Remote work in galleries: what can be done offsite and what cannot

01The particular context of galleries facing remote work

The gallery profession is a profession of presence. A gallery is a physical space where artworks exist in three dimensions, where collectors come to see, sometimes to touch, to feel. The relationship between a gallery collaborator and a visitor rests on a shared presence before the work, on a conversation that feeds on the materiality of what is exhibited. This bodily and spatial dimension of the profession explains why many dealers were reluctant to institutionalise remote work after the health crisis period.

Yet the gallery is not only an exhibition space. It is also a business that generates considerable administrative, accounting, logistical and communications flows. These flows do not all require physical presence within the gallery walls, and the dealer who refuses to integrate this reality into their organisation deprives themselves of a lever for flexibility and attractiveness for their collaborators.

Galerie Lelong, which has always cultivated a rigorous approach to its internal organisation, adapted its practices after 2020 by clearly distinguishing functions that require presence from those that can be performed remotely. This distinction, which may seem obvious, actually requires a careful analysis of the gallery's work processes and a precise understanding of what is lost and what is maintained when a collaborator works from home.

02Functions that resist remote work

Public reception is the function most obviously tied to physical presence. A visitor who walks through the gallery door must be received by a person capable of guiding them, answering their questions, presenting the works and creating the conditions for an encounter between the visitor and the art. This function tolerates no relocation and constitutes the heart of the gallery profession.

Face-to-face commercial relationships with collectors follow the same logic. A collector who travels to see a work they are interested in expects a direct exchange with an interlocutor who knows the work, the artist and the creative context. Selling a work of art is not an impersonal transaction: it rests on a relationship of trust built over time and nourished by physical meetings. Galerie Marian Goodman, whose relationships with certain collectors span several decades, knows that these bonds are maintained only through presence and direct exchange.

Exhibition installation and deinstallation require obvious physical presence. Hanging works, designing scenography, adjusting lighting, verifying the condition of pieces, coordinating with shippers and framers: all these operations take place within the gallery space and cannot be conducted remotely.

Receiving and inspecting artworks constitute another irreducibly in-person function. When a work arrives from an artist's studio, another gallery, a collector or a shipper, its reception requires careful physical examination: verifying conservation status, comparing with the departure condition report, identifying any damage that occurred during transport. The registrar who performs these operations must be physically present before the work.

03Functions suited to remote work

The gallery's administrative and accounting management can be largely performed remotely. Invoice entry, payment tracking, tax return preparation, employment contract management, exchanges with the accountant and banks: these tasks require no physical contact with artworks or gallery visitors, and can be carried out from a home equipped with a computer and a reliable internet connection.

Communications and press relations constitute another largely remote-compatible domain. Writing press releases, managing social media, preparing newsletters, liaising with journalists and influencers, updating the gallery website: these activities involve content production and information flow management that do not depend on the collaborator's physical location.

Remote commercial prospecting has taken on considerable importance since 2020. Sending personalised emails to potential collectors, video calls to present works, sourcing new contacts, tracking online sales: these activities constitute a growing share of the gallery's commercial work and can be conducted effectively from a remote office. Galerie Almine Rech developed its remote sales tools during the health crisis and maintained these practices afterwards, observing that certain international collectors prefer video conferences to physical travel.

Research and documentation form a domain particularly suited to remote work. Writing texts about artists, preparing press kits, biographical research, compiling catalogues raisonnes, tracking academic publications: this deep work, which requires concentration and quiet, is often performed better in a calm environment than amid the daily bustle of the gallery.

04Hybrid functions: case by case

Certain functions occupy an intermediate zone that demands case-by-case arbitration. Artist liaison is a good example. The daily relationship with represented artists involves studio visits, in-person conversations and presence during key production moments. But it also includes an administrative dimension — order tracking, shipment coordination, exhibition planning — that can be performed remotely without loss of quality.

International fair coordination illustrates this ambivalence. The logistical preparation for a fair — work selection, transport organisation, insurance management, stand design — can largely be done remotely in the weeks preceding the event. However, physical presence on the stand during the fair is non-negotiable.

Client database management also falls within this hybrid zone. Updating information, sending targeted mailings, tracking collector preferences can be done remotely. But collecting qualitative information about a collector's tastes and plans happens almost always in person, during an informal conversation in the gallery or over dinner.

05Establishing an appropriate remote work framework

The dealer who wishes to integrate remote work into their gallery's operations must begin by establishing clear rules. The number of remote-eligible days per week, mandatory in-person days, availability time slots, communication tools to use, required material conditions: these parameters must be defined and communicated to the entire team.

Trust is the absolute prerequisite for remote work. A dealer who implements remote working while monitoring collaborators' connection times creates a climate of distrust that cancels out the benefits of the flexibility offered. Management by results rather than by presence requires a shift in posture that is not natural for dealers accustomed to seeing their team work before their eyes.

Galerie Nathalie Obadia has adopted a pragmatic approach by authorising remote work one to two days per week for administrative and communications functions, while maintaining mandatory physical presence on opening days, during important collector visits and during exhibition installation. This balanced approach reconciles the flexibility requested by collaborators with the gallery's operational requirements.

06Digital tools for hybrid work

A gallery's hybrid operation relies on appropriate digital tools. An online gallery management system allows collaborators to consult and update inventories, contacts and sales from any location. Video conferencing platforms facilitate remote team meetings and collector presentations. Shared storage tools ensure that gallery documents are accessible to all team members wherever they are.

Data security is a major concern for remote gallery work. Information about collectors, artwork prices and sales conditions are sensitive data that must be protected. The dealer must ensure that remote connections are secure, that passwords are robust and that collaborators respect confidentiality rules even when working from home.

Remote work in galleries is neither a panacea nor an absurdity. It is a management tool that, used with discernment, improves collaborator quality of life, broadens the recruitment pool and gains efficiency on tasks that do not require physical presence. Artedusa participates in this evolution by offering partner galleries a digital platform that extends the gallery's presence beyond its physical walls, allowing collectors to discover works and make initial contact with the gallery from anywhere in the world.