Questions About Selling In Art Galleries

i don't think anything is a guarantee. getting in is hard because you have the same competition trying to get into a smaller space. they control your price, usually getting half, it may be very expensive for that area. getting sales will really depend on the location, the type of art they have and people they attract and the type of art you have. you have nothing posted so i can't judge one way or another.

there no average selling well type of image any where. it depends on the location and the art they already have. chances are you won't be able to mold yourself into that ideal anyway. and if you do, you'll look like the other art that's there, and you won't stand out or be special any more.

art always caters to the customer. you make what you like because that should come out best. if you chase fads you'll never get known. people do spend money on art all the time. starving people don't spend money on art. online shoppers - some are young, some are not. the ones with the money are probably older, and probably know what they want. i can't imagine too many teens with spending money that will get art anyway. but again it really depends on what you sell, how good the work looks, etc.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

"I know many artists have this romantic notion that "finances don't matter"...but they do"

and many artists also have this romantic notion that once they're in a gallery...their financial woes will be over ;)

1. unfortunately, yes, you're wrong ;)
2. When it comes to subject matter...Each gallery's location and personal likes are different.

i.e; If you want to get into a gallery by the beach...don't show them snow scenes...or if the gallery is always filled with realism...don't show them abstracts.

Research each gallery you're thinking about showing your art to...see what they hang on their walls for the past year or so and you'll get an idea of the "style" and "subject matter" they would possibly except.

The only thing you have going for you is the computer...it makes researching easy. When I started I had to personally visit the gallery or follow it through magazine ads etc.
Good luck! ;)

also keep in mind that when your online, you may have competition, but you also have far many more eyes looking at your stuff potentially. you have a worlds amount of people that could look at your stuff. a gallery is very local.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Here's the true, but unhelpful answer of the year: It does "depend on the gallery." What sells in galleries is what the people who walk into the store want to buy. In a lot of galleries, that's the lower-priced impulse gift-items, but that's not universally true.

What sells well in one gallery does not sell at all in another. If you want to know what sells in a particular gallery, ask the owner/manager. My experience with galleries, is, I make an appointment to show my work, the owner/manager chooses a number of things to try selling. Two or three of the items sell... then I get to make more of the same type of thing (whatever sold) over and over again until either I get tired of making that item, or the item stops selling (it goes out of style, or whatever).

My primary advice to you would be to never show work to a gallery owner if you can't (or don't want to) keep doing that same kind of art, at the same level of quality, over and over. Also, show your work in multiple places, just because X type of art doesn't sell in one gallery, that doesn't mean it won't sell in another, so don't just have ONE gallery carry your work.

That said, most galleries don't want you showing work both at their gallery, and the place next door/down the street. Do respect the non-compete language, or the unwritten expectations of the gallery owners/managers regarding exclusivity in a geographic area. That usually means you get your art into different galleries in different towns, if you want to be in multiple galleries.

Being in a gallery does not guarantee you any sales at all. I have NEVER seen a minimum sales guarantee in a contract with a gallery - I would be completely shocked if anyone else has seen one. You and the gallery test each other out, to see if your work will sell there. If your work sells, they keep you. If it doesn't sell, both of you will want to move on.

And... if you're literally starving, consider getting a non-art job that comes with a paycheck. It is very liberating not to have to live off your art income.

1. Does getting into a gallery automatically mean you will have monthly sales of at least 2-5 pieces? Or do sales trickle like 1-2 sales per month? Or may you get no sales at all, even with gallery representation? I've always thought, since their only job is to promote their limited number of artists, that being in a gallery virtually guaranteed you at least some sales monthly, but I could be wrong.

There is no automatic sales or guarantees even in galleries. Your chances of sales are a bit higher because your art will be seen in person. But being seen does not always equal $$s. If you live in an area that has low traffic, sells will be low. If you live in a high traffic area, sells can be high. My art has been in galleries since the 80s. I had OK sells in Tahoe ( where I'm from), lousy sells in Chico where I lived for 10 years before moving to Maui. Right now I'm in 4 galleries on Maui and sales are better here then anywhere else I've shown. I believe it's because a lot of tourists ( about 10,000 a week) make their way through the Galleries.



2. What subject matter sells best in art? I mean in galleries, not like on Ebay...if not, what type of art ON AVERAGE sells best in gallery settings? I know "it depends on the gallery", but say for your average gallery for emerging/new artists. I also know that many people are going to say "just paint what you love" but that brings us back to our point about not starving...I don't think art is different from any other business when it comes to catering to the customer's likes to be successful.

Landscapes are the top sellers. You can paint what you love but galleries may not want what you love to paint. The best way to know what sells in galleries in your area is to go visit them. Study the art and artist they represent. See if your work is similar and will fit into their scheme of things. You don't want to go to a gallery that sells abstracts when you paint realism. You must do your home work.

Good luck.

To add to what Larry said:

It is a good idea to visit a gallery as a "customer" before approaching them as an "artist." Some galleries are not places you would want to work with, you want to see if they're doing a professional job of operting the store. The biggest red flag IMHO is nearly empty shelves... which can be an indicator that they're about to go out of business. Galleries that are having financial difficulties have been known to sell art, and then not pay the artists - I have personal experience with that.

You can't avoid competition. You are trading off online competition with competition of getting into a gallery. For every artist represented there are hundreds of artists wanting to get in.

This is the line that tells me you might not have what it takes to succeed:

"Not trying to get rich, just trying to make a monthly income of something."

Nothing like setting your sights low. You either succeed or you don't. There isn't some middle ground where the world just let's people just slide by. Those who just want their little piece of the pie are quickly replaced by someone who is eager for a larger piece. A gallery owner wants an artist that will grow, not someone looking for some kind of minimum wage.

