Approaching galleries, writing the pitch, and navigating the relationship once you're in.
I sometimes dream about walking into a gallery space and it just... fitting. Like my work belonged there without me having to explain anything. Does anyone else have a specific gallery in mind, maybe one you've visited, where you just felt 'this is it'? Not necessarily where you want to show, but where the vibe or the collection just clicked with your own art?
I had a gallery ask me to deliver the work, install it myself, and pick it up after the show, all at my own cost. No mention of covering transport, no help with hanging. Just "you bring it, you hang it, you take it back." I said no and walked. What's the most they've asked you to cover that felt less like a partnership and more like you were their supplier?
Had a gallery interested once. They loved the work. Then the conversation went to "could you do it in a smaller format, more affordable, maybe something people can hang in a hallway." And I knew, they wanted my work but not really. They wanted something that looked like my work but cost less and took up less wall. I said no. Probably lost the chance. Don't regret it. Anyone else had the "we love it but can you make it..." conversation? Where did you draw the line?
I had a gallery once that took my collages and then asked if I could "add more colour" to fit the rest of the show. I said no, and that was that. But it stuck with me, how much are you willing to adjust your work for a space? Has a gallery ever asked you to change what you make to suit them? And did you do it, or walk?
I'll go first. Early in my career, a gallery in Vienna offered me a show. Nice space. Nice people. They just needed me to pay for shipping both ways, the opening catering, and their "promotional materials", which turned out to be a photocopied A5 flyer. I said yes because I was young and wanted the line on my CV. The show happened. Nothing sold. They asked me to cover the "storage fee" for the work that hadn't moved. I paid that too. What's the red flag you saw early, told yourself it was fine, and then it absolutely was not fine?
the first gallery that gave me a real conversation told me my work was "interesting but not commercial" and i didn't know if that was a compliment or a warning. turned out it was both lol. still think about it years later. what's the most memorable thing, good or bad, a gallerist has said to you that stuck? the kind of line you still replay in your head
ok so I had a conversation last week with a gallery that was interested in showing my work and I was so excited at first and then they dropped that I'd need to frame everything myself AND cover the framing costs, like hundreds of dollars per piece, and I'm supposed to just absorb that?? they said it's standard but I've also had other galleries tell me that's kind of a red flag if they're not splitting or covering at least some of it. I haven't signed anything yet and now I'm second-guessing the whole thing. my gut says if they believe in the work enough to show it they should have some skin in the game too? or am I being naive here. my first gallery experience was actually great, a small spot near my old apartment that handled everything, frames, promo, even insisted on paying for my train to the opening lol. so maybe that spoiled me. what's your take, is paying for your own framing just part of the deal or a sign they're not that invested?
okay I need to know if this is just me or if this is like, a rite of passage. I spent FOUR MONTHS talking to a gallery last year. Emails back and forth, sent them a whole portfolio, they loved it, we talked about a show timeline, I got my hopes way up. Then nothing. I followed up twice, polite, casual, and just got radio silence. Not even a "we went another direction." Just disappeared into the void. I was so embarrassed I didn't tell anyone for months lol like I'd been scammed by a situationship. Has this happened to you? What's the longest a gallery has strung you along before ghosting? Or did you ever get a follow-up years later that made it make sense? I need solidarity here 😭
Had a gallerist once who liked my portfolio but asked if I could "make it more colourful" before they'd show it. I said no. Didn't hear back. Still not sure if that was the right call or just stubbornness. I make quiet beige collage work, it's not going to suddenly become neon. But I do wonder sometimes if a little flexibility would have opened a door. Anyone else been asked to change what they make to fit a space? Did you bend or walk?
I had a local gallery interested in showing a few pieces and I was so excited until they mentioned I'd need to provide all the framing and they'd take 50%. No framing budget, no help, just "bring them ready to hang." Is that standard and I'm naive, or is that a sign they're not really invested? I've only done fairs and coffee shop walls so I genuinely don't know what's normal. What's the line between "that's just how it works" and "run"?
still mad about this years later. small gallery, decent space, said they loved my work. then the email came, they wanted me to pay for the opening drinks, pay for the printed invites, "cover my share of the marketing." i was young and almost said yes. what's the wildest thing a gallery has asked you to pay for? the one that made you laugh and hang up? i need to know i'm not the only one who almost fell for it.
