An art gallery is a venue where people can view and purchase fine arts like paintings, sculptures, drawings, or photographs. Many of these venues also feature talks and other educational programming to educate the public on current artistic trends and issues that the art reflects. In addition to being an economic engine that brings art to the attention of the public, galleries are responsible for the care and curation of their artists’ work.
The common misconception is that a gallery’s primary responsibility is to make money by selling art. It is true that galleries earn a commission from the sales of artworks they represent, so it is in their best interest to promote their artists and push for sales. But it is not only in the gallery’s financial interests to sell art; it is also in the best interest of the artist themselves, as well as the wider cultural landscape.
In addition to promoting and selling works, galleries take on other tasks related to their artists, such as taking part in art fairs to further the artists’ international visibility, or looking after the process of book publishing when an artist is ready for this. They may also be responsible for presenting their artists to museums and other cultural institutions, to further the artists’ careers and increase the value of their works.
Often, galleries will specialize in certain segments of the art world, for example photography or sculpture, and they may focus on a specific era or genre. This allows them to become experts in the field and helps them build up a solid portfolio of artworks for their clients. They will usually only show their artists’ works if they believe in them, and are not just interested in their commercial potential.
Artists depend on galleries for their financial survival, at least for those that do not have the resources to live from their work alone. The vast majority of galleries have limited overheads, so they have to rely on a steady stream of sales and subscriptions to keep their doors open. Outside factors, like personal tastes, fashions and trends, reviews and publicity, and the state of the economy can impact sales at any time.
Most galleries would love to be able to claim that they always get good sales, but this is not the case. Some galleries do better than others, but all have to face the same challenges and many have struggled in recent years, particularly in New York, the centre of the global art market. Many of these challenges are shared by galleries worldwide, such as the rise of art fairs, but some are more specific to the city, such as the increasing cost of rent and the competition from e-commerce platforms that have drawn many collectors away from bricks-and-mortar galleries. These challenges have contributed to a shrinking of the gallery scene and an inexorable concentration of wealth around a small number of large, globally-renowned art houses.