In a recent interview, I was asked where I saw the art gallery business going in the next ten years. This is a very interesting question and could have resulted in an hour-long conversation on its own. Because I only had a few minutes to reply in the interview, I pointed to three trends I see as being very important to the future of the business. I mentioned the increasing importance of self-promotion for artists. I talked about the move toward increasing online sales. Finally, I predicted that we would see a rise in the number of art galleries charging a fee to show and sell artwork. Even as I write this, I can see that there’s great discussion to be had in all of those topics (watch for future blog posts!). It’s the third and final point I wish to focus on here, however.
I frequently have artists write me about their encounters with galleries that are asking for a fee to show work. Recently, for example, I received the following email from an artist:
Not asking for any advice this time. You have been very helpful with that. This is follow up info on a gallery I asked you about a couple weeks ago on N. Marshall. You gave me some insights on how to find out more about them. I did as much due diligence as I could and they seemed to be a traditional gallery, so I flew in to meet with them. They moved to Main Street just before I got there, which I only found out they were doing after I bought tickets. But since that seemed like a good thing, I was not concerned. I assumed it meant they were doing really well. When I got there I drove past their old gallery which was a nice medium sized space with lots of wall space and great lighting. Based on that and the photos they had of the space on the their website,(they have since changed the page) I expected the same set up when I got to the new one. I was in for a genuine surprise when I got there and it was this really small space, which is when I started to wonder if they had” changed programs on me”. If I understand “vanity gallery” correctly, that is what they are running. They charge a large fee for you to hang your work for a month. It does not hang in the gallery the rest of the time. I can’t say for sure what they had going at the other space, but I suspect this is a change in model of operation to some degree. They are offering this to people with more limited, if any, gallery experience that may not understand what they are doing. I realize it is perfectly legal as long as they disclose it all, but they are not up front before you come in. I think I even asked them before hand if it was a traditional gallery set up. I did get a couple things out of it. A great learning experience. Also, they liked my interpretive horses, which you commented on when I asked you to look at my work awhile back. That was a nice confirmation for me about my horses.
My purpose for this is because I think a lot of artists have naive assumptions about more established, well known art districts such as Scottsdale. It frankly never occurred to me that a vanity gallery would open up there.I don’t know why, just something I assumed. My biggest concern was how they were doing financially. You do a lot of blogs and on-line discussions about art and marketing and galleries, etc. It seems to me a lot of artists could benefit from understanding the various types of galleries that exist, the pros and cons of them, and what to try and avoid. I understood as soon as I got there that it was not what they let me think. ( I want to be clear they did not blatantly lie, they inferred.) But I am in a couple galleries and have perhaps done more research than an artist just getting started. Artists should know that location is not a guarantee of a traditional gallery, or even if it is ethical in how it’s run. I also understand galleries are having to try a lot of new ideas to survive, but I think that is a far cry from a vanity gallery. I , for one, would love to see me information on those subjects. Anyways, just an idea for your future reference.
Thanks, Kim J.
Kim brings up some great points. Just to be clear, what she is describing, a gallery asking for a fee to show your work, is the classical definition of what has been labeled the “vanity” gallery. For those readers unfamiliar with the term, let me explain. The idea is that these galleries, instead of taking work on consignment based on the marketability and merit of the work, play to the “vanity” of artists. Instead of waiting for their work to improve or waiting until they’ve gained further recognition for their work, these artists are willing to pay the fee to get the exposure.
The concept is similar to the “vanity” press. A vanity press will publish your book for a fee when traditional publishers decline to publish it. I suspect that the term started in the publishing world and migrated to the art world.
The Art Market Is Changing
I actually think our conception of these galleries is a bit outdated. The market has changed, and there are a number of galleries that are charging a fee to show artist’s work, but they are not doing it to prey on vanity. Instead they see a change in the market and an opportunity to create a new business model. In fact, I try not to use the term “vanity gallery” because I feel it’s taken on a charged and derogatory connotation (I’m using it in this post in quotation marks because I feel the term will be understood more readily by those familiar with it), and I feel that for some of these galleries, the title and concept are no longer accurate.
So what do I mean when I say the market is changing? In past posts and podcasts, I’ve talked about how the internet is opening up opportunities for artists to interact with and sell directly to collectors. This is great for artists who want to promote themselves and manage their own sales. It’s also great for collectors who wish to seek out artists outside of the gallery scene. It can sometimes lead collectors to find good values. These direct sales are putting pressure on traditional art galleries to an extent. While it is sometimes the case that these collectors simply would never have bought artwork had they not been able to buy it directly from artists, there are also cases where the collectors are buying directly from artists instead of buying the work through galleries.