A gallery is a business, they make money off selling artwork. They want artists who have what it takes to make sales. Its not a charity.

I certainly wouldn't tell the gallery owner that you are coming to them because you tried selling online and gave up. They'll think you will try them for a while and then give up. They are interested in artists who are in it for the long haul.

overall if you have no money, art may not up your alley, especially if your giving up the online scene. its best to do it as a hobby, get a job. art is hard to make a living from.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thank you all for your responses, I am listening, lots to think about was given. Thank you.

What medium do you work in?? Gallery representation is limited for certain mediums.

Since you are in NYC you should be able to research hundreds of galleries. Visit them. Find some that sell similar work to yours. Spy on them. Sit outside all day long and keep a tally of how many people enter and how many leave with a purchase.

Ed...lol...the first part of your statement is right on...but many galleries in NYC aren't like walmart...the majority aren't leaving with a painting in a shopping bag...the gallery ships or delivers them. ;)

You have great advice here. I would just add that galleries are no longer in a position to take chances. In other words they want to know you have some solid sales history and even as an emerging artist some following or collectors. It is true that each is different. One thought is to try a co-op gallery where you at least have a chance of being seen. They usually rotate work by the month and the artists volunteer time. I have never been in a co-op gallery but a friend of mine does show in one here in Seattle all the time and sells regularly Get involved with your local art community, talk to the artists showing in galleries, ask them questions, study the work that is at each opening and get to every opening you can. In the meantime most have websites where you can read about their submission process and timeline knowing these things will help you to prepare an acceptable portfolio, artist bio, statement and work descriptions.

Lawrence - shhhh! Let Devora learn for herself.

BTW - here is a fun look into the Chelsea gallery scene - http://themadnessofart.com/

There are many types of galleries.

NONE of them will ensure monthly sales.

Personally, I prefer the co-op galleries. In the one I show in right now it took a year on a waiting list just to get juried in. Now, the bad news. Of 125 artists showing in the gallery maybe 10% make a reliable monthly income beyond a few cards. Of those, only a handful make enough to buy more than a few Starbucks coffees every month. The good news, every so often an artist might sell a large painting or print and make some real money that month but it is not the norm that you can budget for.

The competition in real life is every bit as brutal as it is online. You have to compete to get into the gallery. Within the gallery you have to compete with every other artist that is there with you. The reality is you simply cannot get away from the competitive nature of selling art and working the real life venues is just as hard if not harder than working online. I work my gallery twice a month. I am there for every event the gallery has such as the downtown's Gallery Night or new show openings. It is a LOT of effort and it also takes time for you to build a following.

I do make a monthly income I can count on but being relatively new at this gallery I don't make enough to even pay my phone bill each month off that revenue stream. I will with time and effort but just like online, nothing is easy.

lol...thanks, Ed...I had forgotten about those videos...funny!!

btw...little by little...some galleries are now leaving Chelsea, ... http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150828/REAL_ESTATE/150829860/art-galleries-are-leaving-chelsea

Results vary. I checked out a local co-op gallery (I live in a rural area), I determined that with the low traffic and the shear number of artists crammed into such a little place there was no way it was going to be worthwhile. I'd rather have one or two sales a day then a year.

You have to do your research and gauge the traffic the gallery gets and your potential piece of the pie. Being the last one in, you might end up with space in the back of the room where no one will see your work.

If anything, these days I'd think coming in with a history of successful sales, online or not would make a gallery curator take notice.

Lawrence - yup, once the Yuppies move in its time to move on.

and while i still don't know what you make, if you do paint, and you do present yourself, make sure the images look professional. don't use a phone to shoot them with for example.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

i think you are thinking too far ahead, first your works need to be accepted into a gallery, most commercial galleries only offer an artist one show once per year if you are lucky. That show will be your main income for the whole year if your works doesn't sell that could pretty much it as the gallery need to spent their effort to promote the next show and the next artist
the best option to have a monthly income is get a full time job..

Then there is the art show circuit. Some here can attest to the merits.

Of course any of these offline ventures require investment in physical inventory. The magic of POD is not having to guess what will sell and choosing sizes, medium etc.

I owned and operated three art galleries for years on the central coast of California. I think you are in the wrong place asking these questions. You need to go talk to as many gallery owners as possible because every one of them are going to have different policies, different results and different reactions to your art.

"Does getting into a gallery automatically mean you will have monthly sales of at least 2-5 pieces?"

No, not unless the gallery owner is extremely aggressive at adverting and promoting and does an excellent job of knowing his market and what will sell. The gallery owner will control what he sells buy the kind of art he likes and wants to promote. If he fails to understand his market and picks the wrong art, he will fail.

If he tries to be all things to all people and just hopes the right person walks through the doors, he will also fail.

"What subject matter sells best in art? "

No on can answer that with any certainty with out knowing a whole lot more about where you are and how the gallery owner has positioned him/herself in the marketplace and what the market is.

I also think you have made a miscalculation on selling on the Internet.

You said you stopped due to low sales. How many have you sold on the net since you removed them?

You say you want to make a full time living selling your art. Then sell you art where ever you can to who ever will buy it.

But what you really need to do is sit down, maybe with a trusted adviser, that knows something about business. Forget the art for a minute. What you are doing is trying to start a business. The art is the product but you need to have a business plan that will take you to where you want to go.

You need to explore all avenues and use as many as you can, within reason, for selling your art.

If you do go visit a lot of galleries, walk in and introduce yourself and let the owner and/or who ever is there that you are an artist hoping to find a place to hang your work. I always hated it when an artist came in to "size" me up and wasted my time. I consider that being deceptive and not a good place to start what is going to hopefully lead to a good business relationship.