How to Write Artist Bios in Third Person with a Professional Tone

Writing an artist bio in the third person isn’t just about listing achievements. It’s about creating a clear, compelling snapshot of who the artist is, what they do, and why their work matters. Too many artist bios sound like resumes with fluff. Others are too vague-full of poetic language but no substance. A strong bio strikes a balance: it’s professional, grounded in facts, and still carries the energy of the artist’s voice.

Why Third Person Matters

Using third person-"She creates," "He exhibits," "Their work has been featured"-isn’t arbitrary. It’s the standard in galleries, museums, press kits, and grant applications. Why? Because it gives the bio authority. It reads like an objective overview, not self-promotion. When a curator scans dozens of bios, third person signals professionalism. It says, "This artist understands the industry."

First-person bios can feel casual or overly personal, especially in formal contexts. Third person creates distance, which makes the work the focus-not the artist’s personality. That doesn’t mean the bio has to be cold. It just needs to be clean, confident, and credible.

What Belongs in a Professional Artist Bio

A professional artist bio isn’t a list of every exhibition or award. It’s a curated story. Start with the essentials:

• Current focus: What kind of work are they making now? Materials? Themes? Techniques?
• Key exhibitions: Name 2-4 significant shows-galleries, museums, or curated group exhibitions. Include location and year.
• Recognition: Awards, residencies, grants, or notable collections that hold their work. Be specific: "Recipient of the 2023 National Visual Arts Fellowship" is better than "awarded multiple honors."
• Education: Only include degrees if they’re relevant. A BFA from a well-known art school adds weight. A self-taught background can be stated plainly: "Self-taught artist based in Portland."
• Professional context: Where do they work? Do they teach? Collaborate? Run a studio space? These details ground the artist in a real-world context.

Leave out: hobbies, personal anecdotes ("I’ve loved painting since I was five"), overly emotional language ("My soul speaks through clay"), or vague buzzwords like "innovative," "visionary," or "groundbreaking" without evidence.

Structure That Works

The best artist bios follow a simple, proven structure:

1. Opening line: State who they are and what they do. Example: "Lena Ruiz is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores memory, migration, and the fragility of home through textile installations."
2. Key context: Mention major exhibitions, collections, or residencies. Example: "Her work has been featured at the Contemporary Art Museum of San Francisco (2023), the National Museum of Modern Craft (2022), and the Banff Centre Residency (2021)."
3. Background: Education or training, if relevant. Example: "She holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and has taught studio art at the University of Oregon since 2020."
4. Current work: What’s happening now? Upcoming shows? New series? Example: "Currently, Ruiz is developing a new series titled "Borderlines," commissioned by the Pacific Northwest Arts Council and set to debut in spring 2026."

This structure works because it moves from identity → impact → background → forward momentum. It answers the questions curators and journalists ask: Who is this? Where have they shown? What are they doing now?

Tone: Professional, Not Pretentious

Professional doesn’t mean stiff. It means clear, precise, and confident. Avoid these common pitfalls:

• Don’t overuse adjectives. "Visionary," "groundbreaking," "uniquely transformative"-these mean nothing without proof.
• Don’t write like a press release. "Lena Ruiz is a trailblazing force in contemporary textile art" sounds like marketing, not biography.
• Don’t hide behind passive voice. "The work has been exhibited" is weaker than "Her work has been exhibited."
• Don’t include irrelevant details. "She enjoys hiking and coffee" doesn’t belong unless it directly informs her practice.

Instead, use active verbs: creates, explores, investigates, challenges, redefines, integrates, constructs, responds. Pair them with concrete nouns: textile installations, archival photographs, ceramic forms, public interventions, digital collages.

Examples That Work

Weak example:
"I am a passionate artist who loves to create emotional pieces that speak to the soul. My work has been shown in many places and I’ve won some awards. I live in Brooklyn and I’m always learning."

Strong example:
"Marisol Chen is a ceramic artist based in Brooklyn whose work investigates the intersection of domestic labor and gendered identity through hand-built vessels. Her pieces have been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Craft (2024) and the Center for Art and Social Engagement (2023). She is a 2025 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant and holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Chen is currently developing a new body of work exploring the material history of household textiles, supported by a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2026."

The second example gives facts, context, and momentum. It doesn’t try to impress-it informs.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Too long: Keep it under 250 words for general use. For websites or portfolios, 150-200 words is ideal.
• Too short: One sentence won’t cut it. You need enough to establish credibility.
• Outdated info: If your last show was in 2018 and you haven’t exhibited since, say so. "After a decade of exhibitions, Chen is currently focused on studio research and public workshops." Honesty builds trust.
• Ignoring the audience: A bio for a gallery website should differ from one for a grant application. Tailor it. Grant reviewers want funding history. Gallery owners want exhibition history and market fit.

Updating Your Bio

Artist bios aren’t set in stone. Update them every 6-12 months. Add new exhibitions, grants, or projects. Remove outdated ones. If you’ve shifted your focus-say, from painting to installation-revise the opening line to reflect that change.

Keep a master version with all your info, then trim it down for each use. That way, you’re never scrambling to remember where you showed in 2022.

Final Checklist

• Is it written in third person?
• Does it clearly state who the artist is and what they do?
• Are key exhibitions, grants, or collections named with dates and locations?
• Is education included only if it adds credibility?
• Is there a forward-looking statement (current project, upcoming show, new direction)?
• Does it avoid fluff, clichés, and passive voice?
• Is it under 250 words?

When you nail this, your bio becomes a quiet but powerful tool. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t beg for attention. It simply says: "This is who I am. This is what I do. And this is why it matters."