Art gallery franchise. How to open a gallery or art salon

And if 10-12 years ago, domestic creators of beauty sold their works for $160-200, today the cost of their work is at least 3-5 thousand dollars.

The demand for paintings and photos of "serious" artists is growing for several reasons: firstly, this is not only a way to save money, but also to increase private capital; secondly, investments in art over the past 5-7 years have shown an enviable growth trend in 20-30%; thirdly, a little less than half of the buyers of domestic masterpieces are foreigners from EU countries, whose tax code provides for benefits for persons who form the cultural heritage of the state.

The return on investment in beauty

From the point of view of the commercial attractiveness of investing within the framework of the annual return criterion, the most generalized indicators indicate an average income of 12% -17% for each investor. But the peak indicators are more inspiring - from 300% yield per year or more. Impressive, isn't it? Of course, such indicators are achieved solely through a clear hit on the target, that is, a competent choice of works of art for sale (or resale).

How to start a gallery business

To open your own gallery, it is enough to have a starting capital of $ 3,000. First of all, such a modest figure is justified by the fashion for shocking gallery locations - a bohemian opening will surely become a successful event if it takes place in a shabby room with an "artistic mess" of everything around. Of course, the renovated premises in the heart of the city are welcome, but in this case, at least 10-15 thousand dollars will be spent on rent alone.

As for creative suppliers, there are plenty of them on the market - both leading figures in their field, and those who, on the wave of the peak fashion for creative realization, discovered various kinds of talents in themselves. Each gallery chooses its own concept of working with collection fillers: some work exclusively with a dozen or two top masters, while others embrace fifty young artists working in non-standard techniques. In any case, you will have to decide - to combine paintings by a recognized artist and handmade postcards in one gallery will be at least inappropriate.

Promotion and promotion of the art gallery

The range of advertising mechanisms and attracting attention to business is wide: thematic inserts, art performances, auctions, etc. It is worth noting that the domestic media are always happy to “pick up” the initiatives of galleries by writing materials and shooting stories, after the release of which there is an influx of visitors.

Gallery business in detail

Level of competition: low

Initial investment: from $3,000 to $200,000

Payback period: 1-4 years

The average target audience of clients: intelligent people aged 40-50, as well as especially wealthy people;

Annual volume of the world art market: about 80 billion dollars.

Features: gallery business

– There is no need to invest in goods (the artist either rents the area occupied by his work to the gallery, or gives it up for sale on the agreed shares);

— Unpredictability of implementation, lack of clear prerequisites for changes in market conditions;

— A large shadow circulation of works of art in our country;

- The creative optionality of suppliers (artists) is a specific mental feature.

— The possibility of obtaining additional income (not from the sale of art objects): organizing exhibitions, master classes, etc., involving the purchase of tickets for visiting.

Price policy

With the collapse of the USSR, the label of low-liquid goods was attached to works of art, but by the end of the 1990s, the situation had changed dramatically - the prices of paintings and sculptures jumped several times. To date, art salons and galleries practice cheating at 50% -100% of the author's price. Nevertheless, gallery owners always leave a backlash for the opportunity to bargain - they are very interested in the “movement” of goods, therefore they cannot afford to lose a client due to non-critical amounts.

Top selling

Oil painting of any style and direction

The fruits of applied art: products made of ceramics, glass, metal, leather, etc.

Watercolor

Photo

Worst of all are sales of sculpture. The main reason is that the sculpture, unlike the top five sellers, obliges any interior (at least due to its volume), forcing the room to change into an object of art, not vice versa.

The most important

The business of art is not built on capital and turnover. The most impressive exhibition space and the most extensive advertising campaign will not help the business if you do not earn a certain reputation. It is the reputation, both among artists and craftsmen, and among collectors and wealthy people, that provides the gallery owner with a stable income growth, the best art content and real pleasure derived from the work process.

Especially for KHOBIZ.RU

There is hardly a more rewarding way on this planet to make a living than running an art gallery. Sitting in a quiet room full of beautiful things all day long, greeting visitors with a smile, giving them your attention and receiving attention in return.

What could be more beautiful than being surrounded by objects of art, which are perhaps the highest form of human self-expression, collecting these objects, preserving them, opening the way for them to the big world, and even earning a living from it? So, if you decide to become an art dealer and open your own gallery, consider a few important points for this profession.

