A gallery owner is an art lover who sells the works of one or more painters, photographers, video artists and even sculptors in his or her gallery. He or she may also be required to evaluate works based on his or her reputation and experience.
What does a gallery owner do exactly?
The job of a gallery owner can also be referred to as gallery manager or art market manager. He or she manages the exhibition space for works of art. He or she is the one who enables the artist to showcase his or her work and find potential customers. Thus, the gallery owner is a businessman or businesswoman with a passion for art and an absolute talent for finding artists who will appeal to connoisseurs and buyers. He or she may also be an employee responsible for the proper management of the gallery. Gallery owners may specialise in a specific art form or simply become generalists.
The main activities of a gallery owner
Gallery owners are mostly intermediaries between artists and collectors. They own a gallery that exhibit the work of artists with whom they have agreements. Sometimes, they may be responsible for promoting the work in their establishment. Therefore, they need to be knowledgeable about all products and how to present them to potential buyers. Once the work has been created, the artist must entrust it to the gallery owner who already has a clear framework for presenting several pieces of art. He or she is then responsible for organising a cruise or tour which may involve an exclusive artist whose work is allowed to be exhibited or several artists at a time. Everything must be agreed upon with them as gallery owners are not allowed to exhibit an artist's work without prior agreement. Negotiating contracts or prices for works can also be part of his job. They can therefore help artists and collectors to reach an agreement on the purchase of works of art.
The qualities required in a gallery owner
A gallerist must be persuasive, visionary and be able to change the perception that collectors have of each work by changing the context so that future buyers will want to buy it. A good gallerist must also be humble and should not seek the limelight, his or her work is entirely based on the creations, the artists and the collectors. Market research is also essential for the gallery owner as he or she must know how to negotiate prices according to the evolution of the demand and current prices. This enables him or her to help artists to sell better and to gain their trust.