In some cases, the artists are showing in galleries, but the collector then approaches the artist to buy work directly from the studio, cutting the gallery out of the sale. This is especially harmful to the gallery. Now the gallery is paying high overhead to show the work but not seeing any financial return for the expense. Galleries are dealing with this issue in many different ways. Some are going out of business. Some are working harder and being creative to find ways to provide more value to the artist and collector and earn their commission (I like to think that this is what we’re doing at Xanadu Gallery). Some are starting to charge a fee to show work.
Instead of thinking of traditional galleries as “good” and fee-for-display galleries as “bad,” I just think of them as very different businesses.
For an artist who wants to focus on creating art and avoid dealing with the sales and business side of things, a traditional, commission gallery probably makes the most sense.
For an artist who wants to do their own promotion and sell directly to buyers, a fee-for-display gallery might make sense. This artist might simply consider the fee an advertising expense.
Do Your Due Diligence Before Working with a Vanity Gallery
Of course, if you are considering showing your work in such a gallery, you would want to make sure that the gallery is offering value for the fee. Simply having a space and opening the doors is no guarantee of exposure or sales. I would recommend that before agreeing to pay a fee to show your work with the gallery, you speak to three or four artists who are showing or have shown in the gallery previously. Ask if they feel the exposure was worth the fee. Make sure that you understand how the gallery will promote and display your work. Ask how a sale will be handled. Does the gallery also take a commission on sales? If so, you would expect it to be significantly smaller than the 50% traditional galleries ask. I would certainly recommend a written agreement.
Interestingly, this is exactly the same advice I would make to an artist considering showing in a traditional gallery. Remember, you might think that a “vanity” gallery is charging you a fee, and a traditional gallery is not. This is simply not the case. The traditional gallery is taking the fee after the sale; the fee-for-display gallery takes it before. Because there is no guarantee of a sale, this means that in the traditional gallery, the gallery is taking a greater risk if the work doesn’t sell. If you are paying fee to show your work, you will be taking the greater risk.
Ultimately, this means that a traditional gallery has more direct motivation to promote and sell your work. The fee-for-display gallery also has motivation to sell your work in the long-run, however. If they don’t sell any work, they will eventually run out of artists willing and able to pay their fee.
Another concern I often hear is that artists are afraid that showing in vanity gallery will hurt the artist’s chances of getting into future galleries, or hamper future sales to collectors. I feel this fear is unfounded. If you can generate exposure and sales through the fee-for-display gallery, those sales and followers will be a positive on your resume. It’s unlikely future galleries will even pay attention to where those sales came from.
Share Your Thoughts on Whether an Artist Should Show in a “Vanity” Gallery
You’ve heard what I think – now it’s your opportunity to share your thoughts on the vanity gallery. Have you shown your work in a fee-for-display gallery? Was it a positive or negative experience? Did you sell art or get some other benefit from the relationship? Please share your thoughts and experience in the comments below. Please avoid naming galleries or giving gallery locations – I wish to keep this discussion based on broad principles, not specific galleries (I also would like to avoid law suits!). I am particularly interested in hearing from artists who have had positive experiences.
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Vanity galleries are a scam. If someone gets your money before a sale is made they are in the business of making money through the artists not really in the business of making money through selling art. There is a saying in Spanish “Musico pagado toca mal son” which translates to if a musician is paid before his performance, most likely he won’t do a good job. So these galleries will take your money but will make very little to no effort to sell your work. There are so many people out there trying to take advantage of artists by preying on their dreams. You wouldn’t hire a musician and ask him to pay you money because he will get “exposure” and then he has to give you 50% of his tips because you are the nice person allowing him to play his music at your venue, right? That would never happen. Why do artists have to work for free and then pay for the “exposure”?
Abril, I get your point about feeling taken advantage of by fee-based “vanity” galleries, but I have to point out that your description of this kind of thing never happening to musicians is very much, absolutely, totally incorrect. This happens to musicians ALL the time and has done since the dawn of time. There’s even a well-known term for it: “pay-to-play” – you pay up front and then you also pay a percentage of your door. I suspect that this particular “business model” (I use the quotes here to indicate sarcasm) actually originated in the music industry. And with the advent of the internet & streaming services, it’s gotten even harder for up & coming musicians to find venues that *aren’t* pay-to-play because venues & record companies have to dig deep in order to remain relevant & profitable. Likewise, new actors and other performers have a similar scenario with “showcases” – where they pay to perform for an audience of (supposed) managers, agents & scouts in order to gain exposure – then, if they get a contract out of it, the entity that put the showcase together might even require a further payment/commission/percentage. Anyway, the point is, it’s not just artists who get “taken advantage of” by predatory systems – ALL creatives face this to a disturbing degree. Personally, I agree with the author of the post in the sense that we, as creatives, have to stop thinking of these systems as inherently predatory and ask ourselves how we can also benefit from them. Of course there will always be bad apples, but there is value in the connections & exposure a gallery/venue/showcase/publisher can bring. Instead of assuming they’re all evil, we should educate ourselves about these business models so we can accurately determine which ones bring appropriate value for the cost. If the ROI is high, I have no problem paying someone for access to the networks they have spent time, money, and energy developing.
