How to open an art gallery. 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 works is at least 3-5 thousand dollars.
The demand for paintings and photos by “serious” artists is growing for several reasons: firstly, it is not only a way to store money, but also to increase private capital; secondly, investments in art over the past 5-7 years have shown a trend of enviable constant growth in 20-30%; thirdly, slightly less than half of the buyers of domestic masterpieces are foreigners from EU countries, whose tax code provides benefits for persons forming cultural heritage states.
Efficiency of investment in beauty
From the point of view of the commercial attractiveness of investing within the framework of the annual return criterion, the most general indicators indicate an average income of 12%-17% for each investor. But the peak indicators are more inspiring - from 300% profitability per year or more. Impressive, isn't it? Of course, such indicators are achieved solely due to a clear hit on the target, that is, a competent selection of works of art for sale (or resale).
Where to start a gallery business
To open your own gallery it is enough to have start-up capital at $3000. First of all, such a modest figure is justified by the fashion for shocking gallery locations - a bohemian opening will certainly be a successful event if it takes place in a shabby room with “artistic disorder” all around. Of course, a renovated space in the heart of the city is welcome, but in this case, rent alone will cost at least 10-15 thousand dollars.
As for creative suppliers, there are plenty of them on the market - both luminaries in their field and those who, in the wake of the peak fashion for creative implementation, have discovered various kinds of talents. Each gallery chooses its own concept of working with the contents of the collections: some work exclusively with a dozen or so top artists, while others include fifty young artists working in non-standard techniques. In any case, you will have to decide whether to combine paintings by a recognized artist and postcards self made in one gallery would be at least impractical.
Promotion and promotion of an art gallery
The range of mechanisms for advertising and attracting attention to business is wide: thematic inserts, art performances, auctions, etc. It is worth noting that domestic media are always happy to “pick up” the initiatives of galleries by writing materials and filming stories, after the release of which there is always an influx visitors.
Gallery business in detail
Level of competition: low
Initial investment: from $3,000 to $200,000
Payback period: 1-4 years
Average the target audience clients: intelligent people aged 40-50 years, as well as especially wealthy people;
Annual global art market: about $80 billion.
Features: gallery business
— There is no need to invest money in goods (the artist either rents the space occupied by his works to the gallery, or gives it for sale on agreed shares);
— Unpredictability of sales, lack of clear prerequisites for changes in market conditions;
— Large shadow circulation of works of art in our country;
— The creative optionality of suppliers (artists) is a specific mental feature.
— Possibility of receiving additional income (not from sales of art objects): organizing exhibitions, master classes, etc., which involve purchasing tickets for visiting.
Price policy
With the collapse of the USSR, works of art were labeled as low-market goods, but by the end of the 90s the situation had changed dramatically - prices for paintings and sculptures jumped several times. Today, art salons and galleries practice marking up 50% -100% of the author's price. However, gallery owners always leave some room for bargaining - they are very interested in the “movement” of goods, so they cannot afford to lose a client for uncritical amounts.
Top sales
Oil painting of any style and direction
Fruit applied arts: products made of ceramics, glass, metal, leather, etc.
Watercolor
Photos
Sculpture sales are the worst. main reason The point is that sculpture, unlike the top five best sellers, obliges any interior (at least due to its volume), forcing it to change the room into a piece of art, not vice versa.
The most important
The art business is not built on capital and turnover. The most impressive exhibition area and wide advertising campaign will not contribute to the development of the business unless you have earned 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 increase in income, the best art content and true pleasure received from the work process.
Especially for KHOBIZ.RU
Instructions
Research the demand in your city for art products, in particular on paintings. Calculate the approximate cost based not on their artistic value, but from the opportunity to sell them later. In addition, find out which paintings are most often ordered from famous and not so famous city residents.
Register an individual entrepreneur (this is quite enough to open an art salon), receive an extract from the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs and Roskomstat codes. Register the cash register.
Come up with a name for your salon. If you are going to devote your time and money to local authors, the name should be associated with your city. If you are going to do custom work, come up with a catchy, but not devoid of sophistication, name.
Find a room for your future salon. It must be located in the city center on the first floor of a historical building. As a last resort, rent a room in mall, but also on the ground floor and with an outdoor showcase for displaying works. The main thing is that it has compartments for the exhibition hall, office and perhaps for souvenirs that will help you survive in hard times formation. Design the room accordingly. Obtain all necessary conclusions from the sanitary and fire services.
