The art of selling: how a private art gallery works and how it makes money. Instructions for use: how to open your gallery What you need to open a gallery

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

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

The creation of the “space” began with a major renovation. The building needed not just repairs, but restoration. But even after the room acquired its proper appearance, it did not immediately become “a space for “scrolling through” 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 carefully research artistic trends, infrastructure, parties, names, ratings. It was decided to exhibit works only by Ukrainian artists. The gallery staff began to form a database: they collected information about the artists, photographs of their works, and art historical texts. And in 1995 they began to invite artists to participate in exhibition programs.

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

How to open the gallery: frames

The gallery “Atelier Karas” employs only five people: gallery owner - manager, curator, press secretary, consultant and exhibitor.

The success of the entire enterprise depends entirely on the gallery owner: on his taste, his position. It is he who sets the tone and shapes the image of the gallery. He decides what art is acceptable for his gallery and what is not. Which authors should he work with and which should he 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 fine art and love it. By the way, some universities in Ukraine train art managers. For example, the Kiev Art Academy and the Kiev University of Culture.

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

As for consultants (who work with visitors and potential buyers) and press secretary (working with the media), Evgeniy Karas hired graduates of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy for these positions. He claims that not a single university is able to compete with 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 supervised by the gallery.

Full-time gallery employees earn on average
from $200 to $500 per month.

How to open a gallery: documents

According to Evgeniy Karas, to open a contemporary art gallery, you do not need to obtain any permits other than generally accepted ones. And no one purposefully 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.

Evgeniy Karas has his own system for evaluating artists, which, however, does not pretend to be objective. He asks the opinion of experts, who are reputable artists in professional circles; the author is judged 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.

Where the author exhibited also plays a big role. If an artist names famous museums, for example the Ludwig Museum, the Stedlik 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, Roytburd, Gnilitsky, Zhivotkov, Silvashi and others.

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

In order not to “go down”, the Atelier Karas gallery 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 names of 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 reserves space for the works of one or two new authors. On average, it holds 10-15 exhibitions a year.

It is better to locate the gallery in the city center. An ideal room can be considered with a total area of ​​200 sq.m: exhibition hall - 50-80 sq.m, office - 15-20 sq.m, work storage room - 30-50 sq.m and technical premises (for storing equipment and etc.) - 50 sq.m.

You can start a gallery business with $1.5 thousand, but this is only if you have premises. $1.5 thousand will go towards staff salaries for the first month, a buffet on the occasion of the opening and booklets about the exhibition. Renting a space in the city center will of course be very expensive. But you can come to an agreement with the local authorities to organize a joint gallery. Or you can add a gallery to an already existing business: for example, a banker can organize exhibitions in the bank lobby.

Based on materials from the Business newspaper

*The article is over 8 years old. May contain outdated data

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Opening an art gallery is a challenging task that is meant for people who love art and its world. Most galleries are maintained by continually selling quality art to loyal collectors and their friends, while seeking new clients. The gallery keeps a portion of the proceeds from the sale and the remainder goes to the artist. Gallerists must develop friendly relationships with investors, artists, collectors and the media. This career is suitable for a social, independent and business-minded person who is willing to compete for a place in an already vibrant art market. If you have all these traits, then create a business plan and be prepared to work hard until your gallery becomes profitable. Read on to learn how to manage an art gallery.

Steps

Part 1

Make contacts in the art world. These contacts should be among collectors, artists and art media in the city where your gallery will be opening and beyond. It can take years (5 to 15) to get through art school, develop a career in the field, and make connections in the museum and gallery environment.

Be completely committed to art and the desire to have an art gallery. In today's market conditions, many gallerists believe that you need to love what you do in order to succeed. Art sales are sporadic, with some months producing almost no income and others being very profitable.

Decide what type of art you want to sell and who your potential clients are. For example, modern, abstract, western art, sculptures, photography, furniture or a mixture of different types. The artwork in a gallery should be varied but have an underlying theme to attract people to become repeat customers.

• You may decide to open a non-profit gallery and collect donations for charity. You may decide to form a collective gallery with other artists if you also work in this field. You may also decide to open a commercial art gallery that focuses on selling low, mid, or high priced art. This decision needs to be made before you start looking for artists or funding.

1. Create a detailed business plan. A business plan is the basis for creating a successful, profitable business in 1-5 years, and should include detailed steps regarding the artists' plan, marketing plan and financial plan.

   Seek funding if it is not already available. Your business plan, financial statements, and artist support will serve as a way to convince banks or business partners that you have a profitable plan. If you want to attract business partners, try to choose those who are also involved in the art world and can recommend your gallery to collectors.