I agree with the above comment in regards to sales. Where is the motivation to sell the work, if you have already received payment from the Artist. I have never shown my work in a “Vanity gallery” even though I have received dozens of email invites, but I have exhibited my work in a “Modified co-op” Gallery. My experience there was neither good or bad, I did not feel the owners were taking advantage of the Artists and the fee was definitely reasonable. At the same time the majority of my sales came from previous collectors of my work, that followed me to the gallery.
A fee gallery would only make sense to me if they offered a reasonable contract. If the gallery takes a fee to hang work and does little to promote it, or make any effort to sell it, there’s not much point. I can hang my paintings in my living room with the same result.
I’m eager to have my work seen. It’s been quite an arduous journey and one that has hung out on the avant-garde fringes.
I’m a bit cerebral. I think about art and what it takes to make an image.
The amount of time, energy and resources it takes for me to enter shows, plan exhibitions, curate shows (on now rare occasion) makes me quite circumspect in what I take on.
I have been fortunate to be included in some good well-attended shows.
I have been fortunate to be asked to put my work in venues.
I have never written a check for the purpose of hanging my work
In last Friday’s zoom session with Jason he said, “Put on your ‘A’ game every time.”
So- I thought about that. A big part of my A game is that thoughtful circumspection- NOT in the moment, but ahead of time in the “due diligence” place that is worthy of habitation.
I sure would ask what I could expect from the gallery in terms of traffic (Average Daly and Total)and business handling (how and when do I get my money on sales) at the very least.
It’s your reputation and career on the line every time you pick up a brush, every time someone has stopped what they are doing to take some time being with your work. That counts for a lot.
I would like to suggest a third model I’ve had a little bit of experience with and that’s artist collectives. They charge a fee yes, but the organization is a group effort. It was a positive experience and I learned a great deal!
I think an artists collective is different than an artist co-op? I was in a co-op for a while and because it depended solely on the artists to make the sales it turned out to be too passive in that regard as most of us were not trained in the art of sales. Then there was the problem which I have heard is not uncommon, that the small group of artists on the board created an llc in their names and never told the other paying artists. We only found out because in spite of group meetings, all of our ideas were dismissed as not able to work. There was never enough money to pay for the lights or the membership fee to the wildly popular gallery stroll, and excuses for not having a visible sign or advertising. The s@#$ hit the fan when the building owners had to raise their rents and we all received a letter telling us to pay up or else. We had contracts with the amount of rent. So it meant more bodies with checkbooks and little oversight of quality. I sold 3 painting in over a year and only after I gave my notice. Their best artists left with their already established contacts and buyers. They are still there trying to get people to pay. They became the worst type of vanity gallery in that they lie to the artists who want a jumping off experience in a gallery and get a money pit with no say. Honestly even with a good location they still rely only on walk ins and the occasional Facebook or Instagram announcement. The other type of venue that shows up is the shady one night pop up that combines with music and theater. You have to provide everything yourself and you have to sell a lot of tickets for the venue. They show up around here about once a year and hit up local artists. Most people find they cannot sell tickets enough to get entrance to the venue they were “invited” into participating. I think the pandemic has slowed that one down but I am sure they will pop up again.
I paid a fee to show my large photographs from my series “Alice In Chinatown,”
on Orchard St. NYC, for Chinese New Year 2020.
I helped hang the solo show, and was very pleased with the display over all!
The show was brief, and not well advertised. Weather was bad on the main sales day.
So no sales. However, the gallery owners were wonderful to me. Very appreciative and
conscientious. Took me to two fabulous dinners. Printed the brochures. Had the Lion
Dancers dance through the gallery! I took some classic photos while I was in town!
I had the most fun I could possibly have, and my resume is now superbly Up To Date!