First and most important, you must be imaginative. And everything that you exhibit or offer for sale should be the result of this vision. Imagine that every work and every artist that you exhibit in the gallery is a kind of brushstroke in painting, and the picture you create fully represents your unique view of art.

That's what your goal should be: to present and show the world a coherent, understandable, coherent collection of works that reflect your worldview and allow visitors to create an individual impression of your gallery.
random, not consistent exposure, lack of direction, lack of identity mean that your business will most likely not last.

Speaking of originality, I mean that you should create it yourself, and not entrust it to someone else. As soon as you start copying other galleries, you will immediately enhance their image and fail your own. From the very beginning, you need to establish yourself in your individuality, and if you are not ready for this yet, then you should simply postpone the opening of your gallery until better times.

Even if you choose to showcase art, you cannot do so facelessly or embarrassingly. Therefore, get ready for the fact that you will have to protect your identity and respond to unfriendly competitor comments. Being able to successfully defend what you're selling is at the heart of reputation building and is an Important part of the game. You understand that people who want to buy work from you, and not in a neighboring gallery, must have a good reason for this.

Collectors appreciate knowledgeable educated dealers, those who not only understand art, but can and can clearly argue their position on a particular direction, give an expert assessment of events taking place on the market, characterize a work in terms of its relevance, historical value, etc. .d.

Your next task (if you still decide to stay in this business) is to create a core client base, consisting of regular customers. No matter what type of painting you offer for sale, this base is made up of people who understand that a quality collection is built over a long period of time.

Their tastes and understanding develop gradually, and the more their demands rise, the more they gravitate towards respected reputable dealers and galleries with whom they are connected by a joint business. Examine the list of any large collection and you will see that only a few dealers play an important role in its construction. Be one of them.

However, knowing their advantages of their direction, do not stop on what has been achieved. Being the most knowledgeable about the art you represent, attract the best artists in the field. Continuously study the market, understand its trends and stay two steps ahead of the competition. And in exceptional cases, shape this market yourself.

That's what the most successful dealers do: they set the course for others to follow. Rumors about your clairvoyance and foresight will certainly spread among the participants of this market, writers and critics will take your words into service, more and more collectors will begin to look at a new direction, art community figures will not fail to stir up a bunch of discussions around you, and the rest is a matter of history, as they say.

But wait, that's not all. Successful dealers are always artist first. If you get recognition from artists, you get recognition from collectors. The willingness of a good artist to trust your gallery with their work and their creative career is the key to your success. If you can't get an interesting artist, you won't be able to offer interesting art products to the market. But here I am getting a little ahead of myself.
To achieve this highest recognition - and it will take years, trust me - be firm, focused and confident in the message you send to society.

Get known in the art scene as a gallery that deals with specific types of art in a certain price range, works with serious artists whose goals and worldview are in line with the given direction. Your level of trust must be in good standing and your reputation impeccable.

People want to know where they are going, they want to feel stable, and not jump with you from one direction to another, not understanding what else you will come up with next. Remember that most buyers are confused by frivolous experiments around art, so hold your course as firmly and steadily as possible.

Once again, success does not come instantly. It will take a long time to build a reputation. Show after show, show after show, convince people that you are not only committed to your vision, but that you have the necessary resources (talent, vision, intelligence, finances) to keep that helm.

This means that you'd better have enough funds and an interesting bright exhibition calendar for at least six months, and preferably a year, to stay in this business. Profits may not come as quickly as you expected. If you do not have such a pillow, think seriously before starting such a business, it may be worth postponing. From the very first day you will be under scrutiny, but interest in your activities can fade very quickly. Therefore, you must have confidence that what you are doing is capable of starting a fire and keeping it going.

As I said earlier, for the success of the gallery, it is very important to carefully and accurately create a base of regular customers, your real partners, those who remain committed to your choice for a long time. The gallery is not an interest club, not a hangout for friends, familiar artists and classmates, those who come to drink, talk about life and have no intention of buying anything.

A surprisingly large number of galleries from the very beginning seem to be specially created because of the desire of the owners to surround themselves with sycophants and satisfy some unrealized ambitions. This will almost inevitably lead to a sad end. In order to prevent such an outcome. You have to take care of the outside world, consider its interests and convince the world that you have something to show and have something to say about it, that you protect your gallery from turning into a local club of a cheap kind and what you are ready to do her place for the elect.

