The art gallery is one of the professional structures of the art world. Promoting artists and their approaches and managing client relationships form the core of this exciting activity. The art gallery is not an ordinary business, but a true gateway to works and their history: old master art, modern art, contemporary art, photography, etc. The specialties are many.

How Does an Art Gallery Work?

Art galleries are commercial businesses whose goal is to sell works. They present selected works and handle the promotion and communication around the exhibitions they organize and the artists they present.

It rests on various activities:

  • Managing the exhibition space: scenography, layout, hanging
  • Researching and selecting artists and works
  • Artistic promotion
  • Managing relationships with artists
  • Commercial negotiation with artists and with buyers/collectors
  • Event organization: openings
  • Taking part in trade shows and fairs
  • Administration, financial management and tasks related to the business: packing, delivery, insurance, payment, invoicing, etc.

What are the different types of art galleries?

The term art gallery, although more often associated with a commercial business, can also refer to another type of gallery, public art galleries. In this case, they are generally part of a cultural institution, such as a museum or an art center. Their main mission is to present permanent collections or temporary exhibitions, and to contribute to the dissemination of culture and public awareness of art.

Art galleries are set apart by their specialization:

  • Contemporary Art
  • Modern Art
  • Ancient Art
  • Design Furniture and Antiques
  • Sculptures
  • Photography
  • Street Art
  • Decorative Arts
  • Curiosities
  • etc.

It is the gallery owner or dealer who decides on the type of art they wish to champion. Specialization allows clients to identify offerings and expertise, but it is not impossible to see galleries presenting different types, styles or periods.

Who Runs an Art Gallery?

The art gallery as a commercial entity is run by the person whose legal status gives them the role of manager, or of business owner in the case of a single-owner company.

They are called gallery owner or art dealer, without distinction, although a nuance may apply between a gallery owner who champions a living artist and a dealer who buys to resell. Whatever they are called, these are the people who carry the expertise and build the gallery’s reputation through their taste, personality, interpersonal skills and network. Their success is of course measured by their price level and type of clientele.

Key steps to opening an art gallery

Like any business, an art gallery has several aspects: renting commercial space, defining a strategy, managing operations, etc. Opening a gallery is a real gamble that the gallery owner makes on their ability to bring artworks and their customers together.

Note: as for digital art, galleries are of course online, which drastically reduces costs but requires a completely different approach to collectors, artists, artworks, and to the administration and management of the business.

1/Define your art gallery project

Opening a gallery rests above all on the ability of the person who initiates it. It is thus their network and their attraction to one style or type of art rather than another that define the gallery project. Some major New York galleries present, in a single exhibition, 20th-century Russian painting alongside graffiti works from the 90s: proof that taste, network and the ability to obtain works are essential.

Galleries work with a selection of artists with whom they negotiate sales terms and sometimes exclusivity contracts.

To open a gallery and make it more readable and identifiable, it is more effective to target a particular type of art: this makes it easier to target collectors, to explain the approach more clearly and to develop a more precise brand image and marketing approach.

2/ Draw on your knowledge and expertise in art

From a technical point of view, it is paradoxically not impossible to open a gallery without a real foundation of knowledge in the arts (no degree is required): since the two pillars are the works and the clientele, a person with a very good network of potential clients has every chance, as long as they compensate with negotiation, marketing, and management skills.

However, this is not really true, since it is quite obvious that even without particular artistic training, knowledge develops through contact, which allows familiarization with the players in the art world and with artists. Moreover, the gallery owner’s activity is to present and promote the artists they choose, and they spend an enormous amount of time in contact with clients on the very specific subject of art and its market. Showing knowledge and expertise is essential to succeed. Higher education in the field is more than recommended, if only for the network it provides.

3/ Choose the Right Legal Status

To open an art gallery, as with creating any other business, a legal structure is required. The different types of commercial companies are the SARL or the SAS, the SASU legal forms, and EURLs. Depending on the gallery project and the founder’s situation (a single person, partners, a family link between partners, etc.), a lawyer will be best placed to determine the best choice.

Other legal aspects also come into play: the commercial lease for the premises, as well as the various insurances and the contracts signed with artists.

4/ Acquire the necessary entrepreneurial skills

Entrepreneurial skills are decisive in a gallery’s success. The gallery is indeed the channel for works between artists and buyers, the place where market value, promotion and negotiation are managed.

The gallery owner must have very solid expertise in business management and development, mastering:

  • Financial and accounting aspects: the pricing policy for works, the commission percentage negotiated with artists, potential exclusivity contracts, negotiation and room for maneuver with clients, but also another very important financial lever: tax provisions related to buying art (for individuals, for companies, through direct purchase, leasing, etc.).
  • The promotional side through communication and marketing: publishing catalogs, but also organizing openings, true parties with DJs and artistic performances or high-level cultural events bringing together connoisseurs, are a major part of the work. The gallery owner must also bridge market trends, collectors' requests and the artistic styles they offer in order to maximize sales.
  • A sense of negotiation and relationship-building: this is the most crucial aspect of the gallery owner’s work. It is the ability to forge strong bonds with the collectors who will keep the gallery alive (and by extension the artists it represents). The personality of the gallery owner and any salespeople, and their ability to persuade buyers, are the key pieces of a successful gallery.

What Training Do You Need to Open an Art Gallery?

No degree is required to open a gallery, but advanced studies specializing in the arts are strongly recommended and attest to the gallery owner’s competence, an absolutely essential guarantee of quality and trust for clients and collectors.

The possible programs are:

  • at a university: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art history
  • at a public arts school: école du Louvre
  • at a specialized school in art and organization management offering Bachelors tracks (Bac+3) through Masters (Bac+5), as well as specialization programs for professionals changing careers.

First cycle: accessible after high school

The IESA Bachelor in Art Market

Second cycle: accessible with a Bac+3 level

Career Change to Become an Art Gallery Owner

  • Drouot Formation: Art Market Consultant Specialist
  • The MBA in Contemporary Art