Interesting topic. There are so many variables, so I would expect some vanity galleries to be good options for artists who need some exposure, and don’t have other opportunities. This exposure may be worth the fee, even if sales are not amazing. Some advance research should help weed out the ones that probably won’t offer enough to justify the fee.
Vanity Gallery, Traditional Gallery, they’re both in the business of taking money from artists. The only difference is that Vanity Galleries might only take their money up-front rather than wait for the payout at the end. Less risk for them. That being said I do not know that the Vanity Gallery only charges the up-front fee and no commission. Either way, both of them are charging an exorbitant fee for a marginal service. The Traditional Gallery most likely gives some semblance of earning what they charge but I prefer the online approach to sell my artwork. If I am being successful then I can hire someone to promote my art over various social media platforms at a much significantly lower cost to me than either the Vanity Gallery or the Traditional Gallery.
My opinion. I would focus on the quality of artwork they accept. You still want to it to be curated. I would look at how professional the gallery looks. I personally have a rule that my art cannot be displayed on the floor, so if a gallery is crammed full, showing art on the floor, and every piece from every high school student in the community, this might be a very welcoming gallery for amateur artists, but not a boost for your business, and not attracting the clients you probably need. I spoke to one gallery owner who said they don’t turn anyone down, (being kind or whatever) . They basically turned into a dollar/craft shop and are out of business now. I agree with talking to another artist who shows there to get a realistic feedback.
Brett, thanks for this. I was invited to join a local art guild and show my work. The gallery had several interesting artists, but shortly after I signed on, they began accepting a lot of other artists (the artist fees pay the rent), including high school students, with little concern for quality. I plan to leave in the spring. Your analogy to craft shop hit home. Not opposed to high school artists or crafts, but not where I want my abstract paintings to be. Different market. And after many sales elsewhere, I have not sold a thing.
I ran a gallery for 15 years that I guess would have been considered a “Vanity Gallery”. I think maybe that is a derogatory term for artists who want to take charge of their own careers. As a working artist I wanted to be able to make and show the art that I wanted to and not just what the traditional galleries accepted. Remember that gallery owners can also be narrow minded in their tastes and focused on the market and not innovation necessarily. I was finding that these galleries were pigeon holing my work and accepting a narrow category and things were getting boring. I was correct in my assumption. In my gallery, the work that I made outside of my “genre” was appreciated and sold. Because running a gallery is a whole other job I started to rent space to other artists who had to also work a day/week. This gave me more time to work and diversified the gallery. The suggestion in calling something a “Vanity Gallery” is that the artists there aren’t quality. There are a lot of great artists out there who can’t find representation. The artists in my gallery sold work and the clients were happy for the opportunity to meet the artist. It was a hybrid/cooperative model of showcasing art and it worked. I no longer have the gallery but currently my career is better than ever. I attribute a lot of this to the exposure and marketing that the gallery provided. I don’t think I would have had the same notoriety as an artist if I had depended solely on traditional galleries.
This blog post is very timely for me. I’ve been contacted twice by galleries in NY that have a “pay to play” model, and one of them has reached out to me twice, very recently. Who doesn’t want to show their work in NY? Certainly I do. So, of course, with the email subject line “Gallery Representation” my immediate attention was gained. But I learned from my years as an author/illustrator that the money should only flow in one direction. It was always FROM the agent TO the author/illustrator, and never the other way around. I think of galleries the same way. If I hadn’t been invited to show in good galleries who did not ask me for money up front, I might find it tempting.
This gallery in question advertises themselves as much as artist “promoters” as they do gallerists–maybe even more so. I suppose one could make a case for showing in this sort of gallery by comparing the experience to doing an art fair–in which you have to pay to exhibit. But somehow showing in a fair setup with other artists seems more appealing to me. Out of curiosity, I have asked to be sent additional info, indicating I will not be paying any application fee. I was unable to find any info regarding the percentage they take from sales on their website.
As both an artist and a gallery owner I feel
like I can see both sides now. As an artist I
Work constantly to build a noteworthy career and I have a strong list of collectors who continue to invest in my work however, a recent move to a much larger space in a budding new arts district in Los Angeles opened up the opportunity for me to exhibit work from other artists. After many years in LA I have made friends with artists whose careers have really taken off and I want to share their work. The vanity part applies to me in that I’m getting a cross pollination of great collectors and building my email list of potential new collectors and art lovers. Now, I’m getting inquiries from lesser known artists who want to show in my space. They are not bringing clients, not paying for advertising or other expenses like rent, security, liquor, etc. That is a big risk for me. I plan to charge for the rental of my space for some future exhibits but that can be offset by sales. If an artist sells enough work to cover the rent of the wall space then I’ll take the commission(s) and waive the fee. We are still in the midst of a pandemic and both artists and gallery owners need to be creative to make it through this. Times have change so don’t judge people for trying to stay in business. And by the way, since I started showing /sharing work of my artist friends, I have never worked so hard in my life! I barely have time to paint so I’m making huge sacrifices in addition to paying for everything. Just know there’s two sides to every situation and we can all make something positive out of all of this is we respect the efforts of all involved who work to bring original art to the masses. My two cents.
