhibition catalog.
FAQ
Should artwork prices be shown on the site?
Most Washington galleries show "price on request", especially above $10,000. What matters is an inquiry form on each work that passes the title and artist automatically. Some galleries do list prices for editions and multiples under $5,000.
Can we publish an artist's work without consent?
No, publish only artists and images authorized in writing, installation views included. Add a digital use clause to your contracts: site updates then take 1 to 2 days instead of weeks of checks.
Which tier fits a gallery working in English and Spanish?
Premium at $8,900 is the multilingual tier; the languages are set in the quote. Translating critical texts remains a third-party cost, often $0.12 to $0.25 per word as a 2026 ballpark.
How long until launch?
Plan 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth, 4 to 6 weeks for Premium, provided images and bios are ready. The most common delay is collecting image permissions.
Does the site need to meet the ADA?
No federal rule sets a precise technical standard for private websites, but Title III complaints are common. Targeting WCAG 2.2 AA and budgeting a $2,000 to $6,000 audit is a reasonable precaution.
Let's scope your project. A gallery with 10 to 20 artists usually fits the Growth tier at $4,900, live within a month. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