You must be ready at some stage to outline a clear circle of your clients and weed out all those who speak a lot and beautifully about their love of art, but have no intention of supporting you financially or in any other way. It's the only one way to survive. In the end, you can transfer communication with some especially close to you footcloth friends from the gallery to your personal space.

Your next task is to attract the right people. But this does not mean - to ship. One of the best ways is to talk to everyone in a language they understand. Understand that not everyone wants and is able to understand the subtleties of the secrets of painting and delve into your creative ideas. With such buyers, one should be light and unobtrusive.

It is possible that over time, when you establish a strong connection, you will be able to deepen your intellectual communication. Of course, it would be nice for you to show off your erudition and flaunt your knowledge, and even at first it may seem that you give the impression, in the end, all this intricate terminology will scare off a not very educated guy. Few people are willing to pay for something they know nothing about.

As an art dealer, constantly expand your audience. Again and again, offer items for purchase, sooner or later your customers will start calling themselves and making repeated purchases. At the same time, it also happens that at some point your old clients fill up their collections or switch to new directions, be ready to replace them with those who have just entered the business.
As for the content of conversations, it is undoubtedly better not to use banal empty remarks such as: “Look how beautiful this picture is, how much expression it has, isn’t it?”

Talk about your gallery, your goals, why this and not another direction is worth attention. Discuss the creative credo of your artists, what their art is, the concepts, the ideals that it embodies. Why it is worth investing in them, dwell on the history of successful exhibitions and sales. You must understand yourself and convince anyone that you are selling much more than just beautiful things.

You will never sell anything if you just say, "I really like this, you should like it too."
Always be extremely careful with who you communicate with, try to show maximum care throughout your acquaintance. Instead of pitching in over and over again what you would like to sell, try to get as close as possible to the needs and tastes of your buyer, give him the information he wants to hear, and then leave him alone with his thoughts.

There is nothing more annoying than annoying gallery staff who are released to process a client, and they try to hook the client with all sorts of tricks, as if the client is a fool and does not understand what exactly they are doing to him. Of course, you may be interested in playing the maze, but first make sure that your hobbies are shared.
In addition, place all descriptive materials in an accessible place: all articles, essays by art historians and critics, press releases, announcements.

Write the description of the gallery itself and the statments of the artists in a simple, accessible language that everyone can understand. It gives people a certain level of trust, they feel in control of the situation, and most importantly, they decide for themselves if they want to know more. Pressure on the buyer at the very beginning hello to the fact that you will lose loyal customers and will not give you the opportunity to generate cash flows to stay in business.

If we're already talking about finances, let's look at another important aspect of your gallery's survival - the reasonableness of art prices. You must be able to explain your prices in layman's terms. Present the facts, operate with a consistent explanation.

If you have already decided to keep high prices, justify them like a professional: for example, all the works from the last exhibition have been sold, or there were acquisitions for the collection, or there was an auction sale. In the end, the price can also be argued by the fact that this is a painstaking and costly technique, expensive equipment and materials, etc. Those. there must be some specific rational reason for the high cost of the work.

To simply say that this is a fashionable trend, and the artist is a newly-minted genius, is to say nothing to sell a painting at a good price. You can't operate on value like a souvenir dealer or an expensive entertainment dealer. The buyer of serious art is in most cases a collector and investor, so he will not be satisfied with weak explanations.

Set only thoughtful agreed-upon prices. Don't do exhibitions where first you sell everything for $8000 - $12000, and next time $500 - $1000. The reaction of regular buyers will not be in favor of your gallery's authority. Even if it was reasonable prices and you can explain the fine line between different artists and works art, this line is not obvious to most buyers.

Moreover, we have already told you that you must maintain one direction in your gallery, one level of artists and attract regular buyers, so take seriously the temptation to change something in your pricing policy. People already have certain expectations and you need to be careful with that. We are not talking about small fluctuations in price that are easy to explain, but large discrepancies that can only hurt you.

And finally, a few things to note:
Constantly grow your mailing list, but don't post too often: one or two announcements a month will be enough to maintain your status as a respected gallery.
Show up at local museums, cultural organizations, dealer associations and galleries, draw their attention to your events, ask for financial and other support if necessary, not always and all the time, of course, but when it is appropriate.