Wonderfully penned 🖊….all Roads lead to Rome👍🏼
Your two cents, excellent value!!!!
Nothing is ever black and white. I truly respect what you are doing. I tried this myself and know what an impossibly path you are on. I wish you the very very very best!!!!!
I am also an artist near LA trying to get into a gallery. I do see both sides. I figure one of these days a gallery will see my art sells. I guess in the meantime I have to pay my way into spaces that have customers. Just sold 5 paintings to one customer because I paid to be in a gallery. So it can be a win win.
Good for you, Michael, and I’m wishing you every kind of success in this. You are absolutely correct: the world has changed, and we all need to change with it and try new things and try to help each other through the massive shifts that have been taking place.
I will follow your career with interest to see what happens: I am pretty sure you are going to come out of all this ahead, based on your willingness to try new things, willingness to work at your career (very hard indeed), and your willingness to bring other artists along with you.
You are a great example to the rest of us — thank you for being and doing you!
Excellent post.
My first experience with a “vanity gallery” was quite shocking, to say the least. I was invited for an interview with the gallery owner of an established well-located gallery to show my work with them. After about a half hour of praise and talk about the exposure my Holocaust series would receive, I was told that a fee of $5,800 for two weeks would be charged as well as a 50% commission on sales. I didn’t walk, I ran away from this “opportunity “. I guess one has to decide just how much you want to “pay to play”. Was I wrong?
A great post Jason.
I really appreciate your way of not seeing everything as either black or white.
I have shown in so called vanity galleries. In the beginning of my career as a self taught artist I had no idea about the gallery world.
I have been tremendously lucky with a gallery in Helsinki which rents the space for a month and takes a 30% commission.
The gallerist is wonderful. She really works for the artist – and hard. During the appr 20 years of running her gallery she has created a big and varied collector base, her advertising campaign is impressive.
The openings are always packed, most of the people are her contacts and about half of the sales happen then. After the opening she really gets to work to get in the collectors who do not attend openings and the sales continue
I have had six solos in this gallery and though I have had to ship my work from different countries and even from a different continent it has always been worth it, for both of us.
The two other galleries have been less good, one was very new and the other old and tired.
So I have not been properly “scammed” but after I learned what these kind of galleries can be up to I am very very careful. At least in Europe there is a big group of galleries and fairs that send me e-mails extolling the virtues of my art, the famous palazzo where the exhibition will be held and I’ll get a participation certificate printed in this amazing parchment!!!!!!! Not only the little red flag in my brain starts to waive frantically – the whole screen goes red!
Gosh, what a crazy world! The “vanity gallery “ concept just feels wrong on so many levels. Sure seems like a storefront for a clever SCAM artist. I call these ‘fluff and fold’ scammers: they fluff up the client’s ego, in this case the artist, and sense of excitement to get them in the door, then fold on their word and/or don’t stay loyal to the client.
Good to learn about these things. Thanks for sharing, Jason!
Fairly new to this so I don’t have experience to share but, boy do I ever learn stuff!! Comes from every post Jason makes and even more from the comments. Thanks to all for participating in my education!
The only reason I entered a Vanity gallery was because the gallery was in a large mall in an affluent area. $50 dollars to hang one painting for a month seems kind of high to me. They seemed unorganized so I made my own tag and put a bio with some of my other work on it. Got a phone call on my way home that somebody was interested in one of the paintings in my bio. Long story short ended up going to the customers house. Now I told the gallery that I was taking a painting to their house and would give the gallery their commission. The gallery was very happy I was doing that. Win for both gallery and me. Am I bad not to tell the gallery I sold 5 paintings instead of one. Since that happened I am now renting wall space in the gallery for $250 a month (maybe I felt a little guilty). I am not sure how long I can do this as $250 a month is a lot for me. The customer did say he would of never purchased 5 paintings through a gallery. I did give him a discount on buying 5. So a Vanity gallery worked for me this time. You never know what could happen.