If you're going to do low-cost work with a wide-format printer, buy or rent one. Don't forget to have enough stock Supplies. However, if the artists’ works are of interest to buyers, you can start accepting orders for original works.
Enter into agreements with private entrepreneurs and handicraft factories for the supply souvenir products. Usually, the owners of art salons are well acquainted with private traders who do not want to advertise their activities to the tax office. Document their work, as well as the work of local artists, taking your legal percentage for the services of an intermediary.
Hire salespeople who not only have a good understanding of painting, but also really know how to sell. Be sure to sign an agreement with security. After all, who knows, maybe you have works by a second Picasso in your gallery.
If you have a passion for art and are good at business, you can organize your own art gallery. It requires hard work and dedication, only then will your business start generating good income.
Instructions
Chat with art gallery owners. It is better if they are located in another city and do not compete with you. They can give you tips on how to get started. They will also tell you what to watch out for and what problems to avoid. Arrange to meet for lunch at your own expense as a thank you for your time.
Get the financing you need. To do this you will need to create detailed business plan. Investors won't even consider your proposal if the document is not prepared properly. If you have a good line of credit at your local bank, you will have a much easier time getting a loan there. You can apply for a special
There is hardly a more rewarding way to make a living on this planet than running an art gallery. Sitting all day in a quiet room full of beautiful things, 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 that, perhaps, are highest form human self-expression, collect these objects, preserve them, open the way for them to the big world, and even earn a living from this? So, if you decide to become an art dealer and open your own gallery, let’s consider several important points for this profession.
First and most important, you must have imaginative thinking. And everything you display or offer for sale should be the result of this vision. Imagine that every piece 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.
This should be your goal: to present and show the world a cohesive, understandable, coherent collection of works that reflect your worldview and allow visitors to form an individual impression of your gallery.
Random, not consistent exposure, lack of direction, lack of identity indicate that, most likely, your business will not last.
When I say identity, I mean that you must create it yourself, and not trust someone else. As soon as you start copying other galleries, you will immediately improve their image and ruin your own. From the very beginning, you need to establish your individuality, and if you are not yet ready for this, then you should simply postpone the opening of your gallery until better times.
Even if you choose to display art, you cannot do it facelessly or with embarrassment. Therefore, get ready for the fact that you will have to defend your identity and answer to unfriendly competitors' comments. Knowing how to successfully defend what you sell is at the heart of reputation building and is an important part of the game. You understand that people who want to buy works from you, and not from a neighboring gallery, must have good reasons for this.
Collectors value knowledgeable, educated dealers, those who not only understand art, but know how and can clearly argue their position on a particular trend, give an expert assessment of events taking place in the market, characterize the work in terms of its relevance, historical value etc.
Your next task (if you still decide to stay in this business) is to create a core client base consisting of regular customers. Regardless of what type of painting you offer for sale, this base consists of people who understand that a quality collection is built over time. long period time.
Their tastes and understanding develop gradually, and the more their demands increase, the more they gravitate toward respected, reputable dealers and galleries with whom they do business. Explore the list of any large collection, and you will see that only a few dealers are playing important role in its construction. Become one of them.
However, knowing the advantages of your direction, do not stop on what has been achieved. By being the most knowledgeable in the art you represent, attract the best artists in the field. Continuously study the market, understand its trends and stay two steps ahead of your competitors. And in exceptional In some cases, form this market yourself.
That's what the most successful dealers do: they set the course for everyone else to follow. Rumors about your clairvoyance and foresight will certainly spread among participants in this market, writers and critics will take your words into account, more and more collectors will begin to take a closer look at the new direction, figures in art communities will not fail to stir up a heap of discussions around you, and the rest is history, as they say.
But wait, that's not all. Successful dealers are always artist-first. If you get recognition from artists, you will get recognition from collectors. Readiness good artist trust your gallery with your works and your creative career is the key to your success. If you can't get interesting artist, You won't be able to offer interesting art products to the market. But here I am getting ahead of myself a little.
To achieve this highest recognition– and it will take years, believe me – be firm, focused and confident in the message you are sending to society.
Get known in the art community as a gallery that deals specific types art in a certain price range, works with serious artists whose goals and worldview correspond to a given direction. Your level of trust must be in good standing and your reputation impeccable.
People want to know where they are coming, they want to feel stability, and not jump with you from one direction to another, not understanding what else you will come up with next time. Remember that most buyers are confused by frivolous experiments around art, so stay the 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 hold that helm.
