An art gallery is a place where artists exhibit their work to the public for sale. Depending on the type of art, it may also be known as a museum or an art center. It is often found in major cities or areas with a high population of people interested in art. Art galleries usually offer a variety of different services to their artists, including exhibition space, promotion, sales, and workshops. They may also sell prints of the artworks they show to the public.
In order to make a profit, an art gallery charges a percentage of the sale price of each piece of art sold. This is how they get the money to pay the artist for their work. In most cases, the artist gets half of the total turnover from the art gallery.
The main service an art gallery provides for its represented artists is curating exhibitions. This involves scouting for the best artists and then inviting them to collaborate on an exhibition with the gallery. The gallery takes care of the entire process of putting together an exhibition, from transportation to insurance, supervision, printing, and so on. The exhibitions can be solo exhibitions, duo exhibitions, or group exhibitions.
Besides exhibitions, galleries can be involved in art fairs or participate in art projects that are based outside the gallery walls. They can help the artists promote their works internationally by doing this, as well as provide them with a platform to connect with an audience that is not restricted to local art enthusiasts. This is especially helpful for new or emerging artists.
The art gallery can also be involved in art restoration, a meticulous blend of art and science that restores chipped, torn, and dirty paintings back to their former glory. It is a practice that requires a great deal of skill and expertise in order to be successful.
As far as other services go, galleries may take on or help out with book publishing when the time comes for it, or they might even assist with promoting their artists in international art magazines or websites. The gallery can also be a source of information for collectors, providing them with the latest market prices and trends.
Art galleries typically host opening nights for their exhibitions, where regular visitors are invited to come and discover the work. These events are called vernissages and are a fun way for art lovers to meet each other.
Moreover, the art gallery can organize different types of workshops or lectures for its patrons to learn about a particular genre or style. They can also host art exhibitions in vacant commercial spaces for short periods of time, like a month or so. This has become popular in recent years, with people launching popup galleries to showcase art for a single day or month.