I participate in both types of galleries. I participate in 4 galleries that charge a commission from 30% to 50% and no hanging fee. I also participate in a couple of galleries that charge to hang. One is a membership fee ($75 a year) and you get a space that they hang and promote and charge 40% commission. I also participate in a small local gallery that charges a yearly membership, $15 a foot for wall space and 30% commission.
I have done especially well at the galleries that charge me 50% commission. I think they have more traffic and understand the seasonal customer better. Two of these venues have small gallery area that is connected to their “real” business. The sales have been very good in each of these businesses. That being said I don’t mind paying the 50% commission when I am selling several items each month.
For a short time, I was participating in program in the community to hang art in businesses. The art was rotated every 3 months and you could hang in 3 business in one rotation. There was no charge because you provided all of the work. I was very successful in a couple of venues. I have quit doing that because of the time involved to hang and remove the art. I may do this in the future. I do self promotion and have had some promotion from the 50% galleries.
I have been in 6-7 galleries throughout my long art career. Some really tried to sell my work. Others not so much. I’ve been very fortunate in my career in Michigan and have sold many paintings. When we moved to Indianapolis about 4 years ago to be closer to our family I removed my work for 3 galleries there as its a 7 1/2 hr drive to deliver and pick up paintings. After research I found a new gallery in the Arts District of Carmel, IN near our home. Its what you would call a “Vanity” gallery but its owned by 3 artists who jury each artist that applies. Its very well run. All the artists are required to bring in “new” paintings on the 1st of each month so that all the walls are fresh and the artists are rotated throughout 3 different rooms. We also take turns holding a “solo” or duo show with a reception once a year in the front room that will hold 20-40 paintings. Each month we all INCLUDING THE OWNERS, pay a nominal fee which essentially keeps the gallery solvent as the rents are VERY high in the desirable area that attracts many people daily. The gallery takes a very reasonable 15% commission. They actively advertise on Instagram, their website, interviews, TV spots and participation in events in the supportive Arts District. After a kind of slow start, I’m now selling quite well and am very pleased. Oh, I about forgot, they also ask each of us “wall” artists, along with the 3 owners, to volunteer a couple of times a month to work in the gallery. We all are very supportive of one another. We’ve all learned a LOT about how to close a sale and its fun interacting with folks, many of whom have said its their favorite gallery! It also helps that there is a boom in high-end building of apartments/condos in the neighborhood and good restaurants on the street so there are a lot of folks out and about in the evenings. It also helps that the owners are really fun and constantly offer positive encouragement! I have participated in a co-op gallery and would NEVER do it again but that’s another story. This gallery is totally different.
i posted in a gallery that charges to hang up to three pieces of art for two months usually before and after christmas. I have done this two years in a row but no sales. If the piece sells they take a 25% fee. I didn’t enter this year i think it is a waste of my time. Anyway that is my experience.
I’m originally from NYC you can’t throw a stone without hitting some kind of artist here. There just isn’t enough gallery space to accommodate artists especially new artists. In my opinion why not pay for gallery space if you can get a decent one that’ll give your work good exposure. I recently moved to Florida and was already offered gallery space Fore $250 a month if I wanted it she was so Impressed with my art, I’m thinking of giving it a try. It’s in the heart of their art district in one of their largest galleries. Advertising would cost me more.
Jason,
I just returned from London where I paid to show at the London Contemporary Art Fair run by ItsLiquid. I did due diligence on researching this company, including consulting with you.
Two of my respected teachers went online and somehow concluded it was a “scam.” I don’t know why. ItsLiquid has been in business with integrity for over twenty years.
I was thrilled with the whole event from the gallery in a trendy part of downtown London to the well-attended opening. ItsLiquid also did a video interview with me as well as written interview for two online, professional pages.
I do not feel demeaned to have paid; rather, I feel I was given a remarkable opportunity and had a life-changing three weeks in the art scene of London.
It’s called “Pay to Play”. No thank you. These galleries are totally disreputable. I recommend to all artists considering this route to exposure to stay away from it. It can damage their value. Instead consider an artist co op, studio events, applying for group shows in traditional galleries or public exposure in hospitals, airports and such.
Dear Jason,
I agree with you that times are changing and it is harder every year for galleries to keep their doors open. I had the same idea that paying to show work is dishonest, and can harm the future exposure in a traditional gallery.
Twenty years ago, I moved from Athens-Greece to New York and I contacted a gallery with a huge (size wise) portfolio in my hands. They liked it, proposed to show my work and told me the price. My mouth remained open when I heard it, I had no idea that this practice exist. I was dumbfounded and speechless. It made a horrible impression on me and really scared me into not showing anything I did for years.
