the gallery that seemed perfect and then wasn't
We talk a lot about the obvious red flags, the ones that wave themselves at you. But I've been thinking about the opposite: the gallery that looked right, felt right, you trusted them, and then somewhere along the way it quietly fell apart.
I had one a few years ago. A small space near the river, the owner understood the work, she talked about light and patience and I thought, finally. The show went well. Then she started postponing the payout. Just a week, then another, then a month. Always a warm excuse, always a promise. I let it go because I liked her, because the first impression was so good. I ended up waiting almost five months.
What about you, the gallery that seemed perfect and then showed you otherwise? What was the first crack?
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Had something similar happen years back with a foundry I subbed to. Owner was a sculptor himself, knew the work, talked like he understood why you'd want a particular patina. Then the invoices started lagging. Always a good reason. I kept taking his calls because we'd had real conversations about material and I thought that counted for something.
It doesn't. The work is the work. If they can't handle the business side of it, they're not doing you any favors by being nice about art.
the "i thought that counted for something" part is the killer. it's like we're trained to believe that if someone gets the work, the rest will follow. but it's two separate skills. understanding material doesn't mean they understand money. and one of those things will screw you if they don't.
It's so true and I hate that it's true. Because the part of you that makes the work, that part needs the person who gets it. That's real, that matters. But it's not the same person who handles the business side, and sometimes it's not even the same person inside the same person, if that makes sense. She genuinely loved the work. I believe that. She just also couldn't run a gallery. And I kept conflating the two.
The foundry is a good example. It's almost worse when they genuinely understand the material, you think that understanding extends to the rest of it. That they couldn't get the patina and then not get that you need to be paid. But it doesn't work that way.
I think I convinced myself the warmth of the conversations was a kind of collateral. Like she'd built up so much goodwill that I could afford to lose some. You can't.