Vanity Galleries
Dan Fox
particularly the Agora Gallery in NYC. Here is the text of an e-mail I sent
to one person. I hope it answers other peoples' questions:
Hi,
Well, vanities are often honest (many legitimate galleries are not!). By
honest I mean that they deliver everything they promise, and that it is of
good quality. An honest gallery will pay you for work sold in a timely way,
and will not sell work and not tell you, etc.
I have no idea whether Agora is honest or not. You might check with the NYC
Better Business Bureau. Better yet, call the Art Information Center,
212-227-0282. They are a non-profit and very sharp about all NYC gallery
and art scene business. They will know.
I have lived in New York, and live a short distance away now. I've visited
Agora while looking at other galleries in the same building. The location
is excellent, with other galleries in the same building. The space is of
the same high quality as other galleries, and the work is hung and lit very
well. The non-art-world person would not know he or she was in a vanity
gallery.
It is immediately apparent to the professional that the work is
not of the quality that appears in other galleries. It varies, but there is
a lot of frankly amateur work on the walls. Other work is not so bad, and
I'm sure that competent artists have shown there, too. Let me put it this
way: if you took the names off of ten galleries and brought a group of
experienced artists or critics to each gallery, all would immediately spot
the vanity gallery.
Vanities are not likely to push for sales of work, since they make their
money from fees paid by artists.
Everyone in town (and in other large cities, too) knows about the vanities.
If you do show there, don't put it on your resume. It will hurt your
chances.
If your work is good, it may be shown along side inferior work.
I have a problem with vanities because, even if they are honest from a
legal standpoint (and I assume most are), in my opinion it is really
dishonest to give artists the impression that they are getting all the
benefits of New York gallery representation.
Good luck with your art!
--
Dan
'The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.' - Blake
silverpt
Probably better to show in a non-gallery venue, like a bookstore or a
coffee-shop just to get the work out there.
RA
Jillian
>
>An opinion:
>
>Probably better to show in a non-gallery venue, like a bookstore or a
>coffee-shop just to get the work out there.
I'll go even farther than that and advise a beginning
artist -- someone who is serious about making a living
off their own art work -- to get it seen in any forum
that will allow them in, regardless. At least in the
beginning. You can then drop names off your C.V. as
you gain fame and fortune, retaining only the elite.
silverpt
When I lived in Iowa City I had two shows at once. The first was at an
ice-cream parlor called Great Midwestern. It was a family joint, so I
couldn't show any nudes. The second was a hip haircutting place. All the
nudes went there- a nice double bill.
-RA
~Artist~
>
> An opinion:
>
> Probably better to show in a non-gallery venue, like a bookstore or a
> coffee-shop just to get the work out there.
>
Do what you can to get ahead that fits your budgets and ideals and
knowledge of the art market.
>
> Dan Fox wrote:
> > Well, vanities are often honest (many legitimate galleries are not!). By
I did my research.
They are a huge racket.
I went there and asked a bunch of the NYC regular vanities --
business questions. They are making 14K per month on your 25.00
entries. The works they select are of medium to ok tourist quality,
smaller suit case size works, most are hung terribly stuffed in theri
like tourist shops.
If you have that kind of work which most American works are...do it!
If you make money great your happy.
I don't rate it high on the list and I have heard in SoHo it is a curse to
do so....but since SoHo is such a mess now...and all the good
galleries gone....who cares if you are selling there...
if you have large real not for the tourist art don't waste your time.
Some vaities work a little different but not much.
I know an artist here whos work is really really weak and she moved
form NYC and is getting shows simply cause her resume says NYC.
No one out west except the pros really knows where you are in NYC
they only know NYC so it can help out west to have NY on your bio.
> > I have no idea whether Agora is honest or not. You might check with the NYC
> > Better Business Bureau. Better yet, call the Art Information Center,
> > 212-227-0282.
See above, I know nothing about them except that I check out all the
galleries that do those ads and was glad I did.
I asked them all the same questions that were related to numbers of
submissions etc. I decided never to get invloved with any of them for
many reasons. They make 14K monthly wether they sell art or not
through the 25.00 fees, they are not hungry 14K per month they do
not have to sell a thing. My work is art and they sell the tourist art
type stuff, not my market but it is a part of the art market. They have
a bad rap in NYC so it is best not to get involved there is you want to
do the NYC thing. The style they hang in is too distracting and
they hang no big works all small stuff.
If you fit this go for it - many different types of art business to be
done abviously since they are surviving.
The non-art-world person would not know he or she was in a vanity
> > gallery.
True.
But he biggies and most NYers do.
> >
> > It is immediately apparent to the professional that the work is
> > not of the quality that appears in other galleries. It varies, but there is
> > a lot of frankly amateur work on the walls. Other work is not so bad, and
Yes, tourits art like what happened to Monterey.
More gold frames thatn the Louve...
best to run from those galleries.
> > I'm sure that competent artists have shown there, too. Let me put it this
> > way: if you took the names off of ten galleries and brought a group of
> > experienced artists or critics to each gallery, all would immediately spot
> > the vanity gallery.
Yep, but for emerging work get it anywhere you can.
> > If your work is good, it may be shown along side inferior work.
> >
> > I have a problem with vanities because, even if they are honest from a
> > legal standpoint (and I assume most are), in my opinion it is really
> > dishonest to give artists the impression that they are getting all the
> > benefits of New York gallery representation.
RAcket is a great work in NYC.
Jillian
>
>Jillian:
>
>When I lived in Iowa City I had two shows at once. The first was at an
>ice-cream parlor called Great Midwestern. It was a family joint, so I
>couldn't show any nudes. The second was a hip haircutting place. All the
>nudes went there- a nice double bill.
I've sold MANY works out of restaurants, cafeteria lines,
barber shops, pubs, etc. That was when I was actively trying
to 'make a name' for myself in the early days. I remember
forgetting all about having hung two particular paintings
in a small neighborhood restaurant -- actually a cafe -- and
only being reminded when the owner sold both some years later
and I ended up with the full value I'd put on them. That's
something to think about -- you offer to 'decorate' the walls
of a business and they offer to refer all the sales monies
to you in return -- taking no commission. It can be done and
I did it all the time. It does infer a certain amount of trust
in the business ownership and the customers who are likely
to spatter your work with ketchup, etc -- if not steal it
outright. I've never had a problem myself in any event.
~Artist~
Whitney Museum families that way among others. Small world art
world smaller!
Mattison
Charles Eicher
>
>Jillian:
>
>When I lived in Iowa City I had two shows at once. The first was at an
>ice-cream parlor called Great Midwestern. It was a family joint, so I
>couldn't show any nudes. The second was a hip haircutting place. All the
>nudes went there- a nice double bill.
FYI, I heard that Great Mid was sold, its still open, but under new management
(and no art was on the walls last time I went there). They've converted it to a
cybercafe.
Lately, there's a waiting list of about a year to get your stuff up on the walls
of most of the cafes here. Most of the new cafes have permanent hangings of
imitation-Lasansky prints.
A new artist-operated gallery opened here recently. I took some of my
photo-printmaking stuff to them. They asked me if I could print on fabric,
because they were making more money selling women's dresses than art. Sheesh!