A gallery is a place where art is displayed for the public to view and buy. It is a key role in the art world because it acts as a bridge between the artist and the professional art market. Many successful artists credit galleries for their early career support and for giving them a platform to be seen and recognized by a larger audience. Art galleries can be local or internationally focused.
The most visible function of an art gallery is selling artworks. This can be done through a website, in-person visits or by appointment. An art gallery will usually have a team of people who handle sales and marketing. This can include the salesperson, the art consultant and the director of the gallery.
One of the biggest responsibilities of an art gallery is establishing prices for its artists. This is similar to determining an employee’s salary, and is often dependent on the artist’s CV, experience in their field and professionalism. This ensures that the artists are properly paid for their work and maintain a reasonable balance with the professional art market.
Another important role of an art gallery is organizing exhibitions. This can be solo or duo exhibitions for a specific artist or group exhibitions for the gallery’s roster of artists. Art galleries can also specialize in a particular area of the art world, for example, modernist works or antiquities.
The gallery’s other roles include promoting its space and its artists to the general public, networking with potential collectors, and collaborating with art journalists. This can be done through social media, website updates and through art fairs or other professional venues.
There are also several other less visible tasks that a gallery can take care of. This includes supporting the artist by taking care of or following up on the production of monographs, catalogues and other publications and researching art history for upcoming shows.
In addition, art galleries may also be in charge of the maintenance and preservation of the physical space itself. This can include cleaning, repairing and maintaining the artworks as well as the lighting and ventilation. An art gallery is also responsible for the management of its archives, including keeping track of documents and files related to its artists and their work. The archivist is often in-house, but some art galleries employ outside archival services as needed.