Today, I've been going back and forth with a gallery dealer who seemed disturbed by my blog: The topic I wrote about was why we artists could increase sales at our galleries if we had the contact info of our collectors. For example, we could add these to our email newsletter and then let our collectors know when a new piece becomes available - and provide a link to the gallery.
However, this gallery dealer stated the following. I won't mention the name of the gallery dealer
You bring up many of same points that I hear from artists but, respectfully,it doesn't come from a business point of view.
Yes the ideas you advocate increases sales, but mostly for the artist not necessarily for the gallery. And, long term, the most interested (read
profitable) clients will migrate to buying directly from the artist.
The policies you advocate are not good for the industry. Galleries are the
best venues for artists. They allow the artists to do what they do best and
show their work in the best possible light. As business people, if we can
see that the return on our investment is being eroded then we will do something else. Passion can only take you so far and it doesn't pay the rent.
In many ways, I understand where she is coming from - if and when collectors decide to go directly to the artist, galleries may go out of business.
What Do you Think?
Should we be able to share the names of our collectors, provided we're honest and never sell behind the dealer's back? Should we either sell on our own or else exclusively with galleries? It's a sticky situation because of the room for lies and cheating.
Do you think the Internet is going to change the way art is sold in the next decade? Do we need galleries? Do they need us? Please feel free to share your thoughts. I'll type up a report if I get enough responses.
Sincerely,
Lori
via web
Sharing the names of collectors does not "hurt the industry". In fact, I would argue that it helps: it demonstrates to the collector that the gallerist has a deep, personal connection to the artist. And it demonstrates to the artist a level of trust and partnership. Both reinforce the gallerist's role in the sale of art.