This means that you better have enough funds and an interesting, vibrant exhibition calendar for at least six months, or better yet a year, to stay in this business. Profit may not come as quickly as you expected. If you do not have such a cushion, think seriously before starting such a business; perhaps you should postpone it. From the very first day you will be under close attention, but interest in your activities may fade very quickly. Therefore, you must have confidence that what you are doing is capable of starting a fire and maintaining it.
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. A gallery is not a club of interests, not a get-together for friends, acquaintances, artists and classmates, those who come to drink, talk about life and have no intention of buying anything.
A surprisingly large number of galleries seem to be created from the very beginning out 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 must take care of the outside world, take into account its interests and convince the world that you have something to show and something to say about this, that you are protecting your gallery from turning into a local cheap club and what you are ready to do its a place for the elite.
You must be ready at some stage to outline a clear circle of your clients and weed out all those who talk a lot and beautifully about their love for art, but have no intention of supporting you financially or in any other way. This is the only one way to survive. In the end, you can transfer communication with some footcloth friends who are especially close to you from the gallery to your personal space.
Your next task is to attract the right people. But this does not mean loading. One of the best ways is to speak 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 plans. You should be easy and unobtrusive with such buyers.
It is quite 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 are making an impression; in the end, all this intricate terminology will scare off a not very educated guy. Rarely does anyone want to pay for something they know nothing about.
As an art dealer, constantly expand your audience. Offer items for purchase again and again, sooner or later your customers will start calling themselves and making repeat purchases. At the same time, it also happens that at some point your old clients fill out their collections or switch to new directions, be prepared 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 there is in it, isn’t it?”
Talk about your gallery, about your goals, about why this particular direction and not another is worth attention. Discuss the creative credo of your artists, what their art represents, the concepts, and ideals that it embodies. Why you should invest in them, dwell on the history of successful exhibitions and sales. You must understand for yourself and convince anyone that you are selling much more than just beautiful things.
You'll never sell anything if you just say, "I love this, you should love it too."
Always be extremely attentive to those with whom you communicate, try to show maximum care throughout your acquaintance. Instead of trying to peddle what you want to sell over and over again, try to get to know your buyer's needs and tastes as closely as possible, give them the information they want to hear, and then leave them to their own 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 a maze, but first make sure that your interests are shared.
In addition, place all descriptive materials in an accessible place: all articles, essays by art historians and critics, press releases, announcements.
Keep the description of the gallery itself and artists’ statments simple accessible language, understandable to everyone. This gives people a level of trust, they feel in control, and most importantly, they decide whether they want to know more. Pressure on the buyer at the very beginning means that you will lose loyal customers and will not give you the opportunity to generate cash flows to stay in business.
While we're already on the topic of finances, let's look at another important aspect of your gallery's survival: reasonable art prices. You must be able to explain your prices in language that the average person can understand. Present the facts and provide consistent explanations.
If you decide to keep your prices high, justify them like a professional: for example, all the works from the last exhibition were sold, or there were acquisitions for the collection, or there was a sale at auction. In the end, the price can 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 work.
Just say what it is fashion direction, and the artist is a newly-minted genius - it’s an understatement to sell a painting at a good price. You can't deal with value like a souvenir dealer or a salesman of expensive entertainment. The buyer of serious art is in most cases a collector and investor, so he will not be satisfied with weak explanations.
Only offer thoughtful, agreed-upon prices. Don't do an exhibition where first you sell everything at a price of $8,000 - $12,000, and next time $500 - $1,000. The reaction of regular buyers will not be in favor of the authority of your gallery. Even if these were reasonable prices and you can explain fine line between different artists and works art, this line is not obvious to most buyers.
Moreover, we have already talked to you that you are obliged to maintain one direction in your gallery, one level of artists and attract regular customers, so take seriously the temptation to change something in your pricing policy. People already have certain expectations and you need to be careful with this. We are not talking about small fluctuations in price, which are easy to explain, but about large discrepancies that can only harm you.
And finally, a few little things to note:
Continuously build your mailing list, but don't send announcements too often: one or two announcements per month will be enough to maintain your status as a reputable gallery.
Show up at local museums cultural organizations, associations of dealers and galleries, draw their attention to the events you are holding, ask for financial and other support if necessary, not always and all the time, of course, but when appropriate.
Also invite organizers of various charity events to your gallery, and hold charity auctions yourself. And the most important thing is to get to know each other and get to know each other again. You want to become recognized in the art community, you want to know the main players and, ultimately, gain the favor of authority figures. You don't have to appear at any and all events, but with some level of regularity. People will notice you again and again and gradually a conversation will begin.