Invite also organizers of various charity events to your gallery, hold charity auctions yourself. And most importantly, get to know each other and get to know each other again. You want to be recognized in the art community, you want to know the main players and, ultimately, get the favor of influencers. You don't have to appear at all events indiscriminately, but with some level of regularity. People will notice you again and again and gradually the conversation will start.
Move away from pressure tactics. Do not constantly try to sell something to someone.

If someone is ripe for a purchase, they usually make it clear. Answer people's questions, be attentive to their needs, and let them take things step by step. At the very least, make sure the client is mature before grabbing them by the throat.

If a critic or reviewer expresses thoughts that do not delight you, let them do it. Never remove them from your mailing list, respond to criticism with counter-criticism, or close your gallery doors to them. It's just stupid. You can't try to change people or take away their right to their opinion.

And in any case, the press always has the last word, no matter how puffed up you are. If you're taking anything to the public court, be prepared to get different opinions. If this is any consolation, outside readers rarely remember which gallery was discussed in the last review, and your customers, on the contrary, will receive an additional incentive to look at you again and make sure that you are in good shape and in a great mood.
And remember - the worst thing that can be written about you is not to write anything.

And in conclusion. Be an honest dealer. Never distort and don't embellish overly information about artists and works which you are selling. The last thing the buyer would like to know, especially those who have just started their activities, trusting your professionalism, listening to your opinion, bought from you something completely different from what you described. This will not only badly affect your reputation, but also the business of all the galleries in the world, because now they have lost at least one collector, and even a couple of his friends.

Therefore, do your beautiful work honestly, have fun, enjoying all the benefits of a gallery owner, and this alone is enough to say that my business is quite successful.

Article from Artbusiness.com http://www.artbusiness.com/osoqcreatran.html
Translation of the article by Oksana Kozinskaya

Interest in art is now fashionable. More and more connoisseurs of various areas of creativity appear among young people. Art is changing, new types and directions are emerging, but this is the area that will always be in demand.

Many creative people who are interested in art and want to connect their business with "beautiful" are thinking about how to open an art gallery. As in any type of business, before opening a gallery, you should consider important aspects of organizing activities.

Room selection

For an art gallery, you need a fairly large area - at least 200 square meters. If you have the opportunity to occupy a larger room, it will only be better. Indeed, on this square it is necessary to place an exhibition hall (it will take the largest part of the premises), a warehouse for storing works not yet presented, an office and utility rooms.

Pay attention to both the technical characteristics of the room and the aesthetic. If you find a room without an acceptable renovation, be sure to do it, as the art gallery should look perfect from an artistic and aesthetic point of view. All conditions must be created in the room in order to organize a lot of lighting.

An important point is the organization of the security system in the gallery. Security and alarms must be more than reliable.

Gallery location

Before you open an art gallery, you need to think about where the maximum number of people can still visit it. Of course, it should be placed where there is a constant flow of people - in the city center, or (if any) in the cultural areas of the city, where there are already some establishments aimed at creativity and art. It is not advisable to open a gallery on the outskirts of the city or in residential areas. There will be very few customers, respectively, profits too.

Recruitment

The main qualities of the art gallery employees are communication skills, activity, interest in art and the ability to understand it.

An art gallery does not require a large number of employees. Basically, the staff consists of a manager, a gallery owner, an exhibitor, a curator, and sometimes also a consultant. The duties of the gallery owner include negotiating with artists, creating and maintaining the image of the institution. The curator organizes and holds author's or thematic exhibitions, although sometimes the gallery owner and the curator are united in the person of one employee.

A prerequisite is art education. Because no matter how much a person loves art, without proper art education he will not be able to make the work of the gallery the way it should be.

The exhibitor is responsible for the correct and most convenient location of each painting within the gallery.

Initial investment

You can't do without start-up capital in this business. Of course, the amount of investment will vary depending on the specifics and scale of the business. However, if you do not take into account the rent of the premises, then the amount of 5-7 thousand dollars may well be enough for the first time of work (equipping the gallery, initial salary for employees, printing advertising booklets).

Artists' Choice

The factor that determines the success of your gallery is the choice of artists. The hallmark of this business is that the gallery will be judged not on the basis of the strongest artist, but on the basis of the weakest. First of all, you need to decide on the concept of the gallery and decide which direction of work will be exhibited in it. It can be photography, graphics, installation or something else. It is not worth concentrating on any one direction, because you can make thematic exhibitions in different genres.