Going for a master in fine arts several years later, I saw how the market works and that it is hard to survive, specially in a place like New York, that has hundreds of galleries, and thousands of artists, that all are very competitive.
Now, if we think at the price as an advertising fee, is not that bad to try and see where is going. If the price is decent, and it looks like a fee not a monthly rent, then it’s not very painful. The space of a gallery costs a few dozens thousands to rend and if nothing sells, that it’s a loss for the owner. I don’t find it bad to share that cost for the space and leave a fee if something sells, depending on how big are the fee and the commission.
On the other hand, 50% commission for a gallery is greedy. No matter how much work they claim they put on to sell work, it’s not worth half of its value, unless they add their half at my asking price. I would agree to pay anything they make over my asking price, even if that is 100%.
I recently left a vanity gallery – after only one month.
The biggest issue was the unprofessional behaviors of the owners. One is an artist and it felt like all the other artists (too many for the space) were being used essentially to subsidize the gallery for the owner to show their work.
They recently opened and accepted artists on a first-come first-in model so the work was amateurish and all over the place. No curation, no advertising, and I learned later that they are passing the credit card fees onto the few artists with sales. Too few even know this is not done – nor was it in the contract.
Never again. Same with a co-op.
When I first started out, to gain exposure, I joined an artist co-op. Everyone got a solo show. We all worked one day a month in the gallery and we had to hang our own shows. The gallery had two rooms for solos, although our shows were still considered “solo.” We didn’t sell much, but we got reviews in local newspapers and a regional arts newspaper. Gallery owners came to our opening nights. After that I got in a group show in a local museum and a show at another museum’s art rental gallery. Eventually, I got into art galleries. But I don’t know what it’s like today. However, one artist run gallery is a member of Artsy, which costs about $425 a month, and puts them on a par with traditional galleries and the ability to sell to the same collectors. That seems like a good idea for artist co-ops. But other than that, I would never pay to play.
I do not know “…Whether an Artist Should Show in a “Vanity” Gallery…” as it is something very personal and related to the level where the artist is. Personally- no interest in them
What I can say by observing one which was located in the building where I had my studio that they are after the artists wallet. The owner of that gallery, a German lady that lived 1/2 time in Germany and 1/2 in Chicago, had a good prep speech to convince you how “popular and recognized” the artist was going to become after showing in the gallery. Many of us sat to watch the process – artist paying high top dollars for showing one month in a very small space on a 5th floor of an art building, got a written interview published in some European paper and, at the end, the only thing those artists got was less money in their wallet.
It is true that galleries in general are becoming more pressure financially and that trickles down to the artists- requesting small sizes of work, help with promoting the gallery and with the opening, a new one is the walk through on the show last day where every artists is at the gallery to talk about the work but also to work on selling it and in some cases asking for a small fee to cope with the expenses of the show and/or catalogue and the like.
There are the collaborative galleries- which is a group of artists running the gallery and pitching in monthly or yearly to cover the administrative costs. I am a member of two of them: Women Made Gallery in Chicago and Viridian Contemporary Arts in NYC. I actually find their approach much more honest, clean and more dedicated to the promotion and selling of the work (without a percentage 50% or even 80% in some NYC galleries) for the good of the collective.
I am a member of a coop that takes 20% on sales and I work the gallery 6 hours a month, I sell 10 to 15 pieces a month and am very happy. They change artists locations monthly and are open 7 days a week. I am also in a gallery that I pay a fee to be in, they take 30%, I don’t have to work there, and they open 7 days a week. I usually make 3 months “rent” within the first couple of weeks. So both situations work for me.
I am a photographer living in the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. There are very few traditional galleries here, especially for photography. Most are niche, ethnic galleries that hold gallery wide themed shows on a monthly or quarterly basis. There is nothing like Xanadu Gallery here, despite our 2+ million population. The few galleries that are here are focused on paintings & sculpture in the $2,000 and above range. My photographs sell in the $100-$250. range. So I rent wall space in 2 galleries. One is $100 a month, the other $80. Commission is 20%. There is an interview process to get accepted, but once you are in you remain in the gallery until you decide to leave. My wall space allows me to hang 8-10 pieces and I sell 2-3 pieces a month between the two galleries, as well as small items like prints and notecards. One is in a tourist area with good foot traffic and has 90 artists. The other is less well traveled and has 35 artists. Both offer opportunities for solo shows and participate in larger art themed events. My point is that these types of galleries serve a valuable purpose. They are my showroom and I am free to change my work with the seasons or as I complete new work. I volunteer to help with the website and social media at one gallery but it not a chore. One gallery is open 6 days a week, the other 7. The galleries are well lit and have a friendly staff. I promote both galleries on my social media and also sell online. Not everyone aspires to show in a famous NYC gallery. I am content to show and sell my work this way and wish there were even more such galleries here.