   Get support for artists. Search for artists by getting advice from other dealers or museum curators, or you can advertise an open call for works for sale. Set your percentage in writing, understanding that generally speaking, the newer the artist in the art world, the higher percentage of the sale you can receive.

   Hire reliable employees. Gallery employees should have an art background, contacts in the art world, and experience in sales, business, or marketing. The ideal employee has a degree in art history or administration and is willing to take on a variety of tasks, especially at the beginning.

   Buy good insurance and security for your gallery. It is important that you are protected in the event of theft or other damage. Artists often require proof of insurance before agreeing to have their work stored in a gallery.

   Part 2

   Running a Successful Art Gallery

   1. Don't quit your day job right away. Many gallerists, especially in big cities, run a gallery while working elsewhere until the gallery becomes profitable. Assign a reliable, knowledgeable employee to monitor the gallery when you can't be there, and work hard to transition comfortably into full-time gallery work.

A lot of people are deciding. And the vast majority of novice entrepreneurs are inclined to trade in certain goods and services. This could be the opening of a store, a grocery or clothing store, household or construction goods. This option involves obtaining almost instant profits and a quick return on investment, however, competition here is a very, very serious force. After all, chains of grocery stores are located everywhere and a newly opened grocery store is unlikely to be able to surprise its customers with anything. But opening a business related to something less banal, for example, art, can become very profitable and, more importantly, unique. Especially if you open it in a town where the premises of cultural centers or cinemas are still used to present works of art to spectators.

The most successful option would be to open a gallery. A similar business appeared in Russia not so long ago - barely 20 years have passed since the opening of the first private galleries in Moscow, and now some of them feel very confident not only at the domestic, but also at the international level. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a lot of people paid attention to this type of private entrepreneurship. But in this case, it is important not only to have the material resources that make up the start-up capital, it is also important to understand the essence of this, at first glance, simple enterprise. Like any other important matter, opening a gallery requires a careful and responsible approach. And the most important thing at this stage will be the gallery’s business plan. Which will determine the entire course of affairs related to the opening and operation, plus will make it possible to make fundamental financial calculations.

A gallery can be fine art or decorative arts.

Example of a successful art gallery opening

“Atelier Karas” is a gallery that opened in 1995. However, the idea of ​​​​creating a private gallery in the family of the leader, Evgeniy Karas, began to be discussed even earlier - in 1986. Since the Karas family consisted entirely of people involved in fine arts and painting, they It would not be difficult to organize the effective functioning of such a cultural institution. The location of the gallery was a studio, which was provided to Evgeniy’s parents by the Union of Artists. It was located on the first floor of the building and its area was as much as 200 square meters. m. Here for 8 years there was a personal workshop of the artists Karas. And it was here that they all so wanted to create a territory of artistic life, filled with unique exhibits and, of course, like-minded people in this regard.

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Starting an Art Business

Despite the fact that the family had a fairly large working area, a major renovation was carried out to create space for the gallery. After this, or rather even in parallel with this process, Evgeniy Karas, as a novice gallery owner, until 1995, was engaged in accumulating knowledge related to the field of contemporary fine art. He actively studied the state of affairs in the fine arts of neighboring countries - Ukraine, Russia, and beyond - Europe, the United States, Canada, etc. Then there was a difficult choice of theme for the initial exhibition, but the decision to present the works of Ukrainian artists to the public was made unanimously. And the time has come for a more thorough study of the situation with Ukrainian art. The artistic directions of contemporary creativity, infrastructure, and ratings were studied. Moreover, Evgeniy, as a businessman new to this field, had to study his social circle and the names of potential visitors, sponsors, and the like.

Together with the recruited team of gallery workers, the process of forming a database began: information about the artists was collected, photographs of their creative works were examined, art historical texts and criticism were collected. Later, a list was compiled of the most interesting to the public, and strong, from the point of view of professional artists, artists. The developed exhibition programs began to be sent to those artists whose works they wanted to see in the walls of the gallery that was preparing to open.

According to Evgeniy Karas, a similar work plan for preparing a private gallery was helped by him to draw up and then implement the experience of foreign specialists who had already had positive successes in this business. He did not read any special literature on this topic. And there was nothing to read. Back then, at the end of the twentieth century, all this was new. And I had to study not at management and business institutes or courses, because they did not yet exist in our country. I had to figure everything out on my own, creating some creative ideas on the fly, which eventually became the basis for newly opening private galleries in Russia.