When choosing the artists whose work you want to show in your gallery, be guided by your own taste and the opinion of experts. On various Internet resources about art, they express their opinion about this or that artist and leave reviews of their work.

It is also worth paying attention to the events that the artist of your choice attended and the exhibitions in which he has already taken part. Naturally, the more popular and prestigious they are, the higher the demand for this artist will be.

Sources of profit

Selling paintings is not the only way you can make a profit. You can set a small entrance fee to the gallery. If a person is really interested in art, he will not regret the amount, which will not affect his daily budget in any way. And the entire unwanted contingent will be immediately cut off in this way, but it is only to your advantage. You can take a small fee from emerging artists who wish to exhibit in your gallery, as well as organize various thematic competitions of works, participation in which also involves a certain monetary contribution.

There is hardly a more rewarding way on this planet to make a living than running an art gallery. Sitting in a quiet room full of beautiful things all day long, greeting visitors with a smile, giving them your attention and receiving attention in return.

What could be more beautiful than being surrounded by objects of art, which are perhaps the highest form of human self-expression, collecting these objects, preserving them, opening the way for them to the big world, and even earning a living from it? So, if you decide to become an art dealer and open your own gallery, consider a few important points for this profession.

First and most important, you must be imaginative. And everything that you exhibit or offer for sale should be the result of this vision. Imagine that every work and every artist that you exhibit in the gallery is a kind of brushstroke in painting, and the picture you create fully represents your unique view of art.

That's what your goal should be: to present and show the world a coherent, understandable, coherent collection of works that reflect your worldview and allow visitors to create an individual impression of your gallery.
random, not consistent exposure, lack of direction, lack of identity mean that your business will most likely not last.

Speaking of originality, I mean that you should create it yourself, and not entrust it to someone else. As soon as you start copying other galleries, you will immediately enhance their image and fail your own. From the very beginning, you need to establish yourself in your individuality, and if you are not ready for this yet, then you should simply postpone the opening of your gallery until better times.

Even if you choose to showcase art, you cannot do so facelessly or embarrassingly. Therefore, get ready for the fact that you will have to protect your identity and respond to unfriendly competitor comments. Being able to successfully defend what you're selling is at the heart of reputation building and is an Important part of the game. You understand that people who want to buy work from you, and not in a neighboring gallery, must have a good reason for this.

Collectors appreciate knowledgeable educated dealers, those who not only understand art, but can and can clearly argue their position on a particular direction, give an expert assessment of events taking place on the market, characterize a work in terms of its relevance, historical value, etc. .d.

Your next task (if you still decide to stay in this business) is to create a core client base, consisting of regular customers. No matter what type of painting you offer for sale, this base is made up of people who understand that a quality collection is built over a long period of time.

Their tastes and understanding develop gradually, and the more their demands rise, the more they gravitate towards respected reputable dealers and galleries with whom they are connected by a joint business. Examine the list of any large collection and you will see that only a few dealers play an important role in its construction. Be one of them.

However, knowing their advantages of their direction, do not stop on what has been achieved. Being the most knowledgeable about the art you represent, attract the best artists in the field. Continuously study the market, understand its trends and stay two steps ahead of the competition. And in exceptional cases, shape this market yourself.

That's what the most successful dealers do: they set the course for others to follow. Rumors about your clairvoyance and foresight will certainly spread among the participants of this market, writers and critics will take your words into service, more and more collectors will begin to look at a new direction, art community figures will not fail to stir up a bunch of discussions around you, and the rest is a matter of history, as they say.

But wait, that's not all. Successful dealers are always artist first. If you get recognition from artists, you get recognition from collectors. The willingness of a good artist to trust your gallery with their work and their creative career is the key to your success. If you can't get an interesting artist, you won't be able to offer interesting art products to the market. But here I am getting a little ahead of myself.
To achieve this highest recognition - and it will take years, trust me - be firm, focused and confident in the message you send to society.

Get known in the art scene as a gallery that deals with specific types of art in a certain price range, works with serious artists whose goals and worldview are in line with the given direction. Your level of trust must be in good standing and your reputation impeccable.