first gallery I ever showed with, the owner gave me a tour of the space and it was... her apartment. like actively lived in. dishes in the sink. I should've left then but I was 22 and thrilled anyone wanted my work. what's the wildest thing you walked into thinking it was a real gallery and immediately knew you made a mistake?
alright here's one that's been rattling round my head. I did a group show maybe three years back, decent gallery, nice space, did the whole song and dance. Sold three prints. Got my cut six months later after chasing it twice. Grand, that's the game, I know. but the same summer I did a one-night thing in a mate's pub in Salthill. Hung stuff on the wall with picture wire and blu-tack. Sold five prints off a stack on the bar and took cash in a jar. Made four times what the gallery paid me and had a feed of pints out of it. I'm not knocking galleries, I've had great ones. But I'm wondering, have ye ever done something scrappy and unpolished that outsold the proper exhibition? Like a studio open day, a market stall, a pop-up in someone's living room. What worked? What felt mad but actually paid?
I got a no once from a gallery I really respected. Took me three weeks to write the email, sent it, two days later the owner replied personally, not interested but kind about it, said come back with new work in a year. I was disappointed but I still think well of her. It's the ones who just never reply that get me. I sent a query last spring. Heard nothing. Followed up politely two months later. Nothing. Still sitting in their inbox, presumably. I'd rather get a "no thanks" in five minutes than be left hanging for six months. What's your cutoff? Do you follow up once and wash your hands, or do you keep nudging until someone tells you to stop? I do one follow-up, then I take the silence as a no and move on. Tell me I'm wrong.
okay so I keep thinking about this and I wanna know if I'm the only one this has happened to. I had a gallery owner literally shake my hand at a studio visit, say "these are perfect, let's get you on the books," and then... nothing. never heard from them again. I followed up twice, polite but not pushy, and just got radio silence. did this happen to anyone else?? like is this just part of the game or did I do something wrong? I'm still pretty new to this whole gallery thing and I honestly don't know if I should've been more aggressive or if they just got busy and forgot or what. my take rn is that handshake means nothing until there's a signature but man it stung a little haha. tell me your ghosting stories so I don't feel like the only one 🥲
First gallery that took me seriously wanted me to scale everything down. Said my pieces were too big to sell. I told them no. We parted ways. I still think it was the right call. What's the thing a gallery asked you to change that you actually should have listened to? Or the one you're glad you walked away from.
sure look we've all got a horror story or two about walking into a gallery with your portfolio and knowing inside five minutes it was a dead loss. give us the worst one. I'll go first. maybe eight years ago, still pretty green, got a meeting with this gallery in a city I won't name. small place, grand, but the fella running it spent the whole time looking at his phone while I was pulling prints out. didn't ask me one question about the work. then he told me he could "make me" if I was willing to "compromise a little" which turned out to mean make stuff that looked like the fella three doors down who was selling. I packed up my stuff, thanked him, and he actually said "are you sure" like I was the one wasting his time. still makes my blood warm thinking about it. what about ye? ever walk into a meeting and wish you'd stayed in bed?
The first real gallery that ever said yes to me, I was maybe 30, living on soup, so excited I nearly shook, turned out to be a complete disaster. Didn't pay, lost work, the whole thing collapsed in six months. The rejection I got two years before that, from a proper serious space? Best thing that happened to me. Made me work harder, think clearer, and when I finally got in somewhere right I was ready for it. Anyone else got a rejection they're secretly grateful for? Or am I romanticising failure like an old man.
i emailed a gallery back in february. they replied in march saying they were "reviewing my work with the curatorial committee." i followed up in may, still reviewing. july came, i followed up again, got "we'll circle back after summer programming." then in september i get a polite no. like, just say no in march? don't drag me through all the seasons? tell me your longest string-along. not the rejection that stung, the one that wasted your time.
A gallery in Switzerland was interested in my interiors but said everything was too large for their space. Could I paint smaller, like 40x40cm max. I said no, I work at the scale I see the scene, I can't just shrink it and keep the same feeling. They moved on. Now I wonder if I was stubborn. Smaller paintings sell easier, more people can hang them, maybe I'd have sold more. But it felt like saying yes to something that wasn't my work anymore. Has a gallery asked you to change the size or format? Did you adapt or hold your ground, and did it work out?