The features of opening a gallery described above can be briefly summarized as the main advice to like-minded beginners - it will be better if the gallery building is located in the city center. The total area of ​​its premises should not exceed 200 - 250 square meters. m. This figure is taken from the following calculations: it will be enough to place the exhibition hall in a room with an area of ​​80-100 square meters. m, an office can be classified as 15-20 sq. m. from all parts of the gallery, we must not forget about the space for storing works. Which can be located on 30-50 sq. m. It is also worth allocating at least 50 sq. m. for technical premises. m where equipment will be stored, etc. However, some galleries are located on only 25 square meters. m and exist quite well.

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Recruitment of gallery workers

The permanent staff of a medium-sized gallery, such as Atelier Karas, will require no more than 5-6 people: gallerist or manager, press secretary, curator, consultant, exhibitor and programmer.

The main role, of course, in the entire process of opening a private gallery, further preparation of exhibitions, etc., is played by the gallery owner, whose taste and position help to place a bet on certain works of art that will be correctly perceived by the public. It is he who creates the image of a cultural institution. Only he decides which authors he should work with and which not, and the same goes for hired workers. His decision determines which genres and eras of art can be exhibited in his galleries and which cannot. As practice shows, a gallery owner does not have to be a professional artist at all. It is enough for him to have a superficial understanding of such an art form as painting and, of course, he must love it. Moreover, in modern higher educational institutions of the CIS countries and Russia, professional art managers are trained, who, as planned, will cope well with the management of cultural enterprises.

Second in importance, after the gallery owner, on the list of personnel for this project is the curator. He is the initiator of this or that exhibition, organizes it and, in the end, holds it. This person must know everything down to the most seemingly insignificant detail that may emerge during the preparation of the exposition. Particularly valuable will be the curator who has a higher art education and the ability to conduct and prepare several exhibition projects at once.

The third place is occupied by the exhibitor, who is engaged in hanging paintings in the exhibition hall. Of course, he doesn’t do it with his own hands, with a stepladder at the ready. He plans in which room this or that painting should hang, and surrounded by which paintings it will look best. After all, as experienced workers of galleries and museums note, correctly, and even more so, a talented exhibition gives even old, boring paintings a “new sound”.

The function of consultants is to be present at the time of the exhibition in the hall where the exposition is presented and to provide the necessary assistance to visitors and potential buyers. They, as is already clear, are also required to know every detail about the paintings being presented and their authors. Recent graduates of painting and fine arts institutes or senior students can perfectly cope with this role. The press secretary, as in all other areas, is responsible for working with the media. According to the managers of not only private but also state galleries, a person with an artistic education will be able to safely combine several functions, for example, creating exhibitions, working with visitors and write original texts.

Any modern gallery must have a professional programmer or system administrator on staff who will organize the work of the gallery’s website, update it, and monitor the accuracy of the information contained on the establishment’s official website.

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What documents and funds are needed to open this business?

Due to the fact that the activities of galleries on the territory of our country are not yet regulated by law, no special documents are needed to officially recognize them. It is only important to formalize the opening of an individual business, register with the tax service and regularly pay income tax, plus fees to the pension fund. Services for checking the activities of galleries also do not yet exist, so gallery owners can still breathe easy. You can start a gallery business, as Evgeniy Karas says, with only 2000-3000 dollars.

However, if you do not yet have a premises, the amount will increase significantly. The specified amount will be used to pay full-time employees for the first month, organize the opening ceremony and order booklets advertising the debut exhibition. If your gallery is the first and only one in the city, you can try to enlist the support of local authorities and even, if you’re lucky, get a building in the city center. In this case, you will share business rights with a government agency. Another option for solving the problem of lack of funds for renting premises is to add a gallery to an existing business, for example, in assembly halls or in the halls of a private bank.

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Opening plan for an arts and crafts gallery

Having considered the plan for opening a gallery in which works of painters will be exhibited, you can move on to another type of gallery - decorative and applied arts. In order for a start-up business to pay off fairly quickly, you need to try to choose a high-quality exposure.

Experts say that a huge number of people whose income allows them to spend quite large sums on home improvement will be happy to purchase decorations for the interior of a house made in American or some other style and design. Beautiful, high-quality furniture and accessories for it, which represent true examples of the art of the peoples of the world, will always attract rich people, especially if the offer comes to our market in limited quantities. This is the kind of assortment that a decorative and applied arts gallery should exhibit if its owner wants not only to share art objects with the public, but also to earn good money.

It is fashionable to be interested in art now. More and more connoisseurs of various creative styles are appearing among young people. Art is changing, new types and directions are emerging, but this is an area that will always be in demand.

Many creative people who are interested in art and want to connect their business with “beauty” 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 your activities.

