{"id":32845,"date":"2019-04-16T11:50:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T11:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=32845"},"modified":"2019-04-22T21:20:48","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T21:20:48","slug":"ask-the-collector-with-holly-hager-collecting-101-finding-gallery-representation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/ask-the-collector-with-holly-hager-collecting-101-finding-gallery-representation\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask the Collector With Holly Hager Collecting 101: Finding Gallery Representation"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most common questions I get from artists is, \u201cHow can I find gallery representation?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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An excellent gallery doesn\u2019t just sell art; they build your career. They mentor you with feedback, build critical acclaim through exhibitions, communicate the importance of your work, and improve its provenance by placing it in good collections. To do that well, a gallery can only represent a small number of artists. Depending on their resources, that means a handful to about 20. <\/span><\/p>\n

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With competition this steep, how can you find a gallery? Making great art is just the start. There are tons more artists than galleries and the ratio’s getting worse. Mid-market galleries have traditionally been the main source of artistic nurturing, but they\u2019re increasingly being squeezed out of business by the high cost of art fairs and the mega-galleries. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Those changes have upped the ante on the necessity for other qualities. Over the past couple of weeks, I polled gallerists about how they decide which artists to represent. From blue-chip to newly minted, here\u2019s the dirt on what they think but don\u2019t often say. <\/span><\/p>\n

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A blue-chip gallerist put it best, \u201cWe look for artists who bring intangibles to the table.\u201d Here are the top 5 intangibles that galleries look for. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Joy Jongmin Kim and Beckie Warren of Uncommon Beauty at the Architectural Digest Art + Design fair. Photo courtesy of the gallery.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Intangible #5: Be Reliable<\/strong> Consistently make good work. Turn in images, contracts, and art on time. This might sound like a no-brainer, but I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve learned that a gallery didn\u2019t know which works they\u2019d be hanging until opening day.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Intangible #4: Savvy Networking<\/strong> Read your history on this one. It was Warhol who hooked Basquiat up with Gagosian<\/a>. Like any other industry, galleries rely on personal recommendations to find talent. They look to their artists, collectors, journalists, and institutions. I recommend artists to galleries all the time. When I do, I take into consideration more than whether the art fits into the gallery\u2019s program. I also think a lot about whether the personalities will be a good fit. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Since galleries depend on their artists to bring the talent, it\u2019s also important for you to build your network. You\u2019re more likely to find a gallery through someone you know than any other way around. That could be another artist, a curator, a collector, or a gallerist. Plus, galleries are attracted to artists who bring a strong network with them. So don\u2019t just pimp your Insta feed, make sure you\u2019re building deep, personal relationships across the board. <\/span><\/p>\n

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How do you do that? Show up. Go to shows and non-profit meet-ups. Many art events are free. Research them to find out which programs are most likely to show your work. Then go\u2014preferably by yourself, so you\u2019re more likely to talk to people you don\u2019t already know. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Support the common good of the community. One mid-market gallerist put it this way, \u201cWe love artists who show up to our openings even when their work isn’t on view, artists who refer their friends, artists who compliment the other artists we work with! Nothing is worse than an artist who thinks their work is better than all others and doesn’t support the gallery as a whole.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Intangible #3: Get and Stay Organized<\/strong> Get your paperwork in order. Keep your CV up-to-date and put it on your website or post it on LinkedIn. Take clear, hi-res photos of every work you make (at least 2mbs and 2000 pixels) against a white background. Save them as jpgs or pngs. You don\u2019t need a camera or a tripod. All you need is a phone. Label the files with your name, the title, and the year you made the work. Make a list of all your works including this info, the dimensions, the specific media, and tentative prices. Write an artist\u2019s statement. <\/span><\/p>\n

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When you sell a work, keep records of who you sold it and their contact info. Start building the comprehensive archive of your work that everyone will want one day!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Consistently upload all of this info onto your Google Drive, Dropbox<\/a>, etc. When a gallerist, collector, or curator comes calling, you\u2019ll be able to share the info they\u2019re looking for in seconds before they\u2019re distracted by someone else\u2019s work. <\/span><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019d rather put your eye out with a fork, don\u2019t try to organize your back catalog. Just turn over a new leaf and start with the work you\u2019re making now.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Artist, Jen DeNike, and gallerist, Mitra Khorasheh holding art by\u00a0<\/em>Rachel Lee Hovanian<\/em>. Photo courtesy of the gallery.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Intangible #2: Be a Good Person<\/strong> Every gallerist I spoke to touched on the importance of mutual respect. Mitra Khorasheh, of <\/span>Signs and Symbols Gallery<\/span><\/a>, explained, \u201cMost of my artists become family\/closest friends. No matter how amazing your work is, if you\u2019re not a nice person I won\u2019t work with you.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Of course, that bleeds into the business part as well. As one Soho gallerist put it, \u201cIf you sell to our client from your studio and cut us out, that’s a sure way not to exhibit here again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Art is a relationship business. Gallerists want to be there for you. But relationship businesses are time-intensive on the selling end, too. If a gallerist has to respond to incessant DMs, they have less time to talk to collectors about your work.<\/span><\/p>\n

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#1 Figure out how to talk about your work<\/strong>.<\/b> The intangible that gallerists mention the most are the artists who can articulate their practice to collectors. <\/span><\/p>\n

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With your visual focus, talking might not be your thing. Understandable, but still a huge disadvantage. Find, or pay, someone to help you. I spend more time helping artists do this than anything else. Beckie Warren, of <\/span>Uncommon Beauty Gallery<\/span><\/a> shared, \u201cThe more I can understand their motivation, inspiration, and process, the easier it is for me to communicate the WHY to the collector. It\u2019s all about the why. The more I know about the work and the story behind what inspired the work, the easier it is for me to convey that message and make an emotional connection between collector and artwork.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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In art, as in life, it turns out your mother was right\u2014work hard, be nice, show up, and know your shit!<\/span><\/p>\n

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top image \/\/\u00a0Artist, Tony Orrico, and gallerist, Mitra Khorasheh, at Signs and Symbols Gallery. Photo courtesy of the gallery.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Holly<\/span>\u00a0Hager<\/span>\u00a0is an art collector and the founder of<\/span>\u00a0Curatious<\/a>. Previously an author and a professor, she now dedicates herself full-time to help artists make a living from their art by making the joys of art more accessible to everyone.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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