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Your comment is getting downvotes for your casual absolutist statements, but you have a point. An interesting illustration is that one avenue for artists to ge

by krrrh 9y ago

Your comment is getting downvotes for your casual absolutist statements, but you have a point. An interesting illustration is that one avenue for artists to get paid for making art that side steps their gallery arrangement is public art for municipalities or integrated into new building construction. Lots of artists end up doing more poorly than they expect with these projects, because they lack or are never taught good project management skills, and they suddenly have to manage a budget in the hundreds of thousands, and attend or lead meetings with engineers and architects. OTOH, artists who have more of these skills can end up doing really well once they have a few successful projects under their belts.

elorant 9y ago
Whoever thinks that galleries take too much of a cut could very easily try and market their work themselves. Or better yet, try to disrupt the art world by building an online art gallery that takes let's say just a mere 10%. After all, online sales are on the rise. But guess what. Even online platforms take a significant cut. Why's that? Because marketing to the rich and well-off has a significant cost that's much higher than running a targeted AdWords campaign. You have to be out there, talk to people, attend art fairs and galas, socialize, then socialize more, network with critics and journalists who are considered influential, negotiate with collectors who will try to rip you off and do it constantly. On top of that, if you're one of the renowned galleries and an artwork for an artist you represent goes on sale at an auction at a low price you pay from your pocket to keep the price high in order not to hurt the reputation of the artist. So yes, I'm making generalizations but I've also happen to work in the art world and I've seen how things work. Owning and operating a commercial art gallery is all about personal connections and that costs.

by krrrh 9y ago

elorant 9y ago

Whoever thinks that galleries take too much of a cut could very easily try and market their work themselves. Or better yet, try to disrupt the art world by building an online art gallery that takes let's say just a mere 10%. After all, online sales are on the rise. But guess what. Even online platforms take a significant cut. Why's that? Because marketing to the rich and well-off has a significant cost that's much higher than running a targeted AdWords campaign. You have to be out there, talk to people, attend art fairs and galas, socialize, then socialize more, network with critics and journalists who are considered influential, negotiate with collectors who will try to rip you off and do it constantly. On top of that, if you're one of the renowned galleries and an artwork for an artist you represent goes on sale at an auction at a low price you pay from your pocket to keep the price high in order not to hurt the reputation of the artist. So yes, I'm making generalizations but I've also happen to work in the art world and I've seen how things work. Owning and operating a commercial art gallery is all about personal connections and that costs.