Selecting a room

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

Pay attention to both the technical characteristics of the room and the aesthetic ones. If you find a room without an acceptable renovation, be sure to do it, since 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 a security system in the gallery. Security and alarm systems must be more than reliable.

Before opening an art gallery, you need to think about where the maximum number of people can visit it. Of course, it needs to be placed where there is a constant flow of people - in the city center, or (if there are any) in the cultural areas of the city, where some establishments aimed at creativity and art are already located. Opening a gallery on the outskirts of the city or in residential areas is inappropriate. There will be very few clients, and therefore no profit either.

Recruitment

The main qualities of 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, gallerist, exhibitor, curator, and sometimes also a consultant. The gallery owner's responsibilities include negotiating with artists, creating and maintaining the image of the establishment. The curator organizes and conducts author's or thematic exhibitions, although sometimes the gallery owner and the curator are united in the person of one employee.

An art education is a prerequisite. 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 what it should be.

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

Initial Investment

You can’t do this without start-up capital. 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 rental of premises, then an amount of 5-7 thousand dollars may well be enough for the first time of work (equipping the gallery, initial salaries for employees, printing advertising booklets).

Artists' Choice

The factor that determines the success of your gallery is the choice of artists. A distinctive feature of this business is that the opinion about the gallery will be formed 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 works will be exhibited in it. It could be photography, graphics, installation or anything else. There is no need to concentrate on any one direction, because you can create thematic exhibitions in different genres.

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

It is also worth paying attention to the events that your chosen artist has 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 charge a small fee to enter 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 in this way the entire unwanted contingent will be immediately cut off, but this will only benefit you. You can take a small fee from beginning artists who want to have an exhibition in your gallery, and also organize various thematic competitions of works, participation in which also requires a certain monetary contribution.

Art galleries are similar to small businesses to a certain extent. In most cases, the goal of a gallery is to sell art and keep the gallery in business.

However, it is one thing when the client does not mind rising prices. It's good news for a collector when prices for an artist's work increase, as it means the work of art becomes more valuable on the art market.

To open an art gallery, you will need a few things at the beginning:

• You will need potential collectors if this is a commercial gallery
• Artists stable
• Passion for both art and business
• A consistent vision for your brand
• Like any starting small business, develop a business plan
• Gallery website in a great location
• Sufficient capital to cover several months of work costs
• Perseverance and patience

Art collectors

As with starting any small business, you first need to know your market. Many gallery owners start with a list of potential clients first. Knowing a few people you can market to will help you figure out your business.

As you develop good relationships with your collectors, they will introduce you to friends and colleagues, which will help you build your art gallery. As the word of mouth grows, so will your business.

If your gallery is not a commercial gallery but rather an experimental showcase, you will need alternative sources of funding such as art grants.

Artists

The art world would not exist if it were not for artists. To open a successful art gallery, you will need to start with a strong roster of artists.

Since art is so subjective, much of your selection is based on personal taste and intuition. Some galleries have chosen their artists by location, theme, style or trend, to name a few.

For example, some galleries will only show landscape paintings or exhibit artists who live in the same city.

The possibilities are endless. However, the key to success is knowing that you have specific collectors (individual or corporate) to whom you can sell the art.

Art and business know-how

In addition to being knowledgeable in running a small business, one must also have a passion for the arts. A close salesperson is unlikely to be successful in sales.

If you're just starting out, visit as many art galleries as you can and talk to gallery directors and salespeople. Better yet, work at an art gallery first to get first-hand experience of how a gallery works. As you gain the necessary knowledge to run a successful gallery, you will have the confidence to create your own gallery.

Location

As with any business, location is key. If your gallery is located in a popular tourist area with heavy trade, you will have great opportunities to sell the work of local artists. If your gallery is located in an art center, then you have a better chance of attracting the attention of the cognoscenti art world.

Some gallery owners may even forgo an actual website and maintain a virtual gallery online.

Capital

Every business needs startup money. Initial costs include renting space, necessary equipment to run the business and exhibit art, hiring staff, and other factors to consider, including monthly operating costs.

Net

The word used in the art world is "schmooze" and means "net". Artists, critics, art dealers all need to network and expand their art networks.

Visiting galleries and opening museums is a must. Attending art fairs and biennales during condom previews is the ultimate time to socialize. You have business cards, artist catalogs and postcards ready to hand out as you walk around the corner. "

When one of your artists is at a show, be sure to be near the artwork to provide additional information and arrange a studio visit with these potential contacts.

Maintaining good relationships with art critics who can write about your artists is also a good way to generate interest in your gallery. So be sure that you can provide sufficient text and images to the critic or journalist.

Perseverance and patience

Starting a gallery in most cases requires a period of time, so patience is the key to building a sustainable business.