![]() The benefit of working with a commercial gallery is relative stability and an improved financial situation - you have a dealer working on your behalf who stands to make just as much money from each sale as you (circa 50% commission). A nice plus with non-profits is that you actually have a chance to get accepted based on merit alone, unlike any of the other models - because it's common for non-profits to put out open calls and accept unknown artists based on the proposal and portfolio alone.Ĥ. However, particularly larger institutions may rely on funding from public sector sources, and need to emulate commercial galleries to appear to deserve it. If you are accepted you get to show and network in an environment that doesn't need to make sales to survive, which gives you and the gallery the freedom to take risks. Sales of the artist's work usually include commissions for the institution, but the percentage is lower than with commercial galleries. The non-profit is funded by donations and grants and it takes a lot of skill to establish and navigate. These look to me to be a good target for artists, though difficult to run for the owners. It's also tougher to make a sale, since the real money is in the commercial galleries, but you get to be a part of something which is real and happening, and you can work with your peers, and network and share facilities. It costs much less than a vanity show but the costs are ongoing rather than one-off, so it requires commitment - and you also need to convince the other artists in the collective that your work is worthy of joining the mix. In doing so, you get a say in how the co-op is run (if you want), and you get a guaranteed slot for a show every 1-2 years when your turn comes up. ![]() In reality it can damage the artist's career as these galleries are looked down on by people in the 'higher levels'.Ī nice middle ground which will cost you less as an artist, is to buy into a cooperative. These galleries often make a profit while the artist is making a loss, because a lot of aspiring artists want New York shows on their CV no matter how they have to get there. It can cost between $2-10k depending on whether you use the space exclusively or not. Vanity galleries are particularly prevalent in big cities, and particularly in New York, because of it's status in the art world. In this category the artist pays a fee to the gallery in order to show their work. People usually rank these in levels of desirability for the artist, due to the potential for profit and prestige. And let me know if you have a different idea about how things work.īelow are the four types I found that stood out. See the links at the bottom for the sources. I've summarised it in this article, and discussed commercial galleries more below. But it made me realise I don't really know how the gallery scene works, and it gave me the impetus to do a little bit of investigation. Well, the truth is they're probably both to an extent that varies from gallery to gallery. Are they glorified dealers, selecting only art that fits a narrow, profit-oriented, white-cube ideal? Or are they operators in cultural cohesion, inviting community and collectors to share in the owner's artistic vision over a free beer at openings? A couple of days ago I found myself in the middle of a debate about commercial art galleries.
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