Avoid pressure tactics. Don't constantly try to sell someone something.
If someone is ready to buy, they usually make it clear. Answer people's questions, be attentive to their needs, and let them take things one step at a time. At the very least, make sure the client is mature before you grab him by the throat.
If a critic or reviewer expresses thoughts that don't excite you, let them. Never remove them from your mailing list, respond to criticism with back-criticism, or close your gallery doors to them. This is 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 you puff yourself up. If you bring something to public court, be prepared to receive different reviews. If it consoles you, 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 they can write about you is not to write anything.
And in conclusion. Be an honest dealer. Never distort and don't embellish excessive information about artists and works, which you are selling. The last thing a buyer would want is to find out, especially one who has just started his business, trusting your professionalism, listening to your opinion, bought from you something completely different from what you described. This will have a bad impact not only on your reputation, but also on 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 being a gallery owner, and this alone is enough to say - my business is quite successful.
Article from Artbusiness.com http://www.artbusiness.com/osoqcreatran.html
Translation of the article by Oksana Kozinskaya
In my youth no one famous son Armenian emigrants Larry Gagosian didn’t even think about the world of art and worked part-time wherever he could - parking cars, etc., until one day he started selling posters. Later he switched to painting and began promoting paintings contemporary artists, and one day it was thanks to him that the world recognized Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. After which Larry Gagosian became fabulously rich and for a long time topped the ratings of the most influential figures in the field visual arts. Story American dream, is not it?
Myths and reality.
In fact, in the art world, everything is somewhat different, especially if we talk about the Russian art market. Modern conditions, in which painting exists in our country, require from the gallery owner extraordinary patience, serious material investments and painstaking work to form their audience. Now, even in Moscow, gallery sales cannot be called a good way to earn capital: this is still very far away. In most cases, our gallery is more of an image character; it is an opportunity to express oneself by creating currently fashionable curatorial projects and providing support to talented artists.
IN modern Russia There are many gallery owners whose professionalism and dedication to art inspire genuine respect. These are, for example, Elena Selina (XL gallery), Alexander Sharov (11.12 gallery), Marat Gelman. However, no one has yet earned multimillion-dollar capital from sales of Russian art. For a long time we were isolated from the world art processes, and representatives of the middle class in our country had not yet formed the habit of investing money in art. Therefore, we can say that our art market is just emerging.
Three steps to success.
What questions do you need to decide on first if you have firmly decided to connect your future with objects of art and become a gallery owner? Of course, the main thing you can’t do without is: passionate attitude to art and confidence in one’s own artistic taste and intuition. The second is specialized knowledge that can be obtained both independently and with the support of art market professionals. You can also enroll in a specialized university in our country or abroad. For example, in Moscow the RMA business school offers educational program"Art management and gallery business." Classes take place on the territory of the center contemporary art“Winzavod”, the course consists of lectures and master classes, and the most influential people in the art world teach here: Olga Sviblova, Vasily Tsereteli, Marina Loshak, Joseph Backstein and others.
Retraining programs for gallery owners are offered by universities such as Moscow State University, Russian State University for the Humanities, Higher School of Economics, and St. Petersburg State University. Curators are also trained at the Free Workshops at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, as well as at the Baza Institute of Anatoly Osmolovsky. Among foreign specialized educational institutions, we can recommend London's Sotheby's Institute of Art, where they train professionals in the field of art in programs of varying lengths, from summer courses to master's degrees.
In addition to this, of course, you must visit exhibitions, communicate with artists, gallerists and collectors. This is the only way to understand what is happening on the art scene and determine the directions that will be closest to you. But if you are no longer new to the art community, it’s time to start taking concrete action.
Step one.
Determine the range of artists you will represent on the market. All galleries can be divided into two types: current and traditional. The first reflect the latest trends in art, discover the current and new, the second represent a long time ago known species art. And if the first ones tend to shock the public with new original ideas and expensive projects, the latter, on the contrary, are conservative and, as a rule, organize exhibitions and sales.
The projects of the former are interesting because they are dynamic and acutely reflect the social processes taking place in society; such galleries have their fans. However, there is another part of the audience, those who will go to a traditional gallery to buy a painting for their collection, because they are close to art that has been tested by time and is not subject to market fluctuations.
