Unlocking the Gallery Door: A Roadmap for Emerging Artists

I’m an artist, so I can say this: we artists, we can be super weird sometimes. And when we’re around gallerists, we become even weirder.

When I was Fine Art Chairman of ASMP NY, I produced our annual Portfolio Review. My job was to find gallery owners who would volunteer their time to review photographers’ portfolios. One afternoon I was sitting in a downtown gallery chatting with the owner, which couldn’t have lasted more than twenty minutes. During that time, seven different artists barged in to try to show her their work; one even pulled a painting from under his arm. She replied as kindly as she could, “Sir, this is a photo gallery.” His response: “Okay, I’ll send you an email.” Her response: “No. Don’t email me. Please, just… thank you, have a nice day.”

I asked her, “How often does this happen?” She sighed, “Every day, all day. Why do you think we hide in the back?”

Is this really how we get into galleries? Ruthless, somewhat desperate and unaware of what they actually need. It made me think: how do we stop existing? that guy and become the artist a gallery actually wants to work with?

Think like a gallerist

As artists we are obsessed with: Is my work good enough? Is this framed properly? Will they like me? But when you talk to gallerists, you realize they are obsessed with something else: money. Can you blame them? Imagine renting a retail space in Chelsea, hiring employees, paying utilities, advertising, painting, installing and covering personal expenses. You spend 20 to 30,000 euros per month in costs before a single work of art is sold. With a 50% commission model, a gallery must move between 40 and 60,000 euros worth of art every month to survive.

So if you’re asking, “Why is it so hard to get a solo show in New York?” The answer isn’t mysterious: it’s math. If you already sell €60,000 per month, you’re in. If not, you’ll need to prove you can move units, and that means building an exhibition and sales history. Which leads us to…

The artist’s Catch-22

Galleries want artists who will sell work. To prove that, you need to have an exhibition and sales history. But to get That you need a gallery. It’s a Catch-22, right?

Well, not necessarily. Yes, it’s a closed loop. And yes, it is not easy to break into it, but there is a way. And this is part of your job as an emerging artist. In addition to creating great art, it’s also about building momentum and connections with the right people: people who want to advocate You.

And this is a long game. Let’s talk about where to start. Here I take a detour to two silly but useful analogies.

Relationships, not one-night stands

Working with a gallery is like a marriage. You are contractually bound, you see each other all the time and ideally you grow together for years to come. So if you’re looking for a gallery, you’re not looking for a one night stand. You are looking for love.

And just like dating, finding a gallery can be difficult, emotional and full of false starts. And if you don’t put yourself out there, you’ll never meet anyone.

So how do you meet someone and fall in love?

The Meet Nice
A “Meet Cute” is that perfect, quirky first meeting between our two main characters that sets them off on their rom-com adventure. And yes, this happens in real life too. Don’t laugh! I’m proud to have met both my wife and my first gallery in two separate and unrelated encounters.

You can’t think of a nice meeting, it would be weird and somewhat unethical. But what you can do is make sure you’re in the right place, at the right time, with the right people so it can happen.

Step 1: Identify your access point
Start organizing your understanding of the market. It is useful to remember that the art world has these four categories:

• Artist-run galleries: These are often cool and great if you’re already part of the community. If not, don’t spend time trying to break in unless you really want to connect with that specific group of artists and be part of their crew.
• Blue chip galleries: The big names (think Gagosian, Mary Boone) are not entry points for new artists. Don’t waste your time here; when you are ready, they will come to you.
• Low to mid level galleries: Your best choice. Especially the sloppy, lower versions.
• Honorable Mention** Non-Traditional Spaces: Also consider coffee shops, bookstores, salons, etc. These locations provide valuable exposure and a chance to build your exhibition history. It is better to have your work hanging on the wall than under your bed.

Step 2: Research and organize

1. Start with a list of galleries openings. This will give you specific events to target and show active galleries that are currently showing active work. Use resources such as artcards.cc to find EVERYTHING weekly gallery openings in your city.
2. Second, you should limit that list to just the galleries you might want to see YOU.
   1. Focus only on identifying low to mid-level galleries. Our instinct is often to try to “shoot for the stars and hit the moon,” but this doesn’t apply when you’re trying to infiltrate a closed system. The only way to do that is to tackle the ‘weak points’ in that closed system. That’s not to say these galleries are ‘weak’. These galleries are an extraordinary opportunity for you to show and sell your work. And once you show and sell there, the bigger companies can take notice.
   2. Please note: Recent founding year, younger owners, short exhibition history or other “questionable” aspects.
3. Third: Find out where you work POWER fit in. Open your personal website and open a gallery website on the same screen. Look at it and ask, “Does my artwork look like it matches this artwork?

Step 3: Go in person
You have to go in person. Art (and love) happens in real life! Once you’ve identified promising galleries, attend their openings. This is crucial. This is the opportunity for you to:

• Check out the gallery, see the work and see what kind of ‘vibe’ the place has. Is this what you thought when you saw it online?
• Remember that a gallery relationship is like a marriage: we spend a lot of time thinking about “will they like me?” But what if you don’t like them? You certainly don’t want to get married!
• The best time to find out what a gallery and its community are like is during its opening.

TIP: Bring friends, make it a social event, maybe a date! Make it fun: this is your life, you are an artist, gather some artist friends and make a night out of it.

Step 4: When you find your people
When you walk into a gallery and you feel at home, you notice it immediately. Subscribe to their newsletter and attend all their events. Galleries are community centers and attending is the best way to become part of the inner circle.

NOTE: All the hard work is in qualifying the galleries. There are thousands of galleries, almost none are right for you. But if you do the work to qualify the galleries before you go based on the level of the galleries and what the work looks like, I promise you’ll walk in and find your people quickly.

Step 5: Meet Cute
Don’t force introductions or bring your portfolio to openings. Instead, be open, available and authentic. If you are open and available, your “meet cute” will happen naturally. It could be with a gallery owner or curator, or even one of the artists represented by the gallery. If you stay open and available, good things will come your way.

Convert connections into long-term relationships

Once you’ve met some people and been invited into the gallery community, these are the next steps to finding success.

Step 6: Participate in group shows
Once you become part of a gallery’s community, you hear about it, meet people, and have the opportunity to be part of group shows. These are your auditions: your chance to showcase your work, demonstrate professionalism, and even sell your work. If you do well in a group exhibition, the gallery will want to continue with you.

Step 7: Sell your work
Group shows are a test of both your art and your ability to captivate an audience. Bring supportive friends, drive sales, and make your work accessible. Selling work in a group show is the next big step toward a three-person show or solo show and deeper gallery relationships.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, entering the gallery world requires more than just producing great work. You have to be out in the world. It takes perseverance, strategy and a little magic. You can’t control when those magical moments will happen, but you can put yourself in the right place, at the right time, with the right people and when you do, look how much magic happens!