Art Lovers discussion

I thought it might be good to start a discussion on art galleries in general. I found a bunch of threads on museums, but none specifically on selling art. I'm curious, because I'm interested in starting an art gallery of my own.
What do you guys look for in art galleries? What don't you like to see in art galleries? What are your favourite art galleries?

Going through various threads (and there are so many I couldn't possibly read them all!), I find that this discussion, suggested by Melissa, hasn't had any comments.

I don't know you all in the group, in fact, very few of you personally, but Ed, I know you have your own gallery. Would you like to comment in this thread? And anyone else who would have knowledge or experience on the subject is welcome!

Thanks!

I directed a cooperative photo gallery from 1976 until 1980 so I have a little bit of experience. As a lifetime artist, I have watched galleries come and go and have talked to dozens of gallery owners and read countless accounts.

Some common mistakes galleries make.

1) thinking that they will survive financially. This is the number one mistake that many gallery owners make. The losses for start up galleries is highly prohibitive to long term success. More than 95% of galleries operate in the red. So many gallery owners are convinced of their own good taste or business acumen that it comes as a shock when there funds are so quickly depleted. Galleries are not like car dealership or hardware stores. People don't really need art, despite the slogans to the contrary, whereas everyone needs transportation and hand tools.

There is over saturation of galleries in some metropolitan areas. Every trust fund kid dreams of having a gallery and is okay with losing some money as long as he can play art patron. That makes it more difficult for those who aren't endowed with a large surplus of funds to make it financially. In NYC, there are simply too many players for a limited number of clients. The same for Boston. I am sure other cities experience the same problem.

2) Too many galleries show the same kind of work. There is simply not enough differentiation between galleries. Why bother buying at Gallery A, when B, C, D, and E are showing the same type of work.

3) Poor maintenance of followers' contact information. I have seen two galleries here in Merida that have failed to maintain lists of those interested in attending openings. As openings usually constitute the greater proportion of sales it is imperative to rope in as many people as possible to those events. If you don't have a presence on FB that you keep updated with opening information or an email list, you lose out. Every gallery should have a guestbook that solicits email and phone information. KEEP those emails updated and you will keep people coming in to the openings.

At one of the galleries here in town, (the one that repped me for 9 years), they failed to do the above. The last show they had was amazing outsider art from the grandson of Lucien Lartrigue. There was no email list. 15 people showed up. Across town the new upstart art center, Centro Visual de Cupules, had more than a 100 people attend a very boring photo panel discussion because they have bothered to maintain an expanded email list they have accumulated in only the short time they have been opened since last October.

3) Show a range of work in a single show. Don't put all the eggs in a single basket by showing only a single artist. If you have two rooms, reserve one room for the solo show, and have 20 different artists in the second room.

4) and here's a suggestion I know will get a few howls of protest-one which I don't like either, but it works. Reserve a show once a year for an art competition. People wanting to show pay $10 for each entry to be juried by a local distinguished curator.

I want to add a fifth comment to the previous post. In the 1950's the photo market was almost non-existent. Once could buy the Moonrise over Hernandez by Ansel Adams for less than 50 dollars. there was one commercial photo gallery in NYC, Limelight, I believe that doubled as a coffee house. The coffeeshop carried the photo gallery financially.

This is perhaps the most plausible business model for art gallery in my estimation. Either a coffeehouse or frame shop doubling to an art gallery as in most likelihood the gallery is not going to make it. For those whose initial capital is less than 100,000 dollars that is the way to go.

great comments, Geoffrey! They make me want to start my own gallery using your information, experience and suggestions. I've always wanted to own a shop or something of the sort. I am really intrigued. I appreciate the time you put into the above posts!

What I like in an art gallery is appealing art (to me, obviously...) without an intimidating atmosphere. I would probably feel too intimidated to walk into some huge name gallery knowing I'm never going to buy something, the same way I probably wouldn't walk into a Chanel boutique. That's probably dumb. I mean, I have walked into an art gallery and bought something that didn't cost complete peanuts. This particular work was affordable for me, although it was definitely a luxury item. I was willing to spend that amount of money on a piece of art but wouldn't have spent it on a piece of clothing.

Then, right afterwards, I walked across the street to another gallery which was having an Audrey Niffenegger show which was interesting mainly for the pricing. There were a couple paintings the size of a sheet of xerox paper for $10,000.

Time was, I’d drive 60 to 75 miles into LA to go to an art gallery at least once a month. I agree with most of what Geoffrey says. Especially about the fact that most galleries operate in the red. In fact, I’ve had two friends open galleries and close within a few months because there was nobody with deep pockets backing the place up.

I’d like to add another couple of caveats. Galleries need to work their asses off to cultivate collectors, that is, people who will buy an artists’ work in depth. That means people with $$. You need connections. The gallery that represented me in Los Angeles didn’t do that. They were one of the oldest galleries in LA, but they never made it to the bigtime and I think this may have been part of the problem.

Also I agree with Lobster Girl. Don’t make the place so damn intimidating. I’m not referring to the little coop filled with a variety of art and a volunteer staffer, but to any gallery with high-end ambitions. You know the kind I mean. You walk into this large, silent, white-walled expanse. There’s a woman in black at the desk who doesn’t even raise her eyes, let alone greet you. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. I’m used to this, but to the neophyte or beginning collector it’s really off-putting.