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Saturday, 15 October 2005 16:24 |
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...by Sylvia White
Most artists harbor the fantasy that if they could only find one art dealer that loved and believed in their work, their career would be set. They secretly believe that there exists a special person that can catapult them to fame. Many artists spend most of their careers searching for "the perfect gallery." And, as all quests towards perfection, it is never ending. If they already have a gallery, it's not good enough; if they are looking for their first gallery, they dream about the moment when someone sets eyes on their work and offers them a solo show immediately. The harsh reality of the situation is having a gallery love your work, is only one very small part of what goes into the decision to represent an artist. From a gallery's point of view, adding an artist to their stable is much like adding a stock to one's portfolio. There are many complicated factors to take into consideration, and liking the "stock" usually has very little to do with the decision. There is no doubt that while liking the artists work is certainly the first criteria, there are several other hurdles that must be overcome before a gallery will commit to an artist. Understanding those hurdles will help you to effectively present your work to galleries and detach yourself from the inevitable sense of personal failure that follows when a gallery rejects your work.
Remember, these are very general assumptions, attempting to explain why even if a gallery LOVES your work, they can not take you on as an artist. Thankfully, there will always be some exceptions.
Too Similar: A gallery looks at the group of artists they represent, much like an artist looks at a painting. It is not so much the individual artist that is considered, but, rather, how that art fits into the existing group. Often galleries are reluctant to take artists that are too similar to an artist they already represent.
Too Different: All galleries try to create a niche for themselves by representing artists that are stylistically similar and would appeal to their core group of collectors. If your work is outside the arbitrary parameters they have established, you are out of luck.
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