Thinking about “Vanity Galleries” to build your career?

Thinking about “Vanity Galleries” to build your career?

A very interesting article about vanity galleries by Renee Phillips at Art Calendar. What is a vanity gallery? … in a nutshell, these are galleries located in main art markets (e.g. New York City) that will bleed you in fees for you to get a line in your resume saying that “you” made it because you where exhibited there.

To believe an exhibition in any gallery in a major city at any cost will garner the attention of serious curators and collectors is naïve at best. Although they may appear to have credibility to outsiders, vanity galleries are viewed dimly by knowledgeable art professionals. As one art critic said to me, “When I see such a gallery on an artist’s resume, I know they paid to have their ego stroked.” Furthermore, the uneven quality of art found in most of these galleries turns away serious collectors. - Renee Phillips

Also, if you are interested in knowing if a gallery will charge fees, the article cites a website with information on fees at NYC galleries. And always it is possible to see if the gallery is a member of the Art Dealers Association of America, no vanity gallery will be part of this professional association.

 http://exposurecompensation.com/2008/10/05/thinking-about-vanity-galleries-to-build-you-career/