Any Commercial Art Gallery Owners?

[sorn21]

Evenin',

I've been set the task of designing a commercial art gallery for my final year project in uni.
Artworks displayed at this Gallery will be with a view to be sold and are not permanent.

A slightly long shot but I was curious to see if there is anybody on here that currently owns or works in one. Even previous owners would be good!
Just to pick your brains on it slightly!

Thanks

 

[Dano]

Worked as a framer in a gallery for the better part of eighteen years, what did you want to know?

 

[touch]

Art gallerys are pretty simple things.
Big open room with pictures hanging around the walls, maybe a few seats in the middle to sit and look at the paintings.
Sometimes have those V-shaped frames with lots of unframed pictures in them that you can flick through.

What part of it do you have to design?

 

[sorn21]

Worked as a framer in a gallery for the better part of eighteen years, what did you want to know?

How were the art pieces usually delivered?
What was the storage (if any) like, what sort of ventilation did they use?
Security, were they stored in a vault or just in a secure glorified cupboard?
Did they ever sell any art work, and did they have a gift shop?
Cheers

What part of it do you have to design?

All of it! It's going to be part of a terrace, so I have pretty strict size constraints. Part of the criteria is to include a gift shop + cafe as they apparently generate abit of day to day income, and can entice people in.

 

[touch]

How were the art pieces usually delivered?
What was the storage (if any) like, what sort of ventilation did they use?
Security, were they stored in a vault or just in a secure glorified cupboard?
Did they ever sell any art work, and did they have a gift shop?
Cheers

In my experience, the artist is responsible for how the painting is delivered. Usually the artist will have the painting framed before it goes to the gallery and the price will then include the frame. If its unframed gallerys will usually frame it to display it and sell it unframed (or charge extra for a frame).

AFAIK paintings are stored in-place on the walls. There may be a small storage space for paintings waiting to be hung.

Yes, gallerys do sell artwork, and they take a hefty commision from it :/
Its unusal for an art gallery to have a cafe/shop.

 

[Stupot_]

What do you study?

 

[Dano]

How were the art pieces usually delivered?

By the artists or agents generally, either framed or ready to be framed.

What was the storage (if any) like, what sort of ventilation did they use?

Storage was just a generally cool dry and dark area, the only long term storage we had was of works left uncollected by framing customers or gallery owned stock.

Security, were they stored in a vault or just in a secure glorified cupboard?

Neither, you'd need a massive vault or cupboard, space for storage of artwork was a major headache due to the space it took up. The building was obviously secure however and it helped having the owner living upstairs.

Did they ever sell any art work, and did they have a gift shop?
Cheers

Lots of work was sold, but it varied greatly on time of year and the art in question, some exhibitions sold nothing while others sold as much as 90%. We sold bits and bobs to do with framing and art too, wasn't exactly a gift shop but we didn't just sell artwork.

All of it! It's going to be part of a terrace, so I have pretty strict size constraints. Part of the criteria is to include a gift shop + cafe as they apparently generate abit of day to day income, and can entice people in.

Enticing people in is the number one issue, anything that can be done to maximise people through the door has to be a priority, however... it can burn you too, we used to hold preview evenings of exhibitions and they were often so busy that nobody could actually see the artwork on display properly, I shudder to think of what would have happened had health and safety arrived on the scene as the building was well over capacity.

 

[sorn21]

Good afternoon! Thanks for your replies guys

What do you study?

I'm studying Architectural Technology.

Snip

Thanks mate, there are a few of the larger galleries round here that have a cafe, not many of the smaller ones do, but it's part of the criteria. I'll try and post up some images in abit when the plans are done.
All of the galleries I've been to have a store room, but it's obviously off limits to the public. Many of the converted galleries had awkwardly located storage, so want to create something that works.

By the artists or agents generally, either framed or ready to be framed.

Storage was just a generally cool dry and dark area, the only long term storage we had was of works left uncollected by framing customers or gallery owned stock.

Neither, you'd need a massive vault or cupboard, space for storage of artwork was a major headache due to the space it took up. The building was obviously secure however and it helped having the owner living upstairs.

Lots of work was sold, but it varied greatly on time of year and the art in question, some exhibitions sold nothing while others sold as much as 90%. We sold bits and bobs to do with framing and art too, wasn't exactly a gift shop but we didn't just sell artwork.

Enticing people in is the number one issue, anything that can be done to maximise people through the door has to be a priority, however... it can burn you too, we used to hold preview evenings of exhibitions and they were often so busy that nobody could actually see the artwork on display properly, I shudder to think of what would have happened had health and safety arrived on the scene as the building was well over capacity.

That's brilliant mate much appreicated.

Another quick question, in your gallery did it make use of natural light or was it mainly artificial? The reason I ask is that of all the galleries I've been to they seem to use either one or the other.
Surely UV will degenerate the paintings, but in a comercial gallery they (hopefully) won't be on display for any length of time.

Your Preview evenings, how did you manage to entice people in? Was it more of a social event? Just trying to think about layout and how flexbile it needs to be.

Thanks again

 

[Dano]

That's brilliant mate much appreicated.

Another quick question, in your gallery did it make use of natural light or was it mainly artificial? The reason I ask is that of all the galleries I've been to they seem to use either one or the other.
Surely UV will degenerate the paintings, but in a comercial gallery they (hopefully) won't be on display for any length of time.

Artificial, we had 12volt lighting tracks all over the place so lights could be repositioned according to what was on display.

UV will degenerate art, how rapidly depends on the quality of materials used. I've seen prints behind museum quality glass (has a very high UV filter %) fade within a year and others look untouched after decades in old school plate glass.

Your Preview evenings, how did you manage to entice people in? Was it more of1 a social event? Just trying to think about layout and how flexbile it needs to be.

Thanks again

Generally they were promoted via several means, mailshots (both our list and any the artist or agent might have had), local press using articles rather than adverts (get the artist involved) and framing clients who happened to come into the gallery in the weeks preceeding the event.

They were an odd mix really, definitely very social most of the time though.