I new to the art world and I’m new to posting but this particular post about “vanity galleries” interests me, because as someone new who doesn’t have anything in a gallery and who is just trying to get started I’m very interested in how I should go about getting my art out there. Presently, where I am, you start out doing weekend art fairs and weeknight business events. They’re a great way to get started, at least introduced to selling and talking about your work but often they’re not big sales nights or weekends. People who are eating or strolling on a Saturday often are not interested in buying art for any kind of money, usually. So then you move on to the juried art fairs that promise quality vendors and large exposure for a high price, for me, anywhere from $300 – $685 for a 2-3 day show. This requires a tremendous amount of work, jumping through hoops and sometimes you don’t make your entrance fee back. So here is my question what would be wrong with paying for a space, like what Tom from the Twin Cities mentioned, that gets you exposure for a reasonable price? I’d say it was more of a win win. I like the art I’m making and I’d like to display it somewhere where it can be seen without having to compete with the candles and popcorn at fairs and or trying to convince a gallery that they should take a risk on me. I’m taking that risk. I want my stuff to be seen and if some version of a “vanity gallery” like what Tom mention was available, I would jump on it.
I’m happy to hear that some people have had good experiences with the so-called “vanity galleries”. I’ve been an artist and for almost 50 years, a gallery owner and a consultant to both galleries and artists. And here is my problem with vanity galleries. The greatest factor in a successful gallery is location/foot traffic, which generally means high rent. The other expenses are relatively minor, because the art is on consignment. And advertising can be managed, and spread out, and these days, done with a lot of online creativity. If a gallery owner does not have the $$ to pay the rent initially, then they are on shaky financial ground and their odds of staying in business are very, very slim. Galleries are like restaurants – few survive the first year or two. And often, when they fail, they take art with them. I could paper a room with the bad checks I’ve received from galleries and I was on a first name basis with the FBI in one gallery failure, but there have been numerous others in which I only lost many, many paintings. Today, I will not do business with a gallery that has not been operating for at least 3 years – and 5 is better. And I would never deal with a “vanity” gallery. Although Jason does not check, I do. When an artist has applied to be represented by my gallery, I have checked the credentials of every single gallery by whom they have been represented and shown. Vanity galleries count for nothing to me as a gallery owner, because they do not – generally – meet the same standards. Be very careful, artists. It’s your art, and your reputation that is at stake.
I am a artist and to display the artist’s artwork in the gallery, space should be given free of cost.’ This will provide employment to poor artists. And the expenses of the gallery should be met through advertising. Or should be taken from the sponsor. 80% percent of artists worldwide are unemployed.
Thank you
M.L. JIGYASU
India.
I am definitely NOT an artist that cares to participate in any kind of major “Pay to Play” situations for artists. We work hard enough producing our works that in the end do not wish to be taken advantage of.
My most recent situation in this type of scenario occurred a couple of years ago.
At the conclusion of a solo exhibition showcasing 14 works of mine I was approached by this person who loved my works and wanted to curate me into an international exhibition. I thought Fantastic!! Finally a great opportunity for extended exposure.
As i came to learn later that all the costs: international fees, participation fees, shipping to and from the art museum fees, plus a couple of additional fees were to be paid by me. I was looking at anywhere between $600.00 – 800.00 for a 5-day pop up exhibition. I had to decline the offer.
Just wanted to say, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, Jason. I don’t sell work yet, but I’m learning a lot from you, which will benefit me if/when I do.
The key point here is to go into the process with your eyes open. As an artist new to marketing and presenting check out various possible avenues. Most vanity galleries have no clients in hand as they get paid by the artist. The artists move in and out rapidly to allow space for the next one to pay up.
have a fellow known for decades who operates a local pay as you go gallery for low end local artists. Sometimes he sells work but makes NO PROMISES. The staff are artists who have experience selling however have no clients to sell to. He ekes out a living as do his stable of regular artists [its almost a cooperative but he is the one making the funds]. Most of the artists are ok with it.
For another perspective to this issue. I have exhibited and owned galleries globally for decades and for many years rented vanity galleries in high end locations where i could not afford to have my own operations. i considered it a business expense to test the market. Would set up the gallery space and operate it with my own staff. providing 0 contacts to the vanity operator. If the exhibition worked out then i looked for a permanent location or made arrangements with a local operator to carry the work. the current popup models are similar in intent.
went in with my eyes open !!!