People want to know where they are going, they want to feel stable, and not jump with you from one direction to another, not understanding what else you will come up with next. Remember that most buyers are confused by frivolous experiments around art, so hold your course as firmly and steadily as possible.

Once again, success does not come instantly. It will take a long time to build a reputation. Show after show, show after show, convince people that you are not only committed to your vision, but that you have the necessary resources (talent, vision, intelligence, finances) to keep that helm.

This means that you'd better have enough funds and an interesting bright exhibition calendar for at least six months, and preferably a year, to stay in this business. Profits may not come as quickly as you expected. If you do not have such a pillow, think seriously before starting such a business, it may be worth postponing. From the very first day you will be under scrutiny, but interest in your activities can fade very quickly. Therefore, you must have confidence that what you are doing is capable of starting a fire and keeping it going.

As I said earlier, for the success of the gallery, it is very important to carefully and accurately create a base of regular customers, your real partners, those who remain committed to your choice for a long time. The gallery is not an interest club, not a hangout for friends, familiar artists and classmates, those who come to drink, talk about life and have no intention of buying anything.

A surprisingly large number of galleries from the very beginning seem to be specially created because of the desire of the owners to surround themselves with sycophants and satisfy some unrealized ambitions. This will almost inevitably lead to a sad end. In order to prevent such an outcome. You have to take care of the outside world, consider its interests and convince the world that you have something to show and have something to say about it, that you protect your gallery from turning into a local club of a cheap kind and what you are ready to do her place for the elect.

You must be ready at some stage to outline a clear circle of your clients and weed out all those who speak a lot and beautifully about their love of art, but have no intention of supporting you financially or in any other way. It's the only one way to survive. In the end, you can transfer communication with some especially close to you footcloth friends from the gallery to your personal space.

Your next task is to attract the right people. But this does not mean - to ship. One of the best ways is to talk to everyone in a language they understand. Understand that not everyone wants and is able to understand the subtleties of the secrets of painting and delve into your creative ideas. With such buyers, one should be light and unobtrusive.

It is possible that over time, when you establish a strong connection, you will be able to deepen your intellectual communication. Of course, it would be nice for you to show off your erudition and flaunt your knowledge, and even at first it may seem that you give the impression, in the end, all this intricate terminology will scare off a not very educated guy. Few people are willing to pay for something they know nothing about.

As an art dealer, constantly expand your audience. Again and again, offer items for purchase, sooner or later your customers will start calling themselves and making repeated purchases. At the same time, it also happens that at some point your old clients fill up their collections or switch to new directions, be ready to replace them with those who have just entered the business.
As for the content of conversations, it is undoubtedly better not to use banal empty remarks such as: “Look how beautiful this picture is, how much expression it has, isn’t it?”

Talk about your gallery, your goals, why this and not another direction is worth attention. Discuss the creative credo of your artists, what their art is, the concepts, the ideals that it embodies. Why it is worth investing in them, dwell on the history of successful exhibitions and sales. You must understand yourself and convince anyone that you are selling much more than just beautiful things.

You will never sell anything if you just say, "I really like this, you should like it too."
Always be extremely careful with who you communicate with, try to show maximum care throughout your acquaintance. Instead of pitching in over and over again what you would like to sell, try to get as close as possible to the needs and tastes of your buyer, give him the information he wants to hear, and then leave him alone with his thoughts.

There is nothing more annoying than annoying gallery staff who are released to process a client, and they try to hook the client with all sorts of tricks, as if the client is a fool and does not understand what exactly they are doing to him. Of course, you may be interested in playing the maze, but first make sure that your hobbies are shared.
In addition, place all descriptive materials in an accessible place: all articles, essays by art historians and critics, press releases, announcements.

Write the description of the gallery itself and the statments of the artists in a simple, accessible language that everyone can understand. It gives people a certain level of trust, they feel in control of the situation, and most importantly, they decide for themselves if they want to know more. Pressure on the buyer at the very beginning hello to the fact that you will lose loyal customers and will not give you the opportunity to generate cash flows to stay in business.

If we're already talking about finances, let's look at another important aspect of your gallery's survival - the reasonableness of art prices. You must be able to explain your prices in layman's terms. Present the facts, operate with a consistent explanation.