For example, the works of the well-known duo Vinogradov - Dubossarsky (see photo below), on the verge of social and pop art, with provocative subjects, on canvas large sizes, represent galleries of the first type, relevant. Let's say the work is just as good famous Natalia Nesterova, State Prize laureate, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, with images of biblical scenes, everyday scenes, and still lifes - galleries of the second type.
Current galleries address their projects to a politicized public, as well as to those who are interested in the protest movement or ideas that open new horizons in consciousness. There are also those among the audience who simply want to surprise their wealthy friends.
If you have decided on the direction and found your niche, try to enlist the support of at least five to ten artists who will work with your gallery. At the opening stage, two or three already well-known authors should be involved - this way you can arouse initial interest in the gallery. To make your entry into the market effective, try to make your first project interesting and extraordinary.
Step two.
Choose a location for the gallery. In Western countries, there are certain areas where it is customary to open them: in New York, London and Paris there are entire neighborhoods in which art institutions have developed their activities. Our gallery areas are still just being formed, but we already have the Winzavod center for contemporary art, so it would be preferable to exhibit contemporary art there. Other galleries can be located outside the clusters, but preferably in the city center, because traffic conditions must be taken into account and the time of visitors must be respected.
An apartment-house format is also possible, and there are many such galleries. Its advantage is that you do not need to spend money on renting premises, which becomes the most burdensome expense item. Therefore, some galleries do not have a permanent address, but use new spaces each time. This format is interesting because it expands the curator’s ability to present another exhibition project in a new environment that is suitable for him. This way you can offer the concept of art going beyond the usual walls of galleries and museums, as many new galleries are doing today.
Step three.
Project launch and subsequent marketing activities. The preparatory work before the opening will take a lot of time, but it cannot be avoided. Developing a corporate identity and launching a website is simply necessary: otherwise how will a potential buyer identify you? Naming, logo creation, preparation and printing of catalogues, booklets and invitation cards, writing announcements and releases - that’s just small part advertising activities. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to decorate the gallery space and carry out hanging.
It is also necessary to come up with some kind of branded “trick” that distinguishes you from your competitors. For example, for the “73rd Street” gallery, a special lamppost was made with a sign “Gallery here” and a logo, which is installed every time during the opening day. This is done so that guests can easily find the entrance to the exhibition, since the gallery always carries out its projects at different venues in Moscow. Next, determine the circle of invitees to the opening of your gallery, whether it will be closed or accessible to everyone.
Notify guests about the opening date and time, think about the food and program, write a press release. By the way, get ready for the fact that you will have to constantly monitor everything that is happening on the art market, attend many events and communicate a lot with people, participate in the biennale young art and international art fairs, that is, to be in constant search and movement.
So, you opened and a certain number of people became aware of your gallery. Among them, perhaps, are your future customers. Now it is important to maintain their interest in new projects, to expose them to the names of young and promising artists, that is, to turn visitors into buyers, and perhaps into real collectors. Whether your gallery will become an attractive place for investors and art connoisseurs, for journalists and artists now depends only on your professionalism, ability to communicate with people and, to a large extent, on luck. Good luck!
About the author: Elena Komarenko is a collector, art dealer, founder and manager of the 73rd Street gallery. Provides assistance in the formation of contemporary art collections. Gallery "73rd Street" was founded in 2011 and represents famous names contemporary Russian art (since the 1960s), as well as talented emerging authors, including foreign ones.
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. 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 private gallery in the family of the leader, Evgeniy Karas, they began to discuss it even earlier - in 1986. Since the Karas family consisted entirely of people involved in fine arts and painting, it would not have been very difficult for them to organize the effective functioning of this kind of 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 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. Were studied artistic directions contemporary creativity, infrastructure, ratings. 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 them were examined creative works, art history 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. Developed exhibition programs began to be sent to those artists whose works they wanted to see in the walls of the gallery preparing for the opening.
As Evgeniy Karas says, a similar plan of work for preparing a private gallery was helped him by drawing up and then implementing 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 and create some things on the fly. creative ideas, 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. Under Technical buildings It’s also worth allocating at least 50 sq. 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 should not be professional artist. 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 education educational institutions countries of the CIS and Russia, are preparing professional art managers 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 pictures in 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 managers, 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 writing original texts.
Anyone in the state modern gallery There must be a professional programmer or system administrator 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 pay regularly income tax, plus fees in 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 go towards salary full-time employees for the first month, organization solemn ceremony openings and ordering booklets advertising the debut exhibition. If you have the option that your gallery will be the first and only one in the city, you can try to gain support 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 for home improvement, they will be happy to purchase decorations for the interior of a house made in American or any 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.
