7 Best FREE Squarespace Templates for Artist Portfolio

Here are 7 free Squarespace templates that would help artists like you build a stellar portfolio or sell some art pieces.

These are handpicked from the Squarespace gallery and I tried my best to explain the pros and cons for each template so you can decide if it's best for you.

Here are a few things to know before you read on:

• The templates mentioned below are for Squarespace 7.1. They are free, but you will still need a Squarespace plan to use them.
• Even though these are pre-made templates, they are not set in stone. You can absolutely customize any section, color, and layout for the site — thanks to Squarespace's fluid engine.
• These templates are handpicked for what I personally think is best for artists based on my experience working with previous clients. Opinions are subjective is what I'm saying.

Let's dive right in.

1. Nolan

Nolan was made as a template for agencies, but it can very well be suited for individual artists as well.

The home page is divvied into different sections, which can be a quick link to featured work (i.e., portfolio), past clients, testimonials, and contact page.

There is a dedicated portfolio page where you can showcase your artwork, and each piece of art has its dedicated write-up page where you can explain your artwork in detail.

✅ The Good

• Dedicated portfolio page to feature all artwork.
• Each portfolio piece gets its dedicated page for detailed write up.
• Full-width image gallery.
• Premade contact and about us page.

❌ The Bad

• May be too simplistic
• No multi-image gallery or carousel.

⭐ Bottom Line

Great for artists who want a simple but professional template to showcase their portfolio and build a branded site.

Preview Nolan on Squarespace

2. Kester

Kester is a fascinating template for entrepreneurial artists. The portfolio is displayed upfront on the home page, and there's a dedicated email sign-up form to get subscribers.

Note that email marketing is a separate add-on for Squarespace.

Kester also features a dedicated eCommerce page for artists who are interested in selling their artwork.

For artists who are interested in building a following and monetize your blog traffic, there's a dedicated blog section.

It's a great alternative to Wordpress, and if you're interested in how to set up a blog from scratch, I have a tutorial for that.

✅ The Good

• Built-in eCommerce page.
• Built-in blog.
• Built-in email subscribe form.
• Built-in social media links.
• Overlay effects over images.

❌ The Bad

• Overly neutral color tone (but customizable).
• A little too heavy-handed on white space.

⭐ Bottom Line

Great for artists who want to build a following and sell their artwork online.

Preview Kester on Squarespace

3. Matsuya

Matsuya is a simple portfolio template that adopts a masonry layout — the one that looks like Pinterest.

This layout is dynamic, which means you can add a bunch of images of different dimensions, and Squarespace will resize and arrange them neatly for you.

When a user clicks on the individual images, a slideshow will pop up, and they can view the image in its original size.

You can also customize the positioning for each and the gutter sizes (the space between images).

✅ The Good

• Dynamic masonry layout
• Image Slideshow
• Full bleed background image
• Clean footer

❌ The Bad

• Lack of variety in layouts.
• Can only view images chronologically in the slideshow. Can't skip or
• No text or write up for individual art work.

⭐ Bottom Line

For artists who want to display their portfolio in a masonry layout.

Preview Matsuya on Squarespace

4. Nevins

Nevins is a grid-style portfolio template where each image on the home page leads to its individual write-up page. That makes it great for artists, galleries, or studios with a collection to show.

It comes with a blog (also presented in grid view), and it utilizes all of Squarespace native blog features.

✅ The Good

• Clean grid layout template.
• Built-in blog layout
• Individual write-up page for each artwork or collection.

❌ The Bad

• Can only square images on the home page (portfolio)

⭐ Bottom Line

Great for featuring collections or a gallery of images with storytelling.

Preview Nevins on Squarespace

5. Elliott

Elliot is a unique template that features a slideshow with full width and height on the home page.

All of the images on the slideshow are lansscape, so if you upload portrait images, Squarespace will resize and crop accordingly to fit the slideshow.

This template is purely a visual portfolio. You won't find any write-up or description for the gallery, but there's a pre-built about page to feature the artist's background.

✅ The Good

• Full-length slideshow layout.
• Unique navigation system.
• Links to social media included.

❌ The Bad

• Limiting layout.
• No caption and description for the portfolio.

⭐ Bottom Line

Great for visual portfolio.

Preview Elliott on Squarespace

6. Beaumont

Beaumont follows a more conventional layout and header navigation than the rest of the templates here.

You'll find the standard portfolio, about, and contact page at the top. The portfolio is organized in a 2x2 grid layout, and there's a description section to highlight the project details.

✅ The Good

• Conventional, clean layout
• Detailed page for each artwork or collection
• Smooth animation and transition

❌ The Bad

• No blog
• No caption for each artwork.

⭐ Bottom Line

Great for personal portfolio.

Preview Beaumont on Squarespace

7. Montclaire

Montclaire is a very interesting template for artists who wish to sell their art online.

The home page features all artworks in a grid layout, but clicking on any of the art pieces brings the user to an eCommerce page where they could purchase it.

The default About page is pretty simple, so you definitely need to personalize it to add some character to the site .

Preview Montclaire on Squarespace

✅ The Good

• Built-in eCommerce page and checkout.
• Consistent image layout for portfolio.
• Email subscribe form included

❌ The Bad

• No other pre-built layouts such as blog, carousel, slideshow, etc.
• Poor spacing between each image, making it look "empty".

⭐ Bottom Line

Easy eCommerce site for artist

Related articles on Squarespace

Those are all of the Squarespace templates I think would be great for artists to build their portfolios or sell their art pieces. You might also find the following articles interesting:

• How to change Squarespace template
• Squarespace vs Wordpress, Weebly, and Wix
• Photographer's portfolio on Squarespace
• Is Squarespace good for blogging and how to monetize a Squarespace blog

David Nge

David is the founder of MakingThatWebsite.com and started making websites for businesses back in 2014. He's a keen learner and wants to share his journey and knowledge with other business owners and freelancers. He launched MakingThatWebsite.com in 2021 to make website building more approachable and scalable for businesses.

Have a tutorial you want to learn? Leave a suggestion here.