No featured articles available at the moment.
HELP
COMPANY
PARTNERSHIP
France
Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved
France
Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved
Opening a contemporary art gallery means simultaneously embracing two vocations: that of a curator, passionate about artworks and artists, and that of a business owner, confronting the realities of balance sheets, tax declarations and cash flow management. Most young gallery owners come from the art
The global gallery landscape has been dominated for two decades by an unprecedented phenomenon of concentration. A handful of mega-galleries, commanding colossal budgets, spaces spread across several continents and considerable market power, has absorbed a growing share of the most sought-after arti
Climate change was long perceived by the art world as an external subject, material for inspiration among engaged artists but without direct consequence on the workings of the market. This perception has shattered in recent years. The effects of global warming now touch every link in the art market
Generation Z, born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, is beginning to make its presence felt on the art market with behaviours, values and expectations that unsettle the habits of the gallery world. If their millennial elders had already initiated certain breaks with the practices of their
The model of the contemporary art gallery as it established itself during the twentieth century rested on one certainty: a permanent space, an identifiable location in the city, an address where collectors knew they could go to discover the dealer's offerings. This model has not vanished, but it now
The art market is undergoing structural transformations whose full magnitude only becomes apparent with a few years of hindsight. The galleries that navigate these changes successfully are those that read the weak signals early enough to adapt their economic model, their programming and their relati
The contemporary art gallery traditionally operates on a single-source economic model: commission on artwork sales. This model, when the market is favourable and sales are regular, can generate comfortable revenues allowing the dealer to finance ambitious programming and support artists' career deve
The economic model of the contemporary art gallery has historically rested on a single mechanism: the sale of original works. The dealer buys or takes on consignment works presented to collectors, and these sales constitute virtually all revenue. This model has the merit of simplicity and clarity, b
The traditional economic model of the art gallery rests on a clear principle: the dealer bears all fixed costs of the structure, from rent to overheads to salaries and communication, and is remunerated through a commission on sales, generally between forty and sixty per cent of the work's price. Thi
Ambitious exhibitions are expensive. A monumental installation, a cast bronze sculpture, an immersive video projection requiring specialist technical equipment, a catalogue printed in full colour with texts by established curators: these elements that distinguish an ordinary show from a landmark eve
Every gallery accumulates, over the years, a stock of works that exceeds the capacity of its walls and storage. This phenomenon is structural in the gallery profession. Each exhibition leaves behind pieces that did not find a buyer during the hanging period. Each studio visit leads to the acquisitio
Colombia occupies a singular position in the Latin American artistic landscape. This country of fifty million inhabitants, long reduced in the international imagination to cliches of armed conflict and drug trafficking, harbours one of the most vibrant and structured art scenes on the continent. Bog
The Baltic states — Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania — constitute one of the blind spots of the European art market. These three countries, whose combined populations do not reach six million, nonetheless harbour art scenes of a vitality and originality that surprise anyone who takes the trouble to loo
Portugal is asserting itself as one of the most dynamic art scenes in southern Europe, driven by a cultural renewal affecting institutions, private galleries and artists alike. Lisbon and Porto, the two major poles of this scene, attract growing international attention from collectors, curators and
The daily management of an art gallery rests on a set of administrative, logistical and relational tasks that, taken individually, seem mundane but whose accumulation can absorb a considerable share of the dealer's time. Tracking consignments, following up with collectors, preparing for fairs, manag
General terms and conditions of sale form the legal foundation of the relationship between a gallery and its buyers. They define the rules applicable to each transaction, protect the dealer against disputes and offer the collector a transparent framework that secures their purchase. Yet many galleri
The choice of lease is one of the most consequential legal decisions for a dealer opening or relocating their space. The lease type — commercial or professional — determines the level of protection the tenant enjoys, the commitment duration, renewal conditions, rent amount and rights in case of assi
A gallery's name is far more than a shopfront sign. It is an intangible asset that embodies the reputation built over years, the quality of the programme, the trust of collectors and the recognition of institutions. When a gallery achieves significant renown, its name becomes a potential target for
Every exhibition carries a risk of damage to artworks. A visitor who bumps into a sculpture, a water leak that damages canvases, faulty lighting that causes overheating, a poorly executed installation that brings down a frame: the scenarios are numerous and the dealer who houses works in their premi
Participating in an art fair represents a considerable investment for a gallery. Between the booth cost, shipping, accommodation, communications and logistics, the committed budget frequently exceeds twenty thousand euros for a mid-sized fair and can reach much higher amounts for leading internation
The position of artistic director in a contemporary art gallery occupies a singular place in the art market's organisational structure. Unlike museum institutions, where the artistic director is generally a curator with a clearly defined mandate, the function in a gallery remains largely informal an
The dealer who runs a gallery alone shoulders every function of the business: artistic direction, sales, communications, logistics, accounting, institutional relations and administration. This versatility, which is part of the very identity of the profession, gradually becomes a trap as the gallery
The health crisis of 2020 forced art galleries, like the rest of the business world, to experiment with remote working under emergency conditions. This forced experiment revealed a reality that many dealers had sensed without formalising: certain gallery functions work perfectly at a distance, while
The question of salaries in art galleries remains one of the most opaque subjects in the art market. Unlike auction houses, which sometimes publish data on employee compensation as part of their transparency obligations as listed companies, private galleries almost never communicate about their sala