How Commercial Art Gallery Work For Artist?

Inside Commercial Art Gallery

Commercial Galleries is also known as retail galleries. Commercial art gallery runs on different perspective compare to publicly funded art gallery. You can imagine commercial gallery as business platform only. Like any other business, idea behind a commercial art gallery is that it exists to make money as much as possible by selling painting or other artwork and turn a profit.

The primary means of income of commercial gallery is selling art only, so it doesn’t means that the galleries has perspective of earning money only. Galleries are responsible for helping the artist gain exhibitions and generate income so that they can continue in developing and producing art work.

Artist is chosen (they choose artist whom they like) and one art dealer assign to artist who take commission on each sale. The commission rate is set by art gallery from 40% - 50% and also depends upon artist popularity and art work. Sometime commission for new artist can be more than 50% and sometime unknown artist need to pay for exhibition - rent for gallery. The exhibition is for particular time period depending on you only. It can be for 3 days to 15 days or more than that depending on you and your budget.

Having an exhibition in popular and quality commercial art gallery is hard because mostly top level commission gallery in major cities select artists from their closed circle of friends and associates. The art business become like a club run by small groups of individuals, critics, curators, dealers and collector. To get exhibit in a top level commercial art gallery is not that much easy. They select new artist from their known group only. These types of top level art gallery nurture their artist, maximize their popularity. They do this to maximize to develop market value of art and artist. So they gain more profit. Sometime they also ask well known artist to sign contract.

To be in hierarchy of commercial art gallery is not simple, this gives rise in alternative type galleries. So you need to start with lower level commercial art galleries.

How this is helpful? In returns of commission or paying rent for exhibition they give their regular customers. Provide you a promotional/marketing assistance in which press release, opening parties and other publicity and media marketing is included. These all increase the chances of sell of your art piece.