If you have already decided to keep high prices, justify them like a professional: for example, all the works from the last exhibition have been sold, or there were acquisitions for the collection, or there was an auction sale. In the end, the price can also be argued by the fact that this is a painstaking and costly technique, expensive equipment and materials, etc. Those. there must be some specific rational reason for the high cost of the work.

To simply say that this is a fashionable trend, and the artist is a newly-minted genius, is to say nothing to sell a painting at a good price. You can't operate on value like a souvenir dealer or an expensive entertainment dealer. The buyer of serious art is in most cases a collector and investor, so he will not be satisfied with weak explanations.

Set only thoughtful agreed-upon prices. Don't do exhibitions where first you sell everything for $8000 - $12000, and next time $500 - $1000. The reaction of regular buyers will not be in favor of your gallery's authority. Even if it was reasonable prices and you can explain the fine line between different artists and works art, this line is not obvious to most buyers.

Moreover, we have already told you that you must maintain one direction in your gallery, one level of artists and attract regular buyers, so take seriously the temptation to change something in your pricing policy. People already have certain expectations and you need to be careful with that. We are not talking about small fluctuations in price that are easy to explain, but large discrepancies that can only hurt you.

And finally, a few things to note:
Constantly grow your mailing list, but don't post too often: one or two announcements a month will be enough to maintain your status as a respected gallery.
Show up at local museums, cultural organizations, dealer associations and galleries, draw their attention to your events, ask for financial and other support if necessary, not always and all the time, of course, but when it is appropriate.

Invite also organizers of various charity events to your gallery, hold charity auctions yourself. And most importantly, get to know each other and get to know each other again. You want to be recognized in the art community, you want to know the main players and, ultimately, get the favor of influencers. You don't have to appear at all events indiscriminately, but with some level of regularity. People will notice you again and again and gradually the conversation will start.
Move away from pressure tactics. Do not constantly try to sell something to someone.

If someone is ripe for a purchase, they usually make it clear. Answer people's questions, be attentive to their needs, and let them take things step by step. At the very least, make sure the client is mature before grabbing them by the throat.

If a critic or reviewer expresses thoughts that do not delight you, let them do it. Never remove them from your mailing list, respond to criticism with counter-criticism, or close your gallery doors to them. It's just stupid. You can't try to change people or take away their right to their opinion.

And in any case, the press always has the last word, no matter how puffed up you are. If you're taking anything to the public court, be prepared to get different opinions. If this is any consolation, outside readers rarely remember which gallery was discussed in the last review, and your customers, on the contrary, will receive an additional incentive to look at you again and make sure that you are in good shape and in a great mood.
And remember - the worst thing that can be written about you is not to write anything.

And in conclusion. Be an honest dealer. Never distort and don't embellish overly information about artists and works which you are selling. The last thing the buyer would like to know, especially those who have just started their activities, trusting your professionalism, listening to your opinion, bought from you something completely different from what you described. This will not only badly affect your reputation, but also the business of all the galleries in the world, because now they have lost at least one collector, and even a couple of his friends.

Therefore, do your beautiful work honestly, have fun, enjoying all the benefits of a gallery owner, and this alone is enough to say that my business is quite successful.

Article from Artbusiness.com http://www.artbusiness.com/osoqcreatran.html
Translation of the article by Oksana Kozinskaya

Today, the capital can boast of several galleries that, if not chic, then at least feel confident. The head of one of them, Yevgeny Karas, talks about how and who should do this business.

Gallery "Atelier Karas" was opened in 1995. The idea of ​​creating a gallery originated in his family, a family of artists, back in 1986, then there was also a room for the future gallery. The Union of Artists provided Eugene's parents with a whole floor for a creative workshop: the total area of ​​​​the premises was approximately 200 sq.m. “I wanted to create some kind of space for “scrolling” interesting creative ideas, a cultural environment for like-minded people to communicate, a platform for a beautiful life,” recalls Yevgeny Karas.

The creation of the “space” began with a big renovation. The building needed not just repair, but restoration. But even after the room acquired the proper form, it did not immediately become “a space for“ scrolling ”creative ideas”.

Until 1995, “there was a process of accumulation of knowledge in the field of contemporary art.” The future gallery owner sought to understand what was happening in the fine arts of Ukraine, Russia, Europe and America. He also began to scrutinize artistic directions, infrastructure, hangouts, names, ratings. It was decided to exhibit only works by Ukrainian artists. The gallery staff began to form a database: they collected information about the artists, photographs of their works, art history texts. And in 1995 they began to invite artists to participate in exhibition programs.

