An art gallery is a place where people from all walks of life come to see the latest works by established and emerging artists. The work displayed can range from paintings and sculptures to prints, drawings, and even digital artwork. There is often a lot of creativity that goes into the creation of the pieces and many visitors find the artwork inspiring and moving. This makes the galleries a great place to visit for anyone who is interested in learning more about the creative process.
There are a few common misconceptions about what an art gallery does that should be addressed in order to get a clearer picture of the role they play in the art world. Many artists assume that if they sign with a gallery, it will automatically adopt them and become their client base, ready to sell anything they produce. This is far from the truth and a majority of galleries will actually start slowly with an artist, taking a few works on consignment and displaying them to see how clients respond.
Once a gallery decides to represent an artist, they will do everything within their power to showcase the artists and help them build their careers. This may include submitting their artists’ work to art fairs and other exhibition opportunities to promote the artworks nationally and internationally. It can also involve contacting museum curators and collectors who might be interested in acquiring the artworks or helping them find other dealers willing to help sell their pieces for an appropriate split.
Aside from this, galleries can also help their artists with their artistic practice, providing advice and support when needed. This can include offering workshops, seminars, lectures, and other types of educational opportunities to help artists expand their horizons and grow as artists.
When it comes to the financial side, a gallery’s responsibility is to make sales as much as possible in order to cover all of their expenses. These expenses can include rent, insurance, alarm systems, utilities, phone bills, equipment, supplies, framing, transportation, furnishings, computers, art fair fees, announcements, advertising, memberships, and more.
The gallery will usually have a price list that is available for anyone who visits the gallery and wants to look at prices. The prices of the pieces will typically not be visible on the walls, but rather in a catalog that can be viewed by all who are interested. The cost of a piece is not necessarily determined by its size or how well known the artist is, but it is mostly determined by the current market conditions and the type of artwork.
As you can see, there is a wide range of tasks that go into the running of an art gallery and they can be quite complicated. However, there are some general rules that most galleries follow in order to make sure that they are doing their best to provide the artists they represent with a professional and supportive environment.