When it came time to open the gallery, Yevgeny Karas had everything he needed: first, a large and inexpensive space, second, ideas for future exhibitions, third, a database of artists and their work, and fourth, competent like-minded people.

How to open the gallery: frames

The gallery "Atelier Karas" employs only five people: a gallery owner - head, curator, press secretary, consultant and exposition.

The success of the entire enterprise depends entirely on the gallery owner: on his taste, his position. It is he who sets the tone, forms the image of the gallery. He decides what art is acceptable for his gallery and what is not. With which authors he should work, with which - not. He also sets the bar for the gallery. A gallery owner does not have to be an artist. The main thing is to understand the fine arts and love it. By the way, art managers are trained by some universities in Ukraine. For example, the Kyiv Art Academy and the Kyiv University of Culture.

Yevgeny Karas assigns the second most important role to the curator. The curator initiates, organizes and conducts exhibitions. The curator needs art education.
The exhibitor decides where to place this or that work so that it is not “lost” in the general mass, so that it does not “crowd” other works, so that the exposition is as adequate as possible to the concept of the exhibition. That is, the organization of the exposition is a whole art, often a skillfully executed exposition gives the paintings a “new sound”.

As for consultants (who work with visitors and potential buyers) and a press secretary (work with the media), Yevhen Karas took graduates of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy for these positions. He claims that not a single university is able to compete with the graduates of the Faculty of Cultural Studies of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. Soon the gallery will have a programmer who will deal only with Internet resources created and curated by the gallery.

Gallery staffers earn an average of
from $200 to $500 per month.

How to open gallery: documents

According to Yevgeny Karas, in order to open a gallery of modern art, one does not need to obtain any permits, except for the generally accepted ones. And purposefully no one checks galleries, since the activities of galleries are not regulated by law: there is no such concept of specific cultural activity as a “gallery” in our laws.

How to open a gallery: works

“Gallery Karas” positions itself as a gallery of contemporary fundamental art. That is, the art of traditional technologies is shown here: painting, graphics, sculpture and photography. And only in rare cases - installation, media and video art.

Yevgeny Karas has his own system for assessing artists, which, however, does not pretend to be objective. He asks for the opinion of experts, who are reputable artists in professional circles, he judges the author by the events in which he participated. The highest level of international recognition for an artist is participation in prestigious international festivals, such as the Venice Biennale.

The place where the author exhibited also plays a big role. If an artist names well-known museums, such as the Ludwig Museum, Steadlick Museum, etc., then he can confirm his high international status. According to the gallery owner, there are no more than 30 such artists in Ukraine. He named only a few names: Makov, Savadov, Tistol, Roitburd, Gnilitsky, Zhivotkov, Silvashi, and others.

According to the gallery owner, “a gallery, like any art project, is evaluated not by the strongest, but by the weakest artist or project. And it is not so difficult to raise the “bar”, how difficult it is not to lower it.”

In order to "not fall", the gallery "Atelier Karas" regularly conducts research, the purpose of which is to assess and predict the artistic situation, to determine the best artists in the country according to experts. The system is simple: they interview 15 experts (gallery owners, art managers), asking them to name the 50 most interesting artists. As a rule, their opinions coincide by 80%. Then, out of the indicated 50, they are asked to mark the 10 strongest: coincidence - 20%. This is how the internal rating is formed.

His gallery systematically works with more than 30 artists. True, every year it allocates space for the work of one or two new authors. On average, it holds 10-15 exhibitions per year.

The gallery is best located in the city center. A room with a total area of ​​​​200 sq.m can be considered ideal: an exhibition hall - 50-80 sq.m, an office - 15-20 sq.m, a room for storing work - 30-50 sq.m and technical rooms (for storing equipment and etc.) - 50 sq.m.

You can start a gallery business with $1.5 thousand, but this is subject to the availability of premises. $1.5 thousand will be spent on salaries of employees for the first month, a reception on the occasion of the opening and booklets about the exhibition. Renting a room in the city center, of course, will be very expensive. But you can agree with the local authorities - to organize a joint gallery. Or you can add a gallery to an existing business: for example, a banker can organize exhibitions in the lobby of a bank.